Carbon footprint: following in the footsteps of Ancient Greece

Now London 2012 is over and the dust has settled, I have been writing up a legacy case study reviewing the lessons learned from the Games Carbon Management Strategy. Whilst flicking though the many earnest reports, facts and figures generated by myself and colleagues since London 2012’s carbon footprint was first estimated in 2007, I came across a light-hearted piece which ruminated on the likely carbon impact of the ancient Games. Sadly, this entertaining... Read More

Mandatory carbon reporting: what you need to know

FTSE-listed companies will have to report their carbon emissions from next year You have until October  17 to comment on the draft Regulations for Mandatory Greenhouse Gas Reporting or as they are to be formally known as: ‘The Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Directors’ Reports) Regulations 2013′. They are, thankfully, concise and brief; just three pages. The accompanying consultation document (which is rather longer) does not follow the... Read More

The future of manufacturing: is it going small-scale?

Textile manufacturing could be portable Is manufacturing about to undergo the next step in its evolution: the reversion to local production?  Globalised manufacturing today involves large-scale manufacturing at a handful of strategic locations around the world, from which products are shipped to their end destinations. However, there are a number of changes occurring in supply chains to challenge this prevailing model: Transport costs are increasing... Read More

Events and venues: how green are they?

Accor hotel group has launched a Carbon Optimizer for its business guests If you are a sustainability professional or working in one of the emerging green goods and services sectors, chances are you’ve attended or hosted more than one event in the last 12 months. Aside from the endless stream of green awards, there’s a myriad of events targeting the green business sector and aiming to tackle the sustainability challenges facing our world – everything... Read More

Osborne’s £5bn infrastructure plan, but where’s the plan for green growth?

George Osborne has hardly been displaying his green credentials lately, but yesterday, during his autumn statement, he reminded us all that he was the Chancellor who funded the first ever Green Investment Bank and introduced a Carbon Floor Price. And, as if to answer those critics who have been suggesting he’s one of those in the Cabinet detracting from the Government’s green agenda, he told MPs yesterday that he “had not shied away from supporting... Read More

Electric motorsport: will the silent bikes prevail?

Michael Czysz’s zero TT Last week, journalists, Isle of Man representatives and people from all areas of the electric engineering sector gathered to see an advance screening of the movie Charge. The film documents an insightful and interesting story surrounding the passion and dedication of electrical engineers who share the same dream; to win the world’s first zero emissions international road race on the Isle of Man. What is TT Zero? TT Zero,... Read More

Green economy: will the Government roadmap deliver certainty?

Roadmap to a green economy The forthcoming publication of a ‘roadmap to a green economy’ offers Government the chance to give the business community what it has been craving for so long – certainty; certainty that Government has a long-term plan for the transition to a low carbon economy, certainty as to what is expected of the business community and certainty that the goalposts aren’t going to be shirted a few years from now. Certainty... Read More

Swift, smooth and silent: Delta Motorsport’s electric E-4 Coupé

Delta Motorsports’ E-4 Coupé When Michael Faraday designed the first homopolar electric motor in 1821, even he may have been surprised that a similar principle today would be capable of pushing a production sports car from 0-60 in under five seconds, but then he hadn’t met the guys behind Delta Motorsport. Delta Motorsports’ E-4 Coupé is, like Faraday himself, a very British affair. The company, a highly innovative engineering consultancy... Read More

Decarbonising Britain: why more needs to be done to educate business

I attended a lecture on environmental protection at Exeter University this week, given by Dr Sam Fankhauser, on the subject ‘Decarbonising Britain’. It was brilliant. Perhaps because I’d forgotten what it felt like to be a student, but more likely, because the man knew his stuff. Dr Sam was concise, breaking down the complex landscape of reform and change into clear component parts. What struck me most was the man’s total mastery of his subject.... Read More

Green cars: would you buy one?

A few days ago I received an email from someone who questioned the validity of the GreenWise Green Car Guide. The i-MiEV has zero tailpipe emissions, but what about its embedded carbon? “To be a useful guide to how green a car is, shouldn’t the specs include the carbon emissions of the likely electrical generation AND the embedded carbon in the manufacture of the vehicle and the sources of the component materials (including batteries)?  Without... Read More