Network - The free AECB newsletter - August 2010
Network - The free AECB newsletter - August 2010 |
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Network is free and distributed to members of the AECB and those who have subscribed to it. If it is passed on or reused, acknowledgment should be given to the information sources directly (newspaper and periodical titles, web site owners, events organisers etc.). Information contained in this mailing does not represent the views or policy of the AECB or the editor, nor does any reference contained herein imply any form of endorsement. |
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If you have any news, events or courses you would like to publicise in Network then please email details to network@aecb.net. |
AGM: Important Notice For All Aecb MembersThe AECB's Annual Conference and AGM is being held 1-2 October at the Wise Building, Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth, Wales. The AGM business will be dealt with at 9.00am on 2nd October, and AECB members are invited to attend. The Agenda is set out below and will also be posted on the website with the Annual Report (including the report of the Chairman). For full details of the conference please visit www.aecb.net or refer to the insert that was sent out with your summer issue of Green Building magazine. If you wish to attend you are encouraged to book as soon as possible as numbers are limited. Please note that any AECB member can attend the AGM business session (only) free of charge. If you have been, or you represent a member company which has been, an AECB member for more than 12 months, are you interested in standing as a Trustee of the Association and subsequently sitting as a Director of the AECB Board? If you are interested please telephone the existing Chairman, Chris Herring, on 01484 461705. He will be able to explain what is involved and the input the AECB needs. It would also be useful to visit the member's area at www.aecb.net where minutes, reports, trustee and company information is posted. Agenda Annual Conference and AGM of the Association for Environment Conscious Building (Ltd) (AECB) Meeting 9.00 hours on 2nd October 2010 at the Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth
If you have any item you wish to include on the agenda for the meeting under Item 9, please let Sally (email: sally@aecb.net or tel: 0845 456 9773) have full details before the 15th September. The agenda, annual report, accounts, minutes of the last AGM and other relevant information will be posted at www.aecb.net from early September. The AECB is a company limited by guarantee. Company No 5336768 Company Secretary: Peter Wilkinson. Registered Office: 30 Linden Road, Earby, Barnoldswick, Lancashire BB18 6XR |
AECB Annual Conference 20101-2 October 2010 - Centre for Alternative Technology, Machynlleth, Powys. AECB 21st Anniversary Conference. Something Old, Something New. A dozen good reasons why you should book now:
This is an AECB members only event so if you are not a member or your
membership has lapsed now is the moment to join. You can book on line at www.aecb.net/conference2010.php |
Local Groups - Scottish Group Starting!Early summer saw the very successful launch/relaunch of several new regional groups, and the momentum is being kept up, with for example East Midlands and Hampshire both discussing possible agendas for September meetings - make your own suggestions on the forum board. If you're a Scottish AECB member or if you're thinking of joining, it would be great to see you at one of our inaugural meetings at Inverness on Wednesday 8th September 2010 and Edinburgh on Tuesday 21st September 2010. If you would like to attend on either of these dates, please email Linda Forbes linda@lindaforbes.co.uk so we have an idea of numbers.
Wednesday 8th September 2010, 6.30pm start Scottish Natural Heritage, Great Glen House, Leachkin Road, Inverness www.snh.gov.uk/ and http://www.e-architect.co.uk/scotland/scottish_natural_heritage.htm General introduction, speaker(s) to be confirmed, and presentation of members' current projects (please bring any materials you'd like to show/discuss). We have access from 5.30pm, so if majority of members prefer to start earlier, say 6pm, we could, so please let me have your views on start times.
