bemoreeco

As Grand Designs Live opens, TV presenter Kevin McCloud selects 10 products from recycled scourers to insulating blinds

Sting plus – upholstery made from nettles

There are lots of points to make about this fabric. But the main one is that it does everything a synthetic fabric can achieve (meeting fire ratings, “rub tests”, resistance to fading and so on) while being made out of nettles and old wool, the two things you’ll be almost guaranteed to find in a British field, together with barbed wire. There’s nothing barbed about this fabric, however – it may be ethical but it doesn’t sting or itch. Like linen, which is another natural fabric made from plant fibre, Sting is beautiful and glamorous.

Smile Plastics recycled plastic worktops

When it comes to specifying sheet materials for a new kitchen or some cupboards, recycled plastics often get overlooked, usually because they look like frozen sick. Smile Plastics, however, have begun making sheet plastics made from single source plastics: recycled and chopped CDs for example, which give the material the iridescence of abalone or mother-of-pearl. This is upcycled plastic. I chose it for this list because I wanted designers and architects to see it and specify it, as well as consumers.

Parans solar lighting

This product is almost too technical to describe. An egg-crate panel of little rotating eyes follow the sun all day long like a sunflower, collecting direct sunlight and distributing it through a building via a network of fibre-optic cables. This is ideal for introducing light into earth-sheltered or buried buildings or the thousands of London homes now retro-fitted with three underground storeys. It is brilliant. Literally.

Giles Miller – cardboard furniture

Giles is a designer-maker of extraordinary pedigree who examines the value and the usefulness of everything he utilises. So he forces us to re-evaluate materials like corrugated cardboard as not only durable and utilitarian, but also beautiful. We already ran the Grand Designs Awards and these are judged by a panel of luminaries from the worlds of design and sustainability. But choosing this range of cardboard furniture and the other green products here was a much simpler exercise – and much more personal. These are products and inventions that I’ve chosen because I like them, I’ve used or tested them and I wanted them to get more exposure.

Hemcrete – greener concrete

Hemcrete is a walling material that can be sprayed or cast like concrete, but it’s made from lime and hemp. It performs both as an insulant and as a thermal-mass and it locks up carbon as it grows. The average hemp house can stow away about 20 tonnes of CO2 into its walls this way, about 40 kilogrammes for every square metre of wall in comparison with a traditional brick, block and cavity wall which is responsible for the production of about 100kg for every square metre. And hemp is the second-fastest growing crop on the planet after bamboo, so it can be slotted in between other crops during a growing season. It also requires almost no inputs and enriches the soil.

EcoForce – recycled everyday homewares

I remember clearly the day – as if it were yesterday – that someone told me that toilet roll wasn’t made from recycled paper. What do you mean? Surely it’s got to be, it only gets used once? The same goes for scourers and cleaners. You’d sort of expect throwaway bits of foam and gritty green plastic to be of the very cheapest grades of recycled plastic. But not a bit of it. They’re all manufactured from virgin petrochemicals. I can understand that the acrylic used for making DVDs, that are read by lasers and spun at 200mph, needs to be perfect and crystal clear. But not my clothes pegs.

Black Mountain Sheepswool insulation – natural insulation

We all know about sheepswool insulation that comes from New Zealand or other far-flung outreaches of the world of sheep. It is highly breathable, natural, people-friendly and hygroscopic, regulating the moisture content in a cavity such as a wall. Very, very useful in timber framed buildings where condensation and moisture can dissolve the building into wet rot. And Black Mountain is British. Home-grown. Many of our sheep are bred to be shorn twice a year but only get fleeced once because the market for wool is so depressed. If we all bought sheepswool for our attics the flocks of Britain would be much more comfortable.

Newform Energy – combined solar electricity and hot water

Since Becquerel used selenium to experiment with photovoltaics in 1836, and Horace de Saussure captured solar heat in his homemade “hotbox” in 1767, the two disciplines of using solar energy to produce either electricity or hot water have remained separate. Until a very short while ago when some brilliant German physicists decided to circulate the water from solar thermal panels around the electronics in solar photovoltaic panels providing – bingo – a faster-than-normal supply of hot water. The resulting panel also produces electricity more efficiency than a standard photovoltaic panel.

