Investors, environmental groups, and academics sent a letter to the Bank of England (which is responsible for keeping England’s economic stability) this week, urging it to assess the risk that carbon intensive investments in the United Kingdom have on citizens and investors alike. Five of the 10 largest companies in the U.K.’s benchmark stock index (the FTSE 100) are high-carbon companies, and the group addressing the letter believes that puts the U.K. at risk financially. The authors of the letter argue that depending on finite, unsustainable resources for investing while the world moves into renewable technology is untenable and poses a threat to everyone affected by investments in those companies.

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Post tags: bank of england, carbon emissions, carbon heavy, carbon intensive, english investments, green investments, investing in green, sustainable investing, sustainable investments, united kingdom

Dulas recently delivered the National Trust’s largest solar PV array in the UK at their grade I listed Llanerchaeron property in Wales. At just under 40 kWp (37.5kWp) and combined with the existing 7.5 kWp solar PV array, the installation should generate up to half of the electricity that the house requires. Having provided a full planning consultancy service for multiple solar PV sites across the National Trust portfolio in Wales, Dulas advised a free-standing ground mount ballasted array would provide the optimum solution to be delivered within tight timescales. Mike Clay of Dulas Ltd said of the installation: “By taking forward thinking steps and engaging with a highly experienced company the Trust has been able to best utilize the space available to gain maximum benefit from the feed in tariff. By prioritizing the installation Dulas was able to commission the project in time to take advantage of the highest feed in tariff rates providing the best possible financial rate of returns for the Trust.” The Trust has made a commitment to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels by 50% within the next eight years. It aims to cut carbon emissions from energy use for heat and electricity by 45%, beating the government’s target of a 34% reduction in CO2 by 2020.

+ Dulas

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Post tags: alternative energy, dulas, green design, green power, Llanerchaeron, National Trust, photovoltaic installation, renewable energy, solar installation, Solar Power, sustainable design, united kingdom, Wales

We couldn’t believe our eyes when we saw this glistening yellow cape made from spider silk. The un-dyed, untreated garment is the world’s largest piece of clothing made entirely from the durable natural material. Now on public display at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the textile accredits its unearthly glow to the lady golden orb spider.

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Post tags: eco-fashion, eco-friendly capes, Ethical Fashion, golden orb spiders, green fashion, London, madagascar, Nicholas Godley, spider silk, sustainable capes, Sustainable Fashion, U.K., united kingdom, Victoria & Albert Museum

Whether you love it or hate it, there’s no denying that Kate Middleton‘s wardrobe attracts some serious attention. With many Brits and others around the world looking to Kate for clothing inspiration, we really think she could boost ethical fashion in the UK simply by donning an ethically made cardigan or a pair of fair trade flats and taking a stroll down a posh London street. And we know at least seven of Britain’s leading ethical designers agree with us because we talked to them about what sustainable styles they’d like to see the duchess wear next. Read on to see what they said!

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Post tags: britain, Duchess of Cambridge, eco-fashion, Emesha, Ethical Fashion, green fashion, Henrietta Ludgate, House of Tammam, Kate Middleton, Michelle Lowe-Holder, Olga Olsson, Outsider, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable style, U.K., united kingdom

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Post tags: "solar energy", alternative energy, Cottrell & Vermeulen Architects, eco design, energy counter, Green Building, green design, photovoltaic panels, reduced carbon emissions, sustainable design, united kingdom, Westborough Primary School

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Post tags: biodome, biome, biosphere, cornwall, Eco Architecture, eco design, Eden Project, flowers, garden, Gardening, green architecture, green design, greenhouse, Nicholas Grimshaw, plants, Tim Smit, united kingdom

Eyewear comes in many shapes and sizes, but few are made with sustainable materials. But here’s a collection from two Royal College of Art graduates that turns human hair into stylish sunnies and vision sharpening specs. So whether you’re a bright blonde or a bold and brazen brunette, Azusa Murakami and Alexander Groves’ aptly named “hair glasses” are sure to get heads to turn.