Godfrey Thomson Hall, University of Edinburgh, Moray House School of Education, St John's St, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ, (between Canongate and Holyrood Road) Tuesday 21st September 2010, 6.00pm start General introduction, speaker(s) to be confirmed, and presentation of members' current projects (please bring materials you'd like to show/discuss) This large meeting room, generously provided - thanks David, will enable us to accommodate both AECB and SEDA members on the night, and any others interested in our activities. Edinburgh Waverley Station is 10 minutes' walk from Thomson's Land. Parking is restricted on site, however an NCP car park nearby, and charges in the evening are less expensive than at other times. For the preferred option of public transport see www.transport.ed.ac.uk for more advice. To find out more about all these events, or to catch up and make suggestions for groups in your area, please go to the AECB Business and Discussion area on the AECB forum - see www.aecb.net/forum/index.php?board=24.0 |
Passivhaus Refurbishment From The Inside - Videos Now LiveThe AECB, with support from Pass Net and in conjunction with the Passivhaus Trust, is excited to announce we have opened our 'webinar' on adopting the Passivhaus methodology in refurbishments. The first stage of the webinar is four informative short videos we have made on the sites of Passivhaus and Passivhaus-inspired refurbishment projects in social housing and community buildings. You can view these now on the AECB Passivhaus Channel at www.carbonlite.org.uk/carbonlite/webevents.php. The films have already been described by Wolfgang Feist as "Great! - British architects on the front line of best of the art refurbishment" - so not to be missed. Once you've listened to the designers explain their strategies, and had a good look at the details, you can share your comments and questions on the AECB forum. Go to the webinar thread, under Building refurbishment and Retrofit (see www.aecb.net/forum/index.php?topic=2598.0). Then after everyone has had a chance to ask their questions, there will
be a live event (provisionally in September) where a panel of experts
will be answering the questions and responding to the comments. We will
let you know registration details on the webinar board itself - ask to
be notified of all new postings, so as to be sure not to miss it! |
Help AECB Chair Help Practical Action CharityAECB chair Chris Herring will be raising money for Practical Action - the international skills and technology charity, by cycling to this year's AECB conference. This brave deed deserves our support - and you can now sponsor him online. Go to the 2010 conference page, www.aecb.net/conference2010.php, and add your name to the list of generous sponsors. |
Become One Of The First Green Gas CustomersNot long ago Ecotricity unveiled plans to make and supply Green Gas. Our Green Gas tariff is quite revolutionary - we're going to make gas from organic renewable sources, such as food waste, and pump it into the national grid, in a way that mirrors our work in green electricity. This is a new frontier and we're very excited at the possibilities. To become one of our first Green Gas customers & sign up to our new gas tariff, all you need to do is go to http://ecotricity.us1.list-manage.com/track/click?u=2e205e9bbdbea814f7a00ba2b&id=79f23d467f&e=a4d95cb6af. This will take you to a page on our web site where you can check our prices and, if you wish to join us, just give us your name, postcode and email - and we'll take care of everything else. Now, with Ecotricity, for the first time, you can use your whole energy bill to bring meaningful change - the building of new sources of green electricity and, eventually, Green Gas. |
Architecture 2030 Ranked At TopIndustry Leaders Recognize Architecture 2030 Among Nation's Most Effective Organizations. The annual Design Futures Council "2010 Sustainable Design Survey" of 240 design industry leaders in the U.S. was released this month, ranking Architecture 2030 among the top three most effective organizations (USGBC, AIA, and Architecture 2030) advancing green building design and construction in the U.S. today. The survey also rated Architecture 2030 first among industry leaders in 'leadership and resource deployment' to move sustainability issues forward in the U.S. and identified Edward Mazria, founder and CEO of Architecture 2030, as second among the nation's leading 'role models' for green and sustainable design. Industry leaders participating in the survey included architects (61%), engineers, landscape architects, interior designers, and planning and urban design professionals. Such recognition by the architecture, planning, and design community is an indication of the ongoing success of Architecture 2030's initiatives. Go to www.architecture2030.org |
HCA Launch New Accreditation SchemeThe Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) have launched a new system of accrediting courses and skills. Courses and services that assist "sustainable communities professionals to work better, improve their skills and knowledge and share best practice can gain accreditation under the new place making recognition scheme". The HCA is the national housing and regeneration agency. The HCA invest about £5b a year to build and regenerate the United Kingdom. Their new recognition scheme is for institutions, and training providers whose work shares the core values about creating better places; by enhancing community or professional understanding of place-making and encouraging different groups to work together. On 15 July 2010 two Sustainable Homes services were accredited to this high standard. The recognition scheme panel of experienced place making professionals accredited the Sustainable Homes Index For Tomorrow (SHIFT). They stated "SHIFT provides sound benchmarking, learning and improvement around environmental sustainability. SHIFT is a strong concept which is clearly transferable and addresses long term sustainability issues." The Sustainable Homes "Understanding Housing Quality Indicators" training course was also successfully accredited. This course, which focuses on standard required for new build homes, was developed following significant requests from the industry. Sustainable Homes is the leading provider of sustainable housing training and consultancy in the UK. For more information on these and other services please see www.sustainablehomes.co.uk The Homes and Communities Agency is the national housing and regeneration agency for England, with an annual investment budget of more than £5bn. The HCA was formed on 1 December 2008. www.homesandcommunities.co.uk For more information contact Andrew Eagles andrew@sustainablehomes.co.uk, or 0208 973 0420 |
