Energy & Environmental Management articles from May 2003

Energy & Environmental Management archives from May 2003

Budget backing for waste reform. (News).
May 1, 2003... The Chancellor's Budget contained only a few measures designed to protect the environment at the same time as protecting our economic growth. They included a package of reforms to improve waste management, and the effect of transport on the...

Here WEEE go. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The UK is the first EU member state to consult on implementing the EU electroscrap (WEEE) directive and its companion law restricting the use of hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, due to become law by August 2004. ...

Your views on the end of the road. (News).
May 1, 2003... The Government wants to know what you think about its proposed regulations for certain provisions of the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive, including: restricting the use of certain heavy metals in manufacture; introducing a Certificate of...

BETTA for some. (News).(single electricity market in the United Kingdom)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Trade and Industry Select Committee supports the idea of a single British-wide electricity market, BETTA, proposed by energy regulator Ofgem, as long as it is "fair and equitable". The planned Electricity (Trading and Transmission) Bill...

Local power is key to targets. (News).
May 1, 2003... Distributed generation has a key role to play in meeting green targets in the 'rewiring' Britain project to accommodate green electricity, according to the annual report of the Distributed Generation Coordinating Group (DGCG), led by energy...

Industry slashes carbon emissions. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... UK industry has slashed emissions of carbon dioxide by more than three times its targets. About 5,000 UK companies cut the amount of C[O.sub.2] they produce by 13.5 million tonnes last year under the Climate Change Agreements (CCA) scheme, in...

Queen's Awards. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Companies excelling in sustainable development are among this year's Queen's Award for Enterprise winners. The sustainable successes were BT, The Beacon Press, Feilden Clegg Bradley Architects, Greenham Common Community Trust, J&G...

Ofgem chief off. (News).(Callum McCarthy appointed to Financial Services Authority)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Callum McCarthy, the current chief executive of energy watchdog Ofgem, is to assume control of the Financial Services Authority in October. He has been chosen by Gordon Brown to succeed Sir Howard Davies.

Energy united. (News).(merger of Institute of Energy and Institute of Petroleum)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Institute of Energy and the Institute of Petroleum will merge. The Offspring will be dubbed the 'Energy Institute', and will have a combined membership of 12,000. Info: www.instenergy.org.uk.

Select call for Renewables Bill. (News).(proposal for renewal energy legislation)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... There is "no prospect" of the Government achieving its renewable energy target of 10% by 2010 or 20% by 2020, according to a report from MPs' Science & Technology Select Committee. Although agreeing with much of the Energy White Paper, the...

Climate investment tops 1.3bn [pounds sterling]. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... UK incentives for low carbon investment have reached 1.3 billion [pounds sterling] a year and could rise further on the back of the recent Energy White Paper, according to a new study by Professor Michael Grubb and Andrew Wordsworth of Carbon...

Rewarding regeneration. (News).(sustainable communities)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The UK's most innovative regeneration schemes will benefit from a new Award for Sustainable Communities announced by Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. It will pay tribute to the commitment and enthusiasm of leading innovators making a...

Diligence worry. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Environmental due diligence (EDD) is currently failing to provide the right information on environmental factors that may have a cost or legal effect on companies post-acquisition, according to a new KPMG survey. A quarter of all FTSE 350...

How green is that report? (News).(corporate sustainability reports)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Are corporate corporate sustainability reports worth the paper they're written on? A new independent standards authority will soon be able to tell us how "complete, meaningful and accurate" they really are. The AA1000 assurance standard has...

Food and drink drive. (News).(food industry sustainability plan)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Producers, wholesalers, caterers and retailers will be working with the Government on a joint strategy to improve our food and drink industry's economic, environmental and social performance. Secretary of State Margaret Beckett has...

Fuel poverty 40% down. (News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The number of fuel poverty households in the UK has dropped by over 40% to 3million since 1996, according to the first annual report on fuel poverty, published by the DTI and Defra. It tracks progress towards the Government's goal to stop...

Pv funds for eco-homes. (News).(photovoltaic roof tiles)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Homes at Hampton Hargate being fitted with photovoltaic roof tiles under a 235,000 [pounds sterling] pilot project are part-funded by the DTI. They are constructed using an 'Amphion' timber-frame system that provides high standards of energy...

