The Green Village News for the ‘Green Living’ Category
Wednesday, June 16th, 2010
Online flooring retailer flooringsupplies.co.uk have received an FSC accreditation which enables the company to use the well known FSC logo on a number of their engineered wood flooring products following chain-of-custody certification by SGS. SGS is a company providing verification and certification services to ensure particular requirements and standards regarding safety, performance and quality are met.
Chain-of-custody certification means that every step of the production process for the flooring materials bearing the FSC logo has to meet strict standards, with certified members involved at each stage. Every member of the teams involved in processing, distrubution, manufacturing and sourcing of the raw materials used to make the flooring has to undergo rigorous audits before the accreditation from the Forest Stewardship Council can be granted.
The products available from flooringsupplies.co.uk fall into two FSC classifications depending on the source of the wood content in the flooring – 100% certification and mixed sources. 100% FSC certification flooring products are manufactured from wood sourced entirely from forests with FSC certification. Mixed source certification wood products are made from responsibly source wood using virgin material that is FSC certified, from sources that are either reclaimed, or are certified or controlled by the FSC.
Flooringsupplies.co.uk believe that their industry needs to take responsibility for the environmental impact that it can have if manufacturing processes are not sustainable. The mindset and philosophy of the company focuses on increasing awareness among their customers and suppliers about environmental issues through promotion and education. Adrian Lee said,
“We are very proud to achieve this status and feel it’s important for all wood flooring manufacturers and suppliers to consider our environmental responsibilities, and to do our utmost to ensure we all commit to adhering to the values that FSC work so hard to protect.”
Choosing environmentally friendly flooring materials when redecorating or renovating your home is an important way of helping green companies and businesses, and also helps reduce the carbon footprint of your home. Increased demand for engineered wood flooring has already proved to have a positive effect on the environment as more trees are being planted than those being harvested for production of flooring. Therefore if you’re looking for flooring for your home, choosing the greener option such as FSC wood flooring is the best way to reduce the environmental impact of your redecorating project.
Tags: engineered wood floors, environmentally friendly flooring, flooring, flooringsupplies.co.uk, FSC accreditation
Posted in Companies and Organisations, Eco Home, Ethical shopping, Green Living, Green Planet | No Comments
Monday, January 11th, 2010
A revolutionary new product from organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology company, LOMOX, based in St Asaph, North Wales, could replace the light bulb. OLEDs provide a low energy light source that can be used as part of flat panel displays and provide low energy lighting solutions, and LOMOX’s latest innovation could revolutionise interior lighting, integrating OLEDs into wallpaper.
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Tags: carbon emissions, carbon trust, light bulbs, lighting, lomox, oleds, wallpaper
Posted in Companies and Organisations, Eco Home, Green Living, Green Planet, Science and Technology | 1 Comment
Friday, December 11th, 2009
Even the most environmentally minded among us often have to frequently rely on four wheel car transportation to get us from A to B so finding a low carbon emitting car, whether it’s a family car or a commuter vehicle, is important. Stop-start technology, which is also known as micro-hybrid technology, is tipped to become a standard component in vehicles and would be responsible for considerable carbon emission reductions.
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Tags: car, carbon emissions, driving, fuel, micro-hybrid, oil, petrol, stop-start
Posted in Ethical shopping, Green Family, Green Living, Green Planet, Transport and Travel | No Comments
Saturday, November 14th, 2009
A proposal to build an eco home near to the site of a former asbestos factory is facing continued opposition from a local action group. The proposal to build a three bedroom house on a car park which is situated across the road from the site of Acre Mill where the former Cape Asbestos factory was in operation.
An action group was formed in opposition to the proposed eco home that was proposed by Lyn and Christine Gledhill due to concerns that commencement of building work would disturb asbestos fibres in the ground which could be released into the air and a nearby water course. Mr Gledhill, managing director of Beer Gas Express, commented previously that he was confident there is no risk of asbestos contamination if the proposal to build on the site was granted.
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Tags: acre mill, asbestos, asbestos cancer, cancer, contamination, Eco Home, hebdon bridge, planning permission, public health, sustainable home, water pollution
Posted in Eco Home, Environmental Impact, Environmental Politics, Green Living, Green Planet, Health and Wellbeing, Sustainable Development | No Comments
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
The National Self Build & Renovation Centre in Swindon will be hosting the Big Green Home Show this weekend, 23rd-25th October. The green event will be the second Big Green Home Show held at the venue and will feature a wide range of activities including seminars, live building demonstrations and a large number of experts on site throughout the weekend.
Whatever your green building needs, from finding an environmentally responsible trades person to help you carry out renovation work in your home, to attending one of the many seminars being delivered over the weekend, there’s plenty to keep you busy. Alternative Build Live will be held to provide on the day demonstrations of green building techniques such as straw bale building and offering visitors the opportunity to have a go at clay plastering. The Build Live! Demonstrations will provide information and guides to installing solar panels, insulation, heat pumps and solar water heating.
