Category Archives: Blog

Whole Life Carbon as a Vehicle for Innovation

This is Part II of the article, part I revealed how the HM Treasury stated that…  “Reducing carbon reduces costs” – HM Treasury, 2013 The Infrastructure Carbon Review (2013) made this bold statement. It appears word for word in the report. However, such a bold statement should not be taken out of context and it […]

The Business Value of Carbon Footprints: Reducing Carbon Reduces Costs

What is the value of carbon footprinting? Why should I carbon footprint our business, products, activities or constructions? Why should I do an embodied carbon assessment? These are the questions we face almost daily. The reply is now: “Reducing carbon reduces costs” A bold claim indeed. It’s a claim that would normally be met with […]

Can Post-Disaster Reconstruction Be Sustainable?

Guest blog by ​Kurt Rhyner, EcoSur Network It is the goal of most aid projects and the dream of donors. Is it possible to change a situation when immediate action is needed? Some 40 years of hands-on management in post-disaster situations in poor countries have taught me that it is possible to induce steps towards […]

EU Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Targets: The Brexit Effect

The referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU sent shock waves around the world. The decision to leave the EU has strong implications, but these implications are yet to be understood. It could impact the economy, society and of course, the environment. In regards to the environment, we can at least ask – what […]

5 Top Tips for Reducing the Environmental Impact & Carbon Footprint of your Work

​Many businesses are now working hard to reduce the impacts of their operations, their services and/or their products. As part of this, every employee has an important role to play. Even if your company isn’t taking action to reduce their environmental impacts, to cut their carbon footprints or to improve their resource efficiency there are […]

Are We Really Reducing the UK’s Carbon Footprint?

Blog by  Dr Stephen Allen In the UK, we appear to have significantly reduced our impact on the climate since 1990, with our reported annual greenhouse gas emissions falling by 25% (2012). But this isn’t a complete picture of our contribution to climate change, because it ignores the embodied carbon of all the stuff we import. […]

The Environmental Sustainability of Existing Buildings: Refurbish or Replace?

There comes a time in the life of every building where extensive refurbishment is required. For many a building this seems to bring with it thoughts of starting again – essentially to demolish and ‘rebuild’. The normal practice in modern times seems to be the preference to demolish and replace. Whereas conservationists naturally prefer to […]

The Carbon Footprint of Thatch

Environmental Impact Thatch

On Saturday 21 March Dr Stephen Allen of Circular Ecology is giving a talk on the embodied carbon of building materials to the annual conference of the National Society of Master Thatchers. Steve will give an overview of carbon footprinting and what it can be used for, and illustrate this through the results of an […]

The Kyoto Protocol: Climate Change Success or Global Warming Failure?

Climate change and global warming

In 1997 the Kyoto Protocol was born. It was the first international agreement of its kind, a revelation that would stabilise greenhouse gas concentrations in the climate to “prevent dangerous anthropogenic interference with the climate system”. Flash floods, rising sea levels, record droughts and extreme weather would all to be resigned to the books of […]

Sustainable Clothing Supply Chains: A Coherent Strategy is Essential

Blog by Dr Stephen Allen, Circular Ecology and Elanor Swan, LRS Consultancy We recently spent a fascinating morning at the RSA with a group of business leaders from the clothing industry talking about creating sustainable clothing supply chains.  Our discussions showed that, whilst the industry is taking action to become more sustainable, levels of progress […]