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Post tags: bizarre eco-fashion, eco-fashion, eco-friendly eyeglasses, eco-friendly eyewear, eco-friendly sunglasses, Ethical Fashion, green fashion, hair glasses, human hair, Studio Swine, sustainable eyeglasses, sustainable eyewear, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable style, sustainable sunglasses, U.K., united kingdom

The changing Atlantic jetstream is slowing down the United Kingdom’s wind, raising questions about the efficacy of ambitious offshore wind farm programs. Wind speeds have reduced by 20% since 2008, according to a Telegraph report, and 2010 was the stillest year in the decade. Scientists predict that the jetstream over the UK will continue to slacken over the next four decades as a result of changing solar activity. Meanwhile, the coalition has plans to build thousands of wind turbines in order to meet the European Union goal of supplying 15% of the UK’s energy using alternatives to fossil fuels by 2020.

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Post tags: alternative energy, atlantic jetstream, britain, eco design, EU, green design, Offshore Wind Farm, renewable energy, sustainable design, united kingdom, wind energy, wind speed, wind turbines

Would you wear a dress made of iridescent bug parts? Victorian actress Ellen Terry did in one of the most iconic portrayals of Lady Macbeth in theater history. After 120 years of wear, tear, and alterations, the gown—and the 1,000 naturally shed beetle wings that adorned it—looked less than glistening. The painstaking restoration took 1,300 hours and £50,000 ($81,000), but the emerald-green number is ready to make its stage entrance once more.

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Post tags: beetles, bizarre eco-fashion, eco-fashion, Ellen Terry, Ethical Fashion, green fashion, National Trust, Sustainable Fashion, sustainable style, U.K., united kingdom

Read the rest of Old Subway Cars Transformed into Cool London Art Studios

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Post tags: artist studio space, green studio space, London, london prefab architecture, london underground studio space, Prefab Housing, subway converted to studio space, subway offices, tube office, united kingdom, village underground

Carbon capture and storage (CCS), a technique to bury CO2 emissions from industrial sources underground, is still an emerging technology. It’s mostly used in coal plants, but the UK announced this week that projects interested in using CCS for natural gas plants will now be able to apply for government funding.

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Post tags: carbon capture and storage, ccs, natural gas, UK, united kingdom, usa

It’s generally agreed the world over that transportation is the largest contributor to global warming. As such, governments have begun heavily investing in high-speed rail projects and other transport schemes in order to keep emissions down. In the UK a new study out of the Stockholm Environment Institute at the University of York has reported “a significant breakthrough in climate change policy by showing how to make drastic cuts in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from transport.” The study revealed that a low-carbon transport future would create a less stressful, quieter, healthier, more resilient and confident society. While you may be thinking this is a blatantly obvious statement, the really interesting part is actually how society would go about reducing those emissions. From the technological to the financial to behavioral changes, those in the UK feel that a clear and phased program could potentially enable a 76 percent reduction in emissions by 2050.

Read the rest of Can the UK Really Cut Transport Emissions 76% by 2050?

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Post tags: carbon emissions, Climate Change, CO2, CO2 emissions, emissions, Global Weirding, greenhouse gas emissions, greenhouse gases, Stockholm Environment Institute, timon singh, transport, transport emissions, transportation emissions, Transportation Tech, UK, uk transportation emission reduction, united kingdom

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Post tags: 700 Year Old Underground Cave Homes For Rent in Iran, ancient home, ancient house, “sustainable architecture”, bolton, buried house, cave home, christian muller, curt and deborah sleeper, Daylighting, desert home, earth house, Eco Architecture, eco design, eco-friendly materials, energy efficient design, environmentally friendly materials, fallingwater, festus misourri cave home, frank lloyd wright, gary neville, geothermal heating, grass covered house, grass roof, green architecture, Green Building, green design, green materials, green renovation, green roof, grey water, hill house, iran, kandovan, Lättenstrasse estate, low energy living, make architects, passive cooling, passive house, passive solar design, patkau architecture, search, sprayed concrete, subterranean residence, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, Switzerland, UK, underground cottages, underground home, Underground House, united kingdom, vals, vetsch architektur, western pennsylvania conservancy

Who wouldn’t want to have a spot of afternoon tea at this delightful lime green shipping container cafe overlooking the site of the London 2012 Olympics? Dubbed the View Tube, the eatery and gallery caught our eye this morning, and upon further investigation we found out that the charming structure is 100% recycled, has motion sensor controlled lighting, low energy light bulbs, solar controlled glass and weather compensation controlled heating. While we won’t be getting shipped off to the UK ourselves to check out the colorful building in person, props to Bonnie Alter of Treehugger for her original photography of the space.