Green Awards - 2010Now in its 5th year, the Green Awards are going Global, for the first time ever all the categories are open for entry from all over the world. The awards were established to reward any organisation or individual communicating sustainability issues in a creative, engaging and original way. And of course entrants must also be able to demonstrate the positive impact of their campaigns. The 2010 Global Green Awards recognises excellence in 16 categories: from Best Green New Product Innovation to Best Green use of Mobile Apps & Technology and Best Green Educational Project. The 2010 judging panel is composed of carefully chosen professionals, renowned in the communications, environmental and sustainability fields (including Galahad Clark, MD of Terra Plana; John Grant, Author; Freya Williams, Ogivily Earth and many more). They will judge campaigns on both design and effectiveness and will consider media selection along with the sustainability of approach and messaging. As part of the RSA's Environmental Award Accreditation Scheme, evidence must be given of the positive sustainable impact the communication has in terms of environmental, social and economic benefits. The entry deadline for the Global GREEN AWARDS 2010 is the 30th September 2010. For further details on categories and submission guidelines visit www.greenawards.co.uk - The winners will be announced at a glittering 'green' gala dinner in London on 25th November featuring co-host Jo Wood (other speakers t.b.c. soon). For details of available sponsorship opportunities contact us at: sponsorship@greenawards.co.uk. For entry enquiries contact: entry@greenawards.co.uk or call 020 7939 3959. |
UK Government Launches Consultation On MicrogenerationThe UK Government is today launching the first stage of its plans for homes, businesses and communities to generate their own renewable power. Although the previous administration brought in feed-in tariffs for small-scale generation of electricity using solar panels and wind turbines, only around 100,000 homes and organisations have installed any microgeneration technology. The consultation on the Government's Microgeneration Strategy will look at four key areas. Under its definition, the Strategy will cover electricity generation technologies less than 50 kW in size and heat generating systems less than 300 kW. First, the Government wants to explore how consumer confidence can be supported through standards for both equipment and installation. Crucial to this will be ensuring that the microgeneration supply chain has the right skills to meet consumer demand, which will create jobs in the process. Consumers, whether they be homeowners, organisations or small businesses, will also need access to advice and information about microgeneration technologies. Finally, the Government also wants to examine how products can be improved by trialling new microgeneration technologies in the UK. The previous administration promised that an RHI would be introduced to complement feed-in tariffs, but the new Coalition Government has not yet confirmed its plans. Contributions can be made to the consultation between now and December 22, 2010. The Government then plans to publish a final Microgeneration Strategy in early 2011. Go to www.decc.gov.uk |
Wind Turbine Free To Good HomeA small wind turbine has been rescued from the scrap heap. It is thought
to be a 300W 12V turbine. It has a mast but needs some repair to blades.
Free for collection near Stroud. If you are interested write to john@johnwilloughby.co.uk
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FIT/RHI And RO Autumn Workshops By The READue to popular demand, the REA are running more workshops on the FIT/RHI and the RO in the autumn. In workshops on 6th September and 26th October, experts from the REA's policy team will take you through all aspects of the Feed-in Tariff and the planned Renewable Heat Incentive. In a series of detailed modules you will learn:
Find more details and a booking form at www.r-e-a.net/events/rea-events/FIT_RHISeminar In workshops on 21st September and 20th October, experts from the REA's policy team will take you through all aspects of the Renewable Obligation. In a series of detailed modules you will learn:
Find more details and a booking form at www.r-e-a.net/events/rea-events/ro-workshop |