Heatsaver Shades – insulated blinds

Heatsaver is an American firm that make insulated window blinds from the multilayer thin insulation sold for roofspaces which looks like the covering of a Nasa spaceship. Heatsaver uses a less complex structure in its product, which has the appearance of interlined cream linen Roman blinds and the thermal performance of several inches of plastic foam. Their secret, however, lies in a specially designed channel on the wall, in which the blind slides, forming an effective seal. There is no better way of keeping heat inside a building with large glazed walls or a listed building that is single-glazed.

Tirex from Interface Flor – flooring made from recycled rubber

We throw away 486,000 tonnes of tyres every year in Britain. Tirex carpet tiles are recycled — with a minimum of processing — by slicing old tyres and rubber machinery belts into long French fries and then bonding them together side-on. The durable fabric webbing that is inside the tyre wall is exposed as the top surface of the carpet and the resulting texture is a revelation. Interface Flor sell it as “entrance matting” but Tirex doesn’t look anything like a tyre. Its colours are grey and brown. It is elegant and sophisticated and every office in the world and quite a few homes ought to be carpeted with it.

>>> Please read the full article here

Local authorities in the UK will receive government funds of almost £10 million in order to improve their green knowledge and advance the development of eco-towns.

Housing and planning minister John Healey announced yesterday (March 9th) that councils are to be at the forefront of the green homes agenda, by delivering on new government proposals to reduce carbon emissions from developments.

The new guidance will support councils in granting planning permission to green projects, such as housing developments that might have electric car charging points, or be situated so that residents can walk to work rather than use cars.

Projects that contribute to towns’ “green infrastructure” should be prioritised, according to the new policies.

In addition, further training will enable councils to support applications for renewable energy developers.

Mr Healey said: “The tougher, better guidelines for planning give councils a new blueprint, reflecting the latest targets and ensuring councils put combating climate change at the heart of future development ultimately saving people money on their bills and reducing emissions.”

>>> Read the full article here

Home energy bills will rise on average by £92 a year as Britain turns into a low-carbon economy, climate change secretary Ed Miliband admitted yesterday.

He sought to quash fears that increases would be far higher as the country comes to rely increasingly on wind, tidal, nuclear and solar power.

Some estimates put the likely increase at £230 a year for many families. But Mr Miliband told MPs that climate change policies would push up the average annual bill for domestic gas and energy by eight per cent, or £92, by 2020.

He also said bills would not increase until 2015 and that the rises were being kept down by energy efficiency improvements in homes.

“Renewables, nuclear and clean fossil fuels are the trinity of low carbon and the future of energy in Britain,” he said. “We will get 40 per cent of our electricity from low-carbon energy by 2020 and more afterwards. Our plan will strengthen our energy security, it seeks to be fair to the most vulnerable, it seizes industrial opportunity and it rises to the moral challenge of climate change.”

By 2020, the Low Carbon Transition Plan announced today aims for:

• More than 1.2 million people to be in green jobs.
• Seven million homes to have “pay-as-you-save” home insulation improvements, paid for by bill savings.
• More than 1.5 million homes to get support to produce energy through wind turbines and solar panels
• Twenty-six million households to have smart meters for more detailed electricity consumption information.
• Britain to import half the amount of gas as predicted, and for the average new car to emit 40 per cent less carbon.

Britain is committed to a 34 per cent cut in CO2 emissions by 2020, but the plan was published amid reports that hundreds of jobs could go at a major wind turbine manufacturer.

The Tories accused the Government of stealing their ideas. “Our low-carbon revolution is still to come,” said shadow climate change secretary Greg Clark.

The Government today announced the go-ahead for a handful of eco-towns across England.

The successful bids, which will still have to go through the planning process, were named as Rackheath, Norfolk, Whitehill Bordon, East Hampshire, north west Bicester and the China Clay Community scheme near St Austell, Cornwall.

The eco-town project was intended to meet housing needs and tackle climate change, with as many as 10 environmentally-friendly settlements built by 2020, but has been dogged by controversy and opposition from local communities.

Several proposed sites have been abandoned since the Department for Communities and Local Government unveiled its shortlist of 15 proposed settlements more than a year ago, whittled down from more than 50 applications.

Only one of the 11 proposed sites that made the shortlist – Rackheath – got the top A rating in an assessment of their sustainability for the government last year.

