More and more people are calling for the renewable heat incentive (also known as the Clean Energy Cashback) to treat existing microgenerators equally. At RegenSW’s consultation conference in Bristol earlier this month property developers and installers were flagging it up as important for the scheme’s success. We also know that lots of people who’ve already installed solar thermal, heat pumps and biomass boilers are not happy with the proposals.

While we don’t have the capacity at the moment to launch a campaign, we are very happy to co-ordinate and support anyone who does. There are lots of lessons to learn from Paul Truelove’s excellent campaign currently running on the feed-in tariff, with a petition on the No. 10 website, and an early day motion calling for an equal deal for existing microgenerators.

Last week YouGen user MonicaB made the following passionate argument for why it’s important for the domestic market:

1. Those with renewable systems already are likely to be those keenest on renewable heating and therefore its best advocates, so to alienate them is bad news for the scheme. To recruit them by paying them the same as new installations would at a stroke recruit an effective group to advertise the scheme, able to show the payments were a reality. They also understand issues like the kind of lifestyle changes often necessary to use the system optimally; they often promote renewable heating by showing people round their installation; and they are likely to be knowledgeable on measures to cut energy consumption such as increased insulation.

2. Those with installations already in place were pioneers for an infant industry often suffering greater upheaval, and higher costs. Hence they were in reality guinea pigs for the industry (and hence for the government,) and have brought the renewables industry to its present position.

3. If the proposals are going to make any impact, there will need to be a major expansion in retro-fitting renewable heating to domestic property. There is still a huge learning curve here, so those who have already retro-fitted systems need to be on board, feeding back information to their installers on how their systems are working so that best practice can be easily disseminated.

4.The scheme excludes self-installers. I feel this is a mistake as self-installers are usually careful to ensure value for money, so it would be a good reality check for the rest of the renewable heating market. Some means of validating the standard of their installations should be found so that they can join the scheme.

5. The scheme will only make payments for new or replacement systems, but not repair, conversion or refurbishment. How are these often subtle differences going to be decided in practice? – this will be costly to administer and would be unnecessary if all owners were entitled to the scheme.

6. We have evidence that having a renewable heating system actually lowers the market value of a house. Applying the RHI to already existing schemes will tend to reverse this, but without this we lose out yet again.

7. There have been several comments that it makes financial sense to rip out any existing schemes, then re-install them again. I am sure this will happen even though it makes no sense in terms of use of resources or carbon footprint. It will be very bad publicity for the scheme (headlines such as “householder had to rip out installation and replace it with the same”) and that means bad publicity for renewable heating in general.

If you want to join in the fight for equal treatment, then please leave a comment here or visit the YouGen. The first step is to respond to  the Renewable Heat Incentive consultation document. If you do not want to do that yourself, do let us have your comments to include in our response.

First published on www.yougen.co.uk

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Leading International Sustainability Recruitment Specialists – Allen & York announce the opening of their new offices in Australia, March 2010.

Allen & York, a UK based company, are specialist recruiters in the Natural and Built Environment, Energy, Engineering, Waste and Health & Safety sectors – having successfully recruited for 17 years for global corporations and consultancies from the UK and further a-field, they have now extend operations to include offices on-site in Melbourne, Australia.

Much success was seen in global business during 2008/09 which has lead to the opening of the first Allen & York office in Australia, their aim to be located nearer to their clients and thereby offer a more responsive and comprehensive service.  The main areas of focus are; Waste Management, Environmental Consultancies, Engineering, Energy, Mining and Construction. As well as supporting the wider Sustainability industry as it grows and develops.

“Our international focus has seen our operations move into Australia, Middle East, Europe, Asia and South Africa which is why we feel that it is the right time to spread our expertise to help our clients on the ground with all their recruitment needs and career aspirations.  Given the industry that we are in, it is important for us to be forward-focussed, with strong ambitions, amongst which is to maintain our growth and expand our recruitment offices to closely support our clients around the world.”  Mark Allen, Managing Director at Allen & York

This is an exciting development for Allen & York, and will make a huge difference to supporting clients throughout Australia and Asia Pacific, who include: CH2M Hill, SKM, ERM, AECOM, RPS, Coffey International, Parsons Brinckerhoff and SMEC.  The new base also gives them the opportunity to expand relationships with current global corporate clients such as; BP, HSBC, DHL, ERM and Amazon.  Allen & York are delighted to be able to offer a full service, to respond quickly to client’s requirements and met face-to-face, without the aid of video conferencing.