200 rethink rubbish. (Environment).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... National Waste Awareness Initiative's (NWAI) Rethink Rubbish campaign has had 200 organisations--including 140 local authorities--signing up. Organisations use the Rethink Rubbish brand to support and promote recycling schemes throughout the...

Licence to waste. (Environment).
May 1, 2003... Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government are seeking views on a streamlining of waste management licensing in England and Wales that would also make it more transparent. The draft revision to Waste Management Paper No.4 provides the Environment...

Aggregates recycling centre. (Environment).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A 1.9 million [pounds sterling] state-of-the-art, recycling centre is being built in Rotherham for construction, demolition and excavation waste. It will produce high quality recycled aggregates for a range of materials. It is supported by...

Green car demand.(trend toward low-emission company cars)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... More people are turning to company cars with low carbon dioxide emissions to benefit from tax savings introduced on April 6 2002. A Chamber of Commerce survey of 180 companies found 92% reported employees picking diesel engine cars, while 35%...

PVC recycling.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... WRAP (the government body set up to minimise waste) is starting research on techniques and markets for reclaiming and recycling PVC. The use of PVC is discouraged by environmentalists because when it decomposes after use, cancer-causing dioxins...

WRAP artist.(Waste and Resources Action Programme )(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Dr Ian Garner is WRAP's new Northern Ireland liaison officer. An environmental manager with more than 20 years experience in industry and consultancy, his new role with the Waste and Resources Action Programme will be to develop the market for...

Tyre-eating bugs.(bacteria to reduce tires)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A team of scientists from Napier University in Edinburgh has won a 160,000 [pounds sterling] grant from Scottish Enterprise to develop a project that will tackle the problem of spare tyres. The scientists hope to set an army of bacteria on the...

Green credentials.
May 1, 2003... Producers of green power will soon be able to provide buyers with a guarantee that their electricity is from renewable sources. The Government is seeking views on a Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin (REGO) scheme, which will work alongside...

Energy trends.(renewable energy)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A survey of medium-term trends in global energy consumption is pessimistic about the role of renewable energy. The Energy Conservation Industry Review looks at trends up to 2020. Across all sectors, electricity demand is projected to grow by...

Hydrogen future.(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The EU can become a "hydrogen society" within 50 years, according to a high-level group looking at a low-carbon energy future based on fuel cells. The paper pictures a world in which hydrogen will "be commonly available on fuel station...

Dash for offshore. (Renewables).(wind farms)
May 1, 2003... By the end of March, seven offshore wind farms had received consent and another nine were likely to go ahead, with a combined capacity of up to 1,500MW which will be generating 1.5% of the UK's energy needs by 2006. And the Crown Estate, which...

Community warmth. (Renewables).(Community Energy programme funding)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The heat is on for 10 more community schemes in a second round of funds from the Government's 50 million [pounds sterling] Community Energy programme. Ten energy-saving schemes from Croydon to Dundee will receive funding of 5.2million [pounds...

More solar funding. (Renewables).(photovoltaics panels for roofs and walls)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Eighteen building projects in England and Wales are sharing 2 million [pounds sterling] of grants to fit photovoltaics panels to roofs and walls. The projects are the third set of proposals approved under the DTI's 20 million [pounds sterling]...

Energy tax on way. (EU News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The stage is now set for an EU-wide energy tax. Political agreement has been reached on this key element in the EU's climate change policies, but it will begin to bite only in the medium to long term, since the draft directive is saturated with...

Sulphur fuel law. (EU News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A European directive limiting the amount of sulphur allowed in road fuels to 10 ppm from 2009 became law in March. It requires "sulphur-free" petrol and diesel to be made available throughout the EU by 2005.

Emission trading. (EU News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The EU has issued preliminary guidance on how governments should distribute greenhouse gas allowances to firms covered by the EU's emission trading scheme when it gets underway from 2005. They should initially create a "preliminary range" for...

Firms want more green power. (EU News).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Purchasing green electricity can have multiple benefits for large users, helping them to evade taxes, but suppliers could be doing more to target these potential large customers. That is the conclusion of 'Green by Demand', a large survey of...

Europe debates role of EMS. (Environment).(environmental management systems)
May 1, 2003... The adoption of certified environmental management systems (EMSs) by industry has been recognised as providing real business benefits through improved production management, and environmental risk and performance management. EMSs, in...