This article was written by Zoe at Rekindle, we thought that BeMoreEco readers by learn a thing or two about sustainable gardening. So take note!

For some garden essential  products why not visits EcoTrendSpotter.

Growing your own veg is undoubtedly better, for you and the planet, than buying them from the supermarket.  However, the way you grow your vegetables also has its own effect on the environment.  The obvious issue is whether to use chemicals (including fertilizers, weedkillers and pesticides) or whether to go organic.  But beyond that, there are still ways you can reduce any negative impact from your vegetable plot.  These sustainable and thrifty tips will help you save money and reduce waste.

Plant Pots

We all know that we should try to avoid using plastic bags – but what about plastic pots?  Plastic plant pots are actually very difficult to recycle because of the variety of different types of plastic that they are made from, not to mention the number of different colours that are available.  This is where the three R’s come into play.  Firstly, instead of trying to recycle pots, simply reuse them, as many times as you can.  Plastic is quite tough and long-lasting, which is one of the reasons why it is such a problem when it ends up in landfill, but when it comes to reusing, this makes it ideal.

You can also reduce the number of plastic pots you use by buying biodegradable pots, or even making your own.  For example, this year I am using loo roll tubes as seedling pots.  They are an ideal size, you can write what you have planted straight onto the pot (instead of using plastic labels) and you can just plant them straight into the ground, as the cardboard will rot away, which will minimise root disturbance for the plant.  Plus, you will already have a free supply of them, and if you need lots you can always ask your friends to save theirs for you.  It’s a win-win situation for you and your plants!  Just make sure you press the compost in well so that it doesn’t all fall out the bottom when you pick it up!  Alternatively, you can use a loo roll tube and some newspaper to make your own Newspaper Plant Pots, which do have a bottom.

In addition you can also reuse any type of tray packaging as seed trays.  In the picture shows I have used a tray from a ready meal and the lid from a punnet of fruit.

Composting

If you are growing anything in your garden, you will need compost at some point, either to fill containers and raised beds, or to use as a soil improver.  Making your own compost is a great way of turning your garden and food waste into a valuable resource.  It also requires minimal effort and it all happens a bit like magic!  I chuck all my fruit, veg and garden waste into my compost bin, along with crushed eggshells, teabags and a bit of shredded paper (take that identity thieves!).

I have a two bin system which I have just set up.  I have one bin to fill up and one bin to use up.  Once the second bin is empty, I will empty the contents of the first bin into it, as a way of turning the compost.  The only downside is that it does take a long time to get anything useable, but if you can be patient it is well worth it.

I though that this ‘Dustbot’ robot was an April Fool gag, but then I realised that we are in May and therefore it must be real. Check out this video by BBC report Duncan Kennedy.

However, to summaries, the Dustbot, form Tuscany, Italy, is believed to be the world’s first robot that comes to take away rubbish from your house when you want it. The Dustbot can be summoned to your address through a mobile phone any time of the day. The robot works with a combination of GPS navigation and with a gyroscope to keep it upright. There are also a number of sensors on the machine so it does not bump into anything.

Dustbot’s inventors say they hope it will put an end to fixed times for rubbish collection and they say it is designed to work in tightly packed urban areas where large refuse trucks find it difficult to operate. A number of local authorities from around the world have already expressed an interest in it.

Every home in the UK must be fitted with an “energy smart meter” by 2020 to reduce energy use and eliminate estimated bills, under plans revealed by the government this week.

The new energy smart meters track real-time energy usage and send data about consumption in households and small businesses direct to utility companies. They could save suppliers and customers £2.5-£3.6bn over the next 20 years, according to the government, but will cost more than double this to install.

Launching a new consultation today on how the energy smart meters should be introduced, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (Decc) claimed the compulsory scheme will be the biggest electricity and gas smart metering project in the world.

Ed Miliband, the energy and climate change secretary, said: “The energy smart meters most of us have in our homes were designed for a different age, before climate change. Now we need to get smarter with our energy. This is a big project affecting 26 million homes, and several million businesses, so it’s important we design a system that brings best value to everyone involved.”

Source & Full Article; The Guardian

To purchase energy saving gadgets <click here>

At present ECOutlet are giving 10% off all Efergy Energy Smart Meter.

