The energy regulator has announced plans to allocate £62 million to boost low-carbon network projects. Ofgem has awarded the money to four schemes aimed at speeding up the development of smart grids – which better monitor and control energy usage. … Continue reading
Author Archives: Maggie Simmons
Swishing: The Eco-friendly Option for Shopaholics
“Swishing parties are for all those women who want to combine glamour, environmental protection and frugality” according to Lucy Shea, the founder of Swishing [1]. Swishing originated in the US in the 90s and is basically clothes swapping that can … Continue reading
Top Tips for Saving Energy Around the House
The average home wastes around 25% of the total energy used in it. If you add that up over every house in the UK, that’s a considerably large amount of valuable energy being wasted. Often, just changing a few small … Continue reading
Sustainable Cities: It’s Not So Grim Up North
The Benefits of Car Sharing
In an attempt to improve the carbon footprint of its shoppers, Tesco has recently launched a car-sharing trial in some of its stores in North London [1]. The trial, in conjunction with Carbon Voyage [2], aims to use local minicab … Continue reading
Rainwater Harvesting
The concept of rainwater harvesting has been well-documented from the pre-Roman times [1], however this practice has largely died out in industrialised countries with the introduction of mains-supplied water. As there is an ever growing demand for water (and a … Continue reading
Pay as you Save
It is estimated that 45% of the UK’s emissions come from existing buildings, so these need to be considerably upgraded if the target of an 80% reduction in emissions by 2050 (as set out in the Climate Change Act) is … Continue reading
Eco-Friendly Home Entertainment
It is estimated by the Energy Saving Trust that UK households spend around £3.4 billion a year on the electricity bills to run consumer electronic products such as home entertainment systems [1]. By swapping your less energy efficient models for … Continue reading
Carrier Bags: Soon to no Longer be an Environmental Burden?
It is hard to do your weekly shop in the supermarket without being bombarded by advertisements, stands and helpful staff all reminding you to bring and reuse your “bag for life” instead of single-use carrier bags. This may seem like … Continue reading
Common Recycling Symbols Explained
We all know that in order to protect our environment it is important that we recycle as much as possible, however sometimes it is not as easy as we originally thought or is made out. There are now many different … Continue reading