Anticipated areas of growth within the global sustainability sector include; Renewable Energy, Low Carbon & CleanTech, Geotechnical Engineering, Sustainable Infrastructure Planning, EIAs and EMS – and Allen & York are there to support Recruitment requirements & HR strategies at all levels from CEO to Junior Graduate.

All the indications from world leaders, within both politics and commerce, are that the world is moving towards a more sustainable future.  The UK government predicts that meeting targets within Energy and Climate change could provide up to half a million jobs in the renewable energy sector alone by 2020.

The Middle East Sustainable Job Market has made substantial new investment within sustainable infrastructure developments in terms of roads, power and water and recently, Allen & York have been instrumental in helping the Abu Dhabi authorities to develop their sustainable capabilities.

They anticipate that within the near future Allen & York will be expanding sustainable recruitment operations within the area and look forward to working more closely with clients in the Middle East to grow and enhance their current skill-sets and improve the standards of environmental management across the UAE. Business Manager, Joe Heppenstall confirms their stance: “our aim is not simply to lead in the provision of technical recruitment solutions within the sustainability market – but also to deliver the same quality wherever that market exists.”

As Allen & York grow internationally there are more and more opportunities for connecting individuals and businesses within the sustainable sector at a global level.  Their network is extensive and ever growing, which means that there are not only attractive opportunities for employees to travel and work in different countries around the globe, but there are also opportunities for employers to source the best international talent for their businesses.

Allen & York’s offices in Australia are buzzing and they are already looking to expand their environmental recruitment teams with local talent. The ambition is to match their UK reputation for services and delivery, to be the World’s Leading Recruitment Company for the Sustainability Sector – visit www.allen-york.com to find out more.

To discuss your requirements further please contact us:

Australia

T: +61 (0) 39823 6294

E: australia@allen-york.com

W: www.allen-york.com

UK & International

T: 0844 371 8986

T: +44 (0) 1202 888 986

E: info@allen-york.com

W: www.allen-york.com

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50 UK Homes are opening their doors this Sunday to show us all how to reftrofit our existing homes with energy saving insulation, boilers, solar panels and a whole host of other ideas. They have each achieved a minimum of  60% reduction in their carbon emissions – now we can too!

To find a ‘Superhome’ near you, check out the website or visit the Great British Refurb Campaign to find out more

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It can be very difficult to style your home and remain ecologically and ethically sound. The difficulty is in knowing where to start, where to get ecological and ethical home products and how to use them. However, it is worth doing; not only will your conscience remain clear but you may end up with a superior aesthetic.

Through eco styling we will be able to address the balance between the three aspects that make up the essential elements of any Eco Chic space: Technology, Nature and Vintage. Where there is a deficiency of one in an area you can look to boost that with smaller styling touches.

By using technologically advanced materials such as paints we give space and clean lines to a room – this will keep it feeling light and spacious.

By using nature we offer a ground quality to the space that helps us re-connect to nature on a wider scale, allowing us to be soothed by natural materials and marvel at the calming beauty and inspirational quality of nature’s designs.

By using older vintage pieces we borrow from their sense of history, glamour and status. The trend for using vintage chandeliers for instance, lends a space a feeling of opulence and grandeur, but located in the right space (such as one filled with natural materials) it will add a richness that takes that message further, without seeming flashy or vulgar.

The accessories around your home don’t need to be highly functional; they are about making your home reflect who you are. They are about expressing your sense of taste and current style, your past histories and experiences, your dreams and aspirations. So choose carefully and make them work for you and your home.

If you are buying goods that are made in your own country there is a chance that labour costs won’t replicate those found in developing nations where people power is still dominant.  So we must respect and support the creative industries of designer/makers who add richness and style to our culture. If it was a member of your own family making those products, you would expect them to be paid a fair wage for what they made. By buying from local makers we are also encouraging manufacture closer to home

Sometimes in order to ensure that products have a minimal environmental impact greater care and attention will have to be paid to them. This time and care inevitably can cost, but why should the environment have to bear the cost of the products we bring into the home?

The key questions any eco-designer needs to ask themselves when choosing materials and products are:

• How was it made and with what materials sustainable or recycled?
• Where was it made and by who, has it had to travel far?
• How will I use it – is it energy efficient, and durable, multi functional?
• Where will it go once I’ve finished with it, and is it biodegradable or recyclable?

Ask yourself these questions you’ll be on the right track. If it still all seems a bit much, consider hiring an eco interior designer with sustainable building credentials.

If however, you prefer to do it yourself, a great place to start your new Eco-Chic interior is with UK made, hand screen-printed with water based inks, high grade wallpaper made from cellulose fibres from sustainably sourced trees.

To claim a 10% discount on any wallpaper at www.ecocentric.co.uk, quote voucher code 10WALLPAPER at checkout.