Effective Resident Engagement On Climate Change - 22nd SeptemberSustainable Homes Launch Conference in Westminster, London In all our moves to reduce carbon in homes, code level 6, retrofit work are we forgetting the most important element? What do residents think about climate change? How do they feel engagement on climate change should be undertaken? Sustainable Homes, with support from the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) have moved to focus on the issue of resident understanding, how they want like to be engaged and what they feel climate change means. A conference is to be held on engaging with residents, to investigate this issue further. Resident engagement and sustainability are two key principles applied to the HCA's work with social housing providers. The conference will bring together residents, housing providers and leading experts to discuss resident feelings on how they want to be engaged, effective strategies for communication and engagement. Real case studies will be presented by residents and landlords who have worked together to create real change. Peer to peer workshops will help attendees to apply these ideas to their own projects and to communicate more effectively on the environment. The special event is part of the SHIFT Learning Year. SHIFT - the Sustainable Homes Index For Tomorrow (SHIFT) is a sustainability benchmarking and best practice membership group for social housing providers. Tickets and further information are at www.sustainablehomes.co.uk/resident_engagement_conference.aspx |
Designing a Landscape for the Sustainability Challenges of Tomorrow October 4th.Free Entry Greening the UK's conference for UK house builders and developers, supported by the BRE Enterprise Hub for the Built Environment, will provide an update on how research and best practice has developed in the field of sustainable construction. The agenda has been constructed to deliver a high quality session that provides an exciting mix of best practice case studies and the latest scientific research on building efficiency and sustainable site development. To do this, the conference will focus on how green space and planting:
For more information about Greening the UK campaign please visit our website: www.greeningtheuk.org.uk. To register your attendance please sign up using Eventbrite or RSVP to the group's conference organiser Alex Sewell by emailing alexsewell@bellenden.co.uk or calling 020 7234 3332. |
Early Bird Discount For The RENEXPO Conferences - October 7th - 10thThe 11th RENEXPO will take place from October 7th-10th, 2010 in the Augsburg Trade Fair and Convention Center. The conference program is already up online. Several high quality conferences are waiting for you - take advantage of the exclusive early bird discount now! The deadline for the early registration discount is August 31st, 2010. The BBE Conference for Wood Energy is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year. You can take advantage of a discount for the conferences taking place
as part of the RENEXPO. Register online by August 31st, 2010, at http://energie.kjm3.de/ref.php?id=4ee616994421ms1246
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Energy In Transition, 12 - 14 October 2010, LondonThe Energy Institute (EI)'s annual 'Energy in Transition' programme will offer a series of conferences and events to explore the way in which we define and meet future energy demands. Across the 3 days, ten events will be held to discuss new business models, energy storage, the community approach, fixing fuel poverty, smart homes for the future and meeting 2020 targets. The EI's Energy in Transition programme brings together industry, government and academia to debate the key issues and solutions going forward, whilst providing opportunities for sharing knowledge and good practice. This year's event, the third in the series, is designed to offer maximum flexibility to delegates and boasts a variety of events and formats - from business breakfasts and half-day conferences to debates and evening lectures. This event provides a unique forum to engage with energy professionals and, as with previous events, Energy in Transition will continue to report back to government departments on those topics of prime concern to help focus future energy policies and priorities. For more information about this and forthcoming EI events, please contact the EI Events Team on 020 7467 7174, email events@energyinst.org or visit www.energyinst.org |
Renewable Energy In The Public Sector Conference - 26th OctoberThe Barbican, London Renewable Energy in the Public Sector Conference 2010 presents an ideal opportunity for delegates from across both the public and private sectors to learn how to achieve targets, save, and even make money with renewables. Please note that tickets have been selling very quickly and we expect the conference to be a complete sell out. We advise interested parties from the public and private sectors to register early to avoid disappointment. This event is CPD Certified Full details of the programme can be found at www.publicserviceevents.co.uk/event/programme.asp?ID=150 If you have any queries, please email: malmond@publicservice.co.uk or telephone 0161 832 7387. |
International Sewage Sludge Conference - Call For Papers - 3-5 March 2011Budapest, ACR+ together with the Municipality of the City of Budapest is co-organising an international conference on sustainable methods of final sewage sludge. On the 1st January 2011 Hungary will enter the trio presidency of the European Union. This will enable Hungary to play and active role and initiate actions for the review and development of priority tasks in the field of the EU environmental policy. The unhidden purpose of the conference is to contribute with ideas to the elaboration of the reinforced European sludge management strategy. The revision of the existing sewage sludge Directive is currently under consultation. The main focus of the conference will be the sustainable methods of final sewage sludge disposal or recovery. Other topics that will be discussed include:
Based on the above, we are calling experienced parties who would like to participate as speaker at the Budapest conference to submit a proposal. For more information on the topics, sessions and format of submission please go to www.acrplus.org/Budapest-2011 Deadline for submission: 20th September 2010 |
Carbonlite Course Dates For October - London And Bristol
AECB Members £249 Non AECB Members £299 Park Crescent, London - 4th October 2010, City Point Bristol - 11th October 2010
