The Green Village News for the ‘Eco Home’ 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
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, August 26th, 2009
The EU ban agreed to in December last year which will put an end to the sale of 100 watt and frosted incandescent light bulbs comes into place on 1st September 2009. The ban will help reduce carbon emissions, as energy efficient CFL (Compact Florescent Lamp) bulbs use less energy than the familiar incandescent bulbs, and also last up to 7 years, therefore significantly reducing the number of bulbs people need to buy.
Energy efficient light bulbs have become much cheaper to buy over the past couple of years, and advances in technology have meant they are now available in many different sizes and shapes, with both bayonet and screw fittings, and are even available to work with dimmer switches. There is some criticism however regarding the newer types of CFLs that they do cost more, however the Energy Saving Trust estimates that each energy efficient light bulb used can save between £3 and £6 on your electricity bill each year.
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Tags: CFL, electricity bills, energy bills, energy consumption, energy efficiency, energy efficient lightbulb, energy saving, incandescent light bulb, light bulb ban, lightbulb
Posted in Eco Home, Energy and Resources, Environmental Politics, Ethical shopping, Green Living, Green Planet, Science and Technology | 8 Comments
Saturday, August 1st, 2009
The UK’s first Green Skills Training Centre will be built in Tredegar in the South Wales Valleys later this year according to an announcement from British Gas and the Welsh Assembly Government. The centre will provide training for up to 1300 people a year, including up-skilling existing British Gas employees in renewable energy technologies.
The new green jobs created by the training provided through the Green Skills Training Centre will help the Welsh Assembly Government meet its commitment to reducing carbon emissions through increasing the energy efficiency of 40,000 homes. In addition, the programme aims to reduce fuel poverty experienced by many in one of the worst affected areas of the UK, therefore providing social as well as environmental benefits.
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Tags: blaenau gwent, british gas, energy efficiency, heads of the valleys programme, micro generation, renewable energy, wales
Posted in Companies and Organisations, Eco Home, Energy and Resources, Environmental Politics, Green Living, Green Planet, Sustainable Development | 2 Comments
Saturday, July 25th, 2009
Swindon is set to be the location of the UK’s next eco housing development if the plans submitted by presenter of the self-build TV show Grand Designs are approved. The proposal is for a development of sustainable housing, which would be called ‘The Triangle’ to be built on a brownfield site, made up of 2.5 storey terraces which would provide 42 homes.
The properties would include a range of energy efficiency boosting features designed to reduce their energy consumption of water demand, which in turn will reduce the home’s carbon footprints and running costs. These features include rainwater harvesting systems, tertiary glazing and environmentally friendly roofing, with plans to future-proof the properties to enable future fittings of solar PV and solar thermal panels at a later date.
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Tags: eco, eco development, eco homes, energy efficient housing, greensquare, hab, kevin mccloud, low carbon living, swindon, westlea housing
Posted in Eco Home, Environmental Impact, Green Living, Green Planet, Sustainable Development | No Comments
Wednesday, July 15th, 2009
Film director Guy Ritchie has submitted proposals to make Ashcombe House in Wiltshire “more self-sufficient”. 40 year old Ritchie received the home as part of the settlement following his split with Queen of pop Madonna and is looking to put plans into place that will make the 18th Century estate, worth £9 million, a greener, more sustainable place to live.
The plans submitted to Wiltshire County Council include proposals to reinstate vegetable gardens in the partially walled garden located between the staff building and the rear entrance to the House, and to build three large greenhouses, costing £250,000. The glasshouses will be specifically designed to ‘carefully match the style and colour mix of the house’.
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Tags: ashcombe house, Eco Home, greenhouses, guy ritchie, Self-Sufficiency, vegetables, woodchip boiler
Posted in Eco Home, Green Living, Grow Your Own, Self-Sufficiency | No Comments
Monday, July 13th, 2009
City of York Council has submitted proposals for sustainable development of the former British Sugar site, currently owned by Associated British Foods. The bid for £60 million of government funding would secure the use of part of the site of the former factory to build 60 eco homes, and would put York on the map as home of one of the most environmentally friendly developments to be built in the next two to three years.
If the proposal is accepted, the complex of eco homes would showcase a number of environmentally friendly features and technologies designed to minimise their carbon footprints and limit the amount of carbon emissions they produce. As well as being built to incorporate high energy and water efficiency standards, the homes would be built from locally sourced and recycled materials, therefore cutting down on transportation costs for building materials and also supporting the local economy, as well as reducing the demand for virgin materials and cutting the amount going to landfill.
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Tags: allotment, carbon neutral housing, eco development, low impact living, recycling, sustainable housing
Posted in Eco Home, Environmental Impact, Environmental Politics, Green Living, Green Planet, Sustainable Development | 1 Comment