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Look no further! The MoreEco team have put together a selection of fantastic holidays from ResponsibleTravel. Whether you’re after a family break or a romantic weekend away make sure you check out these top holidays!

Devon self catering accommodation

Country: England, UK

Location: Winkleigh, DevonSee map here

Price: From £190 (low season) – £470 (high season) per cottage per week. Otter sleeps 4, Beech sleeps 6-8, Nuthatch and Honeysuckle sleep 4-6 each.

Offers: Enjoy early spring in Devon with 10% off full weeks and 5% off short breaks in one of three cosy timber lodges or our cottage (has wood burner) at the Farm until 30th March. Honeysuckle and Nuthatch lodges (sleep 4-6), Beech Lodge (sleeps 6-8) or Otter cottage (sleeps 4). Beds made up for your arrival, Devon scone welcome, free bikes and walking maps to borrow, electricity included. Use codes RTweek or RTshort when booking.

Self catering accommodation for 2 or 3 people, Peak District

Country: England, UK

Location: Buxton, DerbyshireSee map here

Price: From £216 – £300 per cottage for 2-3 nights (sleeps 3). From £360 – £500 per cottage per week. Prices depend on season

Dramatic scenery, historic buildings and cutting-edge sustainability combine to make this farm a memorable year-round holiday destination. Set in a peaceful and secluded location close to Buxton and Bakewell, the farm occupies a stunning position in one of the Peak District’s most breathtaking valleys.

From the outside it looks like a typical Peak District farm, sitting in 12 acres of pastureland at the foot of the National Trust-owned High Wheeldon. But the weathered limestone walls conceal the latest in green building technology, earning the holiday cottages a Peak District Environmental Quality Mark alongside its Green Tourism Business Scheme accreditation. An ambitious scheme agreed with the National Park has transformed the site. Ground floors are now warmed by under floor heating, with radiators upstairs. Kitchens have been updated and new bathrooms installed, along with new furniture and low-energy light-fittings throughout. Walls and roofs and have been fitted with high levels of insulation, but the most radical transformation lies under the adjacent field. Ground Source Heat Pumps – utilising hundreds of metres of buried pipes to collect solar energy stored in the ground – supply the cottages with domestic hot water and heat.

So while on the surface little has changed, the farm now combines the character of a traditional Peak District property with the comfort of modern building standards – perfect for couples, families and large or small groups seeking lazy summer strolls or bracing winter walks. Join Deborah and Martin for a holiday to remember!

Algarve holiday cottages

Country: Portugal

Location: 2 km North of Loule, AlgarveSee map here

Price: From £330 – £435 per apartment per week (1 bedroom) and from £395 – £750 per apartment per week (2 bedroom) sleeps up to 4

Offers: Casa do Forno Cottage – until 31 March 2010 reduced from £330 per week to £275 per week per couple, welcome hamper, heating within accommodation and pool heating

These Algarve holiday cottages occupy an acre of hilltop set in breathtaking Algarvian countryside in total peace & tranquillity & overlooks the market town of Loulé. Parts of the Quinta date back to mid 19th Century and are divided up into 4 apartment cottages, one large 2 bed apartment cottage, Orange; and 2 newer 1 bed apartment cottages, Lemon and Carob; and a rustic duplex cottage, Casa do Forno. All have their own separate entrances, own kitchens, private south-facing sun terraces & Bar-B-Q areas. All of our Algarve holiday cottages have been furnished to a very high standard with cane and pine furniture. During the winter months, heating is included in the tariffs.

The gardens are marvellous with many bushes, plants & fruit trees, along with quiet areas to relax and absorb the views. There is a large pool area & the added bonus of a hot tub & from October until the end of April the pool is heated. From spring 2008 there is also a children’s play area set amidst an orange grove.

>>> Available from Responsible Travel

>>> See all Easter Posts

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A shocking statistic – 500,000 tonnes of carpet are buried in landfill in the UK every year! There has to be another solution. So, can you recycle an old carpet?

One new company is leading the way, building their own plant to take some of the carpets, break them down and sell their component materials on as raw materials to other industries from polypropolene and nylon to wool, hessian and jute. Greenback Recycling are even working with local authorities and have managed to get dedicated carpet recycling containers placed at local recycling collection points. They intend to spread this plan nationally.