Taking on the carbon challenge. (Feature).
May 1, 2003... Carbon Trust was launched in April 2001 with three key objectives: to ensure that UK business and the public sector meet ongoing targets for carbon dioxide emissions; to improve the competitiveness of UK business through resource efficiency;...

12bn [pounds sterling] a year--what a waste: David Thorpe looks at how you can turn on to energy efficiency and beat the grim statistics for energy waste. (Energy).
May 1, 2003... Night-time in the heart of city financial and commercial districts. Office blocks are deserted but every window is ablaze with light. Through a ground floor window can be seen rows of flickering screens, left on by users. The pattern is...

Trading up to climate security. (Climate Change).
May 1, 2003... Prime Minister Tony Blair has again called for a concerted international effort to tackle global poverty and environmental degradation--particularly climate change. This time, introducing the Government's White Paper on energy and prompted by...

Return to the source--for low carbon energy. (Renewables).
May 1, 2003... The recently published Energy White Paper sets out the Government's commitment to double the share of electricity from renewable sources by 2020, to invest 60 million [pounds sterling] in new money for renewable projects and to unblock planning...

Quality practice. (Feature).
May 1, 2003... Secretary of State at Defra Margaret Beckett launched the third Government Annual Report on Sustainable Development, 'Achieving a better quality of life', and gave a strong defence of Government progress towards sustainable development, as...

Environmental campaigners back MBT. (Advertisement Feature).(mechanical and biological treatment)
May 1, 2003... International environmental campaigners now advocate mechanical and biological treatment (MBT) of waste as providing the most economic and sustainable solution to managing the kerbside collection of waste. MBT prior to landfill is the best...

Creating community: with its Communities Plan, the Government wants to create sustainable communities--both new and regenerated. But what do they mean by 'sustainable'? David Thorpe investigates. (Feature).
May 1, 2003... The 22 billion [pounds sterling] plan for 'sustainable communities' was published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister in February. The plan aims to provide housing needs in key areas with "more imaginative design and the sustainment of...

Addressing agenda 21. (Advertisement Feature).
May 1, 2003... Sport is important to millions of people throughout the world. In every country and at every level we organise ourselves into clubs and compete. Sometimes the competition is for reward, and then the rewards can be astronomical, but more often...

Looking to a cleaner future: Denmark is considered to be one of the world leaders of energy management and now the UK is set to benefit from their leading Micro CHP Technology. (Micro CHP).
May 1, 2003... Leading Micro Combined Heat and Power (CHP) provider, EC Power, has announced its launch onto the UK Market. The company was formed in 1994 by Danish engineers with extensive experience in heat and power technology. Partly owned by Statoil...

Events diary. (Resources).
May 1, 2003... 15 May: Beaches and Bathing Waters--Implications for the Revision to the Bathing Water Directive London. The aim of this conference is to provide an opportunity to influence the thinking on the Directive. Contact CMS; email:...

Energy saving with PFI. (Resources).(Private Finance Initiative)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Public Private Partnership (PPP) and Private Finance Initiative (PFI) projects are now well established within the further and higher education sector. These allow the private sector to combine their resources and expertise with those of the...

From wheel to roof. (Resources).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... "I can't believe it's not slate." Instead, it's a new use for some of the 450,000 tonnes of used tyres thrown away annually in the UK. Ardesia tiles use reclaimed rubber and look like slate. Pictured is Tony Bell of manufacturer E-B-C-UK Ltd...

Waste solutions. (Resources).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The New Economy Network (NEN) has been developed by London First to bring the experience and knowledge of major companies to small and medium sized firms working mainly in environmental fields. Launching it, Environment Minister Michael Meacher...

Engineering savings for suppliers. (Resources).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Envirowise has launched a networking partnership for the engineering sector that encourages host companies and their supply chains collectively to identify where financial savings can be made by reducing waste in their joint business...

Freedom of the city. (Resources).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... A new good practice guide shows how the planning system can help bring about accessible environments, which not only benefit disabled people, but elderly people, parents with young children in buggies and with heavy shopping. This is not...

Help for retail. (Resources).(Envirowise and the British Retail Consortium publish information package)(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Envirowise and the British Retail Consortium are offering small retailers a helping hand with increasing profit margins, through the publication of a free information pack. Easy Money: A self-help guide for small retailers offers...