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Post tags: "sustainable architecture", bonnie alter, cafe, eco design, green architecture, Green Building, green design, lime green shipping container cafe, London Olympics, olympics, prefabricated architecture, Recycled Materials, shipping container, shipping container building, sustainable design, treehugger, UK, united kingdom, view tube

We talk about poop all the time — pig poop, cow poop and chicken poop — so why not start talking about our own? This stinky taboo might be keeping us from a great energy source. Scientists in the UK are looking into creating a closed loop system using human waste that would provide electricity to the grid. Seems like a great idea to us, but the question is: would you use poop to power your home?

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Post tags: "clean energy", closed loop, closed loop systems, human refuse, poop, poop power, renewable energy, united kingdom

The saga of Climategate continues — dun dun dun. The story started back in November when a group of Scientists at University of East Anglia in the UK were accused of attempting to fudge data in order to quell the words of global warming disbelievers. We reported a couple of weeks ago that a governmental panel in the UK acquitted the scientists of wrongdoing. Now in the third installment of this tale an independent panel of scientists has declared the University of East Anglia’s scientific research sound and completely unskewed.

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Post tags: britain, Climate Change, climategate, global warming, united kingdom, university of east anglia

The story of the e-mail leaks from the University of East Anglia in the UK has now come to one — of what we’re sure there will be many — conclusions. Back in November the story broke out that Professor Phil Jones and his colleagues at UEA had written e-mails back and forth that some people say were meant to obscure pieces of their climate change research in order to silence their critics. An investigation ensued into whether they were violating the Freedom of Information Legislation of the UK, whether their science was faulty and who on earth stole those e-mails. The first of the three questions has been answered and Professor Jones and UAE have been cleared of wrongdoing.

Read the rest of Independent UK Panel Says that Parts of “Climategate” are an Illusion

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Post tags: britain, Climate Change, climate e-mails, climate science, climategate, global warming, legislation, parliament, phil jones, professor, united kingdom, unversity of east anglia

Read the rest of Gary Neville’s Underground Eco Home Blends Into the Earth

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Post tags: bolton, gary neville, green architecture, green design, green roof, make architects, Sustainable Building, sustainable design, UK, Underground House, united kingdom

The United Kingdom’s Hanham Hall Development is the largest eco-village aspiration to date. Designed by HTA and funded by Barratt Developments and the Homes & Communities Agency, there are a rumored 188-195 zero carbon homes in the overall housing scheme. The development will include an onsite biomass CHP plant, strategically placed reed beds, shops for farmers to sell their goods, bicycle storage throughout, and a carefully crafted drainage system. Hanham Hall is the first major eco city underway that is part of the government’s Carbon Challenge Programme. The government has set a goal for all new builds to be zero carbon by 2016. It looks as though they are six years ahead of the curve.

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Post tags: eco-village, hanham hall, Sustainable Building, UK, united kingdom, zero carbon homes

The British government recently launched a new super stringent green building rating system called The Code For Sustainable Homes. Code Six is the level that all new residences will be required to achieve in 2016, and is, for all intents and purposes, a requirement that all new homes emit no carbon emissions. Now greenbuilding company ZedFactory has taken it upon themselves to create a code six, zero-emission prefab home. In an attempt to reconceptualize the idea of what a super-efficient home should be, ZEDfactory introduced the RuralZED, which they claim is Britain’s most affordable green prefab home and is also able to meet its strictest energy standards. Oh, and did we mention that it is a flatpack?

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Post tags: BedZED, code for sustainable homes, code six, England, Flat pack houses, Green Building, green home, Green prefab, prefabricated houses, RuralZED, self-build, UK zero energy home, united kingdom, ZED Factory