We all have them, lots of them. Before you send them straight to the recycling bin, why not give them new life, new purpose, new hope beyond being the container that once held the cottage cheese? Even plastic containers can have dreams.

• Clean plastic food containers make great toys for your toddlers or preschoolers. Give them a few plastic containers and lids, a big box or two turned upside down for a kitchen “counter,” and a couple of sturdy utensils and let them cook away. Kid-sized aprons will add to the fun. Set up the play kitchen near your real kitchen, if you can, and let them cook while you do.

• Use plastic food containers to store leftovers in the freezer. The smaller sizes are perfect for freezing an individual serving of whatever you happen to have leftover. If you don’t have time to prepare your lunch, just grab a container out of the freezer and let it thaw during the morning. A quick reheat in the oven or microwave will give you a warm lunch, and you can wash out the container and take it home to use for the same thing again.

• Plastic food containers make great lunch containers. You don’t have to go the freezer route; just scoop in enough of whatever you made for dinner into a container, refrigerate, and take it with you. They could be used for messier items in kids’ school lunches, as well.

• Plastic food containers work well as drawer organizers. They can round up jewelry, extra buttons, bobby pins, safety pins, business cards, whatever you’ve got. You can keep the lid and close things up if you want, or just slide the lid underneath the container and keep it open.

• Plastic food containers can be helpful gift wrap organisers Use the smaller containers for pieces of ribbon, small bows, or small decorative objects you might use in wrapping a gift. Use the larger containers for pretty fabric bags, paper gift bags, and scraps you want to reuse.

• Plastic food containers can be modified to makepots for starting seedlings. They are a better size than the tiny little things you often end up with, especially if you want to get your plants to a really good start before transplanting outdoors. Just punch a few holes in the bottom for drainage, and maybe put down a layer of pebbles before you fill it with your soil.

• Bigger plastic food containers work well to hold food scraps you accumulate through the day and then dump in your compost. You could even keep a separate one for your coffee grounds, since there are so many other uses for them.

• Small and medium sized plastic containers are great for travel containers for your homemade baby food and toddler snacks. Use the ones with good, tight-fitting lids and fill as needed. Older toddlers can often manage opening and holding the containers, so they are great for snacks on a longer trip.

While in London on Wednesday the Team at BeMoreEco decided to make a quick visit to Grand Designs Live at Excell in London. Are main aim was to have a look at the Eco buildings which were being showcased at the event.

We visited the future-build theatre by ECO2H2OUSE.  This eco house demonstrated the techologies being used in the building of a low/zero carbon home. In the UK today, an average new house which uses the technology involved will consume 77% less energy for space heating when compared with one built to standard building regulations.

The Eco House uses innovative low-energy technology that has been designed to meet the passive house energy standards and levels of air tightness. The Passive house standard is as follow;

    * Compact form & good insulation

    * Southern orientation & shade considerations

    * Energy-efficient window glazing & frames

    * Highly efficient heat recovery form exhaust air using and air to air heat exchanger

    * Energy-saving household appliances

    * Total energy demand for space heating and cooling of less than 15kWh/m2/yr

The second eco house we toured was the ‘EcoHub’. This cute mini dome-shaped eco pod offers the last word in super energy efficiency. Clad in sustainable wooden or recycled tyre tiles, this two-bedroom, double pod home uses mirco-renewable technology to achives a zero carbon rating. The people at EcoHub are committed to dramatically reduce our carbon footprint. We got on well with them as this is the same aim at we have at MoreEco.

The third eco house we were inspired by, was the landARK. If you have a scrap of land, maybe a back garden, a hillside, a coppice clearing, or maybe eveen a corner of somebody’s car park (plus a few weeks holiday) then this i agreat fun eco house to have. All you need is a rubber mallet, a tape measure, screwdrives, a powerdrive drill and enough peace to read the manual. Checlkout the pictures we have taken.

Finally, the last house we visited was the Cloud 9 stand. These timber eco homes are again made with sustainable timber and come with solar panels, heat recovery ventilation, large windows and open space plan. energy bills for these house are less than £400 per year.

We have uploaded pictures of the Grand Designs Live event taken from the trustworthy BeMoreEco iPhone to MoreEco Flickr account. The slide show is below.

An ‘eco-pod’ home, which promises to be more energy efficient than standard houses, has been shown at this year’s Grand Designs show at London’s ExCel Centre.