Trouble at mill. (Resources).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The cost of treating and handling water in a paper and board mill is high. A new Envirowise benchmarking guide, Reducing Water Costs in Paper and Board Mills (BG348), describes how many mills could save money and meet environmental...

Climate info. (Resources).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The UK's Climate Information Programme wants to engage a wider section of the business community, so that the many different sectors can start to consider how they will be affected by climate change. It plans to identify new sectors and create...

Climate change and the housing industry. (Resources).
May 1, 2003... CIRIA is a UK-based research association concerned with improving the performance of all involved in construction and the environment. It is organising a climate change conference in London on 4 June, to be opened by Environment Minister...

Furniture rescue. (Resources).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... HSBC is working in partnership with Green-Works, a regeneration service for office furniture, in one of the largest ever corporate disposals. The bank's relocation to Canary Wharf, with the closure of 17 central London offices, left 3,000...

Degree Days--February & March 2003. (Resources).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... Degree Days--February & March 2003 Thames South Southern South Seven Valley Eastern Western Valley 20 yr. avg 285 309 295 257 270 Feb '02 201 ...

Towards a fully sustainable energy policy. (focus on energy efficiency).
May 1, 2003... Our country needs a new sustainable energy policy. The recently published Energy White Paper is the first comprehensive, forward-looking statement of energy policy for over 20 years. It was based on the most significant and comprehensive...

Wanted: a passion for energy efficiency. (focus on energy efficiency).
May 1, 2003... So now we know what kind of energy system we intend to have in 2050. The Prime minister's "low carbon economy" is not a chimera. We know what needs to be done. We even know how much it will cost (about six months' worth of growth spread across...

It's not difficult ... it's common sense: the goals in the Energy White Paper offer the prospect of a low carbon society, where greenhouse gas emissions are cut by 60% and every home is affordably and well heated. Philip Sellwood, chief executive of the Energy Saving Trust, considers the most effective route to energy efficiency. (focus on energy efficiency).
May 1, 2003... At the Energy Saving Trust we believe the Government's Energy White Paper marks an historic turning point in the way in which we use energy and reduce our impact upon the environment. However, we consider there are some policies that need...

Critical time to take Action: ambitious targets, set out in the Energy White Paper, will position the UK as leader in the development and implementation of new energy solutions. Dr Gary Felgate, Director of Action Energy, looks at what the proposals mean for your organisation. (focus on energy efficiency).
May 1, 2003... Support for the UK public and private sector is key to reducing carbon emissions through funding, backing technological innovation and by encouraging more efficient working practices. Through Action Energy we encourage organisations to become...

How leading businesses are saving millions. (focus on energy efficiency).
May 1, 2003... Did you see the advertisements? Action Energy recently led a campaign to raise awareness of the link between climate change, carbon emissions and energy use, by saying 'Thank you' to companies that have delivered carbon emission savings through...

Building green: the Energy White Paper identifies energy efficiency as the cheapest, cleanest and safest way of achieving the Government's policy objectives--a view that the Building Research Establishment strongly endorses. Professor David Strong, Managing Director of BRE's energy division, comments. (focus on energy efficiency).
May 1, 2003... Of the energy efficiency improvements needed (beyond those already committed as part of the Climate Change Programme) half are expected to come from households and half from business and the public sector. This implies a very challenging...

Steps in the right direction. (focus on energy efficiency).
May 1, 2003... Everyone has to take responsibility for managing their own energy consumption, but this does not mean "business as usual", according to Philip Pain, marketing chief at Future Energy Solutions. "We will all have to step up several levels to...

Utilities commit to home energy savings. (focus on energy efficiency).(Brief Article)
May 1, 2003... The Energy Efficiency Commitment scheme places an energy efficiency obligation on electricity and suppliers to be achieved by 31 March 2005. It has been set up by Ofgem to recognise the social benefits of energy efficiency and the contribution...

Payback time. (focus on energy efficiency).
May 1, 2003... All organisations use heating, lighting and power. Yet few consider their organisation's energy consumption and costs when making important purchasing decisions that affect the bottom line and the survival of the delicate environment they...

The loan arranger: Action Energy offers Energy Loans to enable businesses to invest interest free in energy-saving equipment. Interested? Read on ... (focus on energy efficiency).
May 1, 2003... Energy Loans is a 10 million [pounds sterling] interest-free fund for small and medium sized companies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland to pay for replacing or upgrading existing facilities with energy efficient alternatives. Small...