AECB Members £499 Non AECB Members £599 Park Crescent, London - 5& 6th October 2010, City Point Bristol - 12 & 13th October 2010
AECB Members £249 Non AECB Members £299 Park Crescent, London - 7th October, City Point Bristol - 14th October For more information on the courses please go to www.carbonlite.org.uk/carbonlite/courses.php. Course dates in November are being arranged, and new venues including Plymouth will be added, so keep an eye on the forum, or the courses calendar at www.carbonlite.org.uk/carbonlite/course_calendar.php to see the latest additions. Please note a £200-per-day subsidy is available for some delegates from the South-East. If you require further information please contact Helen Tippett, helen@peterwarm.co.uk, tel 01752 542 546 |
Energy Efficiency In New And Existing BuildingsComparative costs and CO2 savings - ref: FB 26 ISBN: 978-1-84806-137-8 This BRE Trust report considers the relative impact on UK CO2 savings targets of constructing new zero-carbon buildings compared to improving the energy efficiency of the existing stock. Carbon dioxide emissions from buildings accounted for around 40% of total UK CO2 emissions in 2006. To achieve the government's challenging target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 80% by 2050, improving the energy efficiency of buildings - both new and existing - will clearly be vital. This report uses existing data to explore the extent to which improving the energy efficiency of the existing building stock would be a more cost-effective route for achieving CO2 savings than constructing new buildings to the higher levels of energy performance required to meet low- and zero-carbon targets. Pdf download also available at www.brebookshop.com |
Directly Funded Project (UK Students Only) PhDA study to develop a best practice model for the development of low carbon, ecological low rise rural dwellings for a 21st century Wales Developing affordable houses in Pembrokeshire is problematic for a number of reasons. Firstly, Pembrokeshire is popular amongst tourists and like the south-west England many of its dwellings are owned as second homes by people whose main residence and employment is outside the county (National Assembly for Wales 2008). Secondly, the population of Pembrokeshire is very low at 117,300 people or 72 people/km2, compared with 227,100 people in Swansea or 601 people/km2 and 300,000 people in Cardiff. (National Assembly for Wales 2006, 2008a and 2008b). Consequently, transport routes and transport times are much longer in rural Pembrokeshire than in urban areas, which add to construction costs. The lower population means that there are fewer design and construction teams for developers, such as Pembrokeshire Housing Association (PHA) (the only RSL based in Pembrokeshire) to commission and therefore less specialist skills available and much smaller supply chains for construction materials and components involved for the design and construction of homes, particularly sustainable homes. The transport and skills issues mean that construction costs are higher in rural Pembrokeshire than urban Cardiff and Swansea, yet the WAG do not provide additional funding for housing associations that develop in Pembrokeshire and weekly salaries are 12% lower in Pembrokeshire than the Wales average (National Assembly for Wales 2008b). Much of the development in Pembrokeshire is low rise i.e. between one or two storeys for both residential and non-domestic buildings, with tight planning controls over the appearance of buildings, particularly in the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park (Anon 2010a, and 2010b). Recognising the missed opportunities for answering questions within the Pathfinder programme, specific to rural issues and the issues raised above in terms of developing within rural areas, this project will work in collaboration with Pembrokeshire Housing Association (PHA) to create and test a development model for low carbon, ecological rural housing and explore how this could be adopted through different procurement routes. PHA is the only RSL based in Pembrokeshire and manages 1682 dwellings, yet there are 4000 people on the affordable housing list in Pembrokeshire (PHA 2009). Part of the project aims to test the environmental performance of its Pathfinder scheme, consisting of six, level 4 (of the CfSH) terraced houses. The successful candidate will ideally come from an Architectural Technology background (candidates from architecture and building surveying will also be considered) and possess/working towards an MSc in Environmental Architecture, Environmental Design or Sustainable Architecture, Architectural Engineering. A suitably experienced graduate may also be considered. The post will be based in the Ecological Built Environment Research and Enterprise (EBERE) group at UWIC: www.wirad.ac.uk/research-themes/ecological-built-environment/ and the post holder would join three other similarly funded doctoral scholars working in related fields. More information on this post is available from Dr Littlewood at jlittlewood@uwic.ac.uk Director of the EBERE group 2nd- 16th July and 9th- 20th August, or John Counsell, Head of the Department of Architectural Studies 28th July - 20th August, jcounsell@uwic.ac.uk. Funding Notes: The PhD will be for three years. The scholarship holder
will receive an annual stipend (c£13,290pa) and a budget to cover
travel costs, attendance at events, equipment and skills development.
Tuition fees will be waived for the three years of the project. This scholarship
is part of the Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship (KESS) programme which
is part funded from the ESF Convergence Programme. To be eligible to apply,
candidates must therefore be resident, upon application, in the convergence
area of Wales and must be able to take paid employment in the convergence
area on completion of the scholarship. |
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