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Tags: big green home show, Eco Home, eco retrofit, green building, green building techniques, green event, green home, green renovation, insulation, low carbon, national self build and renovation centre, self build, straw bale building
Posted in Eco Home, Events and Courses, Green Family, Green Leisure and Tourism, Green Living, Green Planet, Sustainable Development | No Comments
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009
The familiar conventional solar panel that springs to mind when someone mentions solar power could be replaced by the new trend of integrating solar technology into buildings. The increasing popularity for building integrated photovoltaics is aided by the advances in microgeneration technology including solar roof tiles, shingles and even special sheeting that can be incorporated into other building materials which is coated in layers of atomised photovoltaic material.
Photovoltaics have been developed and improved over many years and are available for many uses including power supplies to charge leisure batteries for caravans, boats and motorhomes as well as for conventional use on domestic and industrial roofs. As the search for more sustainable sources of energy generation are sought to help ease the problems of peak oil and decreasing sources of energy generation such as fossil fuels, microgeneration from renewable energy sources such as wind power, geothermal energy and solar energy could be a crucial step to prevent blackouts and energy shortages for future generations.
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Tags: building integrated photovoltaics, microgeneration, photovoltaics, renewable energy, solar, solar panels, solar power, solar tiles
Posted in Eco Home, Energy and Resources, Green Living, Green Planet, Science and Technology | No Comments
Wednesday, September 16th, 2009
Brixton will be taking a step in the direction of market towns Stroud, Totnes and Lewes with the launch of the Brixton Pound on Thursday 17th September. As the economy is still in the throes of recession, the concept of transition towns is being looked at as a model that could help ease the economic tensions by encouraging communities to become more self-supporting, as well as helping combat the problems of peak oil and climate change added to by transportation of goods from around the world.
It is hoped the launch of the new currency, which will not replace pounds sterling in Brixton but will be available as an alternative for customers, who will be offered their change in Brixton pound notes, will help keep money within the local economy. The currency will be available in £1, £5, £10 and £20 notes and a large number of businesses in the area have bought into the idea, agreeing to accept payment for goods or services in the local currency, either solely in Brixton pounds or in conjunction with sterling.
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Tags: brixton, brixton pound, buy local, climate change, community, economy, peak oil, sterling, transition towns
Posted in Ethical shopping, Events and Courses, Green Living, Green Planet, Sustainable Development | 1 Comment
Tuesday, September 15th, 2009
Tuesday 22nd September 2009 is World Carfree Day, the day each year when people are urged to leave their cars at home and use alternative transport. Around the world, different events take place to spread the word about the importance of relinquishing our hold on oil powered transportation and the alternative methods of transportation and public transport services that are available.
As well as helping cut worldwide carbon emissions by reducing the amount of cars on the road, the day also aims to increase awareness of the importance of reducing the amount of single person car trips we make, by increasing the number of people travelling by bus, train, bike or on foot and encouraging more people to carshare where possible. Single occupant car journeys contribute significantly to pollution and the extra vehicles clogging up the roads create added congestion that can be the bane of many of our lives.
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Tags: alternative transport, bikes, buses, car share scheme, cars, cycling, fossil fuels, public transport, trains, world carfree day
Posted in Environmental Impact, Green Family, Green Leisure and Tourism, Green Living, Green Planet, Transport and Travel | No Comments
Tuesday, September 8th, 2009
Most people will be aware now that the kids are back at school, if only because of the added congestion that returns once the school gates reopen. Congestion that could be eased if fewer people relied on gas guzzling vehicles to transport their children to school each weekday morning were it not for a number of schools issuing bans on kids cycling to school.
Safety on the roads is being blamed as a primary reason for not permitting or strongly discouraging children to cycle into school, as a number of headteachers are concerned that roads are too busy and traffic too much of a threat for them to be prepared to take the risk of allowing children to arrive on two wheels instead of four. Although walking is still an option for those with the time, travelling by bike is often a more practical approach due to the increased distance that can be travelled within the same amount of time.
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Tags: bike ban, bikes, cars, CTC, cycle lanes, cycle proficiency, cycling, right to ride to school, schools
Posted in Green Family, Green Living, Green Planet, Health and Wellbeing, Transport and Travel | 1 Comment
Saturday, September 5th, 2009
The electric car market is due to get another boost following an agreement between Japanese car manufacturer Mitsubishi, and French owned Peugeot. The new electric car, which will be based on the i-MieV built by Mitsubishi, will be sold to the European market and will be available under both Peugeot and Citroen brands.
The agreement, signed yesterday (4th September) in Paris by the CEO of Mitsubishi, Osamu Masuko, and the CEO of PSA Peugeot Citroen, Philippe Varin, is a significant step in demonstrating their partnership concerning the development of electric vehicles. The new electric car will add to the current portfolio of lower emission vehicles offered by Peugeot/Citroen, which will be further added to when their new hybrid diesel models are released in 2011.
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Tags: citroen, electric cars, EVs, hybrid technology, mitsubishi, peugeot, renewable energy, sustainable transport
Posted in Companies and Organisations, Ethical shopping, Green Living, Green Planet, Science and Technology, Transport and Travel | No Comments