• Until then, it is worth checking with your local authority to see if they take carpet for recycling. If not, what else can be done?
• If it, or a large part of it, is in good condition try offering it on Freecycle. You never know, someone could be waiting for that particular posting!
• Offer it to local schools or preschool groups
• Reuse it yourself as a good insulator in an attic room or outdoor shed or even to cover the compost heap
• Offer it to local gardening groups or allotment societies who can use it on their compost heaps

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“I’m just popping down to Tesco for a solar panel” doesn’t sound right somehow. Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not sure that the entry of the supermarkets into the renewable energy market is a good thing. 

Sainsbury is first out of the starting gates. It opened Home Energy Centres in three of its stores (Camberley, Kidderminster and Leicester) at the end of last year in partnership with EDF Energy. They will sell solar panels, heat pumps and insulation, and EDF Energy advisors will be on hand to provide people with a free tailored energy saving plan and advice on energy efficiency. All the products can be delivered nationwide and installed by an EDF installer.

Earlier this month M&S joined forces with Scottish and Southern Energy to launch M&S Energy. Its first services are loft and cavity wall insulation with prices starting at £149. That will be followed by a range of products including bespoke energy advice, renewable energy solutions such as solar panels and heat pumps, and energy efficient heating over the coming months. It’s available through M&S stores and online.

Tesco hasn’t announced its renewable energy programme yet. It already has a home insulation service up and running. Enact Energy, the company that runs it, is also recruiting independent solar installers to join Tesco’s and M&S’s renewables programmes.

The good side to the supermarkets coming into the market is that it sends out a clear message that renewable energy is part of the mainstream. But I worry about the impact they might have on the market.

Part of my concerns are voiced by Dan Crossley, principal sustainablility advisor at Forum for the Future. “[The supermarkets'] approach has often been … a pile ‘em high and sell ‘em cheap model” he says. While I’m not denying that price is important, renewable energy is so site-specific that it needs a much more tailored approach than you would traditionally expect from a mass retailer.

Another of my concerns is the impact it will have on the small businesses that make up such a large proportion of the installer market. Will they find themselves squeezed on price in the way that farmers have done? With both Tesco and M&S recruiting from a relatively small pool of MCS accredited installers, what will the market look like in a year or so? And will it give value to the consumer?

The Conservatives appear keen to encourage the big retailers to play a significant role in improving the energy efficiency of homes. David Cameron announced last year that he’d have a programme up and running from day one of a tory government, and that agreements are already in place with M&S and Tesco.

Supermarkets, while convenient, specialise in encouraging us to buy the foods that give them the biggest profits, not the ones that are healthiest or taste best. This is my worry. The right renewable energy isn’t something that you can pick off the shelf. It needs careful thought and a holistic approach which takes in the specifics of each house, and how the inhabitants use it. Will this be a shift in emphasis too far for the supermarkets? Let us know what you think – especially if you’ve used any of the services they are offering.

First published on www.yougen.co.uk

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In addition to the excitement, pregnancy can bring all sorts of beauty dilemmas that may not have cropped up before – not just for yourself but also for your newborn. Changing skin complexions, stretch marks, nappy rash, you name it! Jen Marsden provides some top natural tips to combat them.

Photo credit: Libertinus

Photo credit: Robert Whitehead

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Eco Veggie Awards 2010, honour the movers and shakers of the Green, Fair Trade and veggie circles – the people, organisations and products that are making a difference right now.

‘The Eco Veggie Awards honour the real heroes, not the actors. This is not make believe, this is real life.’ Says awards organiser Tim Barford from Bristol based hemp firm Yaoh. ‘The threat of Climate Change, and the reality of poverty, injustice and environmental destruction, are there for us to deal with – this is the challenge to the generations of today. We aim to focus on the positive, not the negative, it’s the only way forward to achieve solutions, and for this reason we are honouring some of the brightest and biggest achievers on the planet. For them, this is not a rehearsal.’

Sue Jueno, co-founder of Book of Green said: ‘We were delighted when we discovered we had been nominated for the award. We created the national paperback eco directory last year to promote a collective set of eco/ethical businesses. We made it free to enable the public to gain access the genuine green marketplace easily. We had such a fantastic response in 09 we’ve doubled our print run to 60,000 copies for 2010, and we are looking forward to launching our free iPhone app soon’

Other categories include Best Campaigners (With Sea Shepherd, Greenpeace and Viva! amongst the nominees as well as various products including Best veggie product, Best fashion and Best beauty product.

The awards are voted for by the public and people can vote 3 times – once a month from March 8^th up until midnight May 29^th The winners of the ten categories will be announced on Sunday May 30^th at The Bristol Eco Veggie Fayre.

To see all the 10 categories and 10 Nominees in each, go to bristol.ecoveggiefayre.co.uk and to vote for your favourites (and  Book of Green!) please visit  bristol.ecoveggiefayre.co.uk/awards-vote

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