Built Environment

Freya Stuart-Hopkins: The Force of Fungi

I don't know what you were doing during September’s unprecedented heatwave in the UK, but I was on the hunt for mushrooms. No not the kind you’re thinking of; but perhaps even more magical. Whilst...

Sue Riddlestone: 3 Top Tips for a Successful Built Environment Project

To mark the 20th anniversary of BedZED, and the visit of the Running Out of Time relay race, we reflect on what made it a success. Starting a new project can be daunting, especially when you’re at...

Juliet Staples: Lessons Learnt From Liverpool’s Green Regeneration

Liverpool is a front-runner city in the international EU funded, Horizon 2020, URBAN GreenUP project, whose remit is to retrofit a range of nature-based solutions (NBS) across the city and to monitor...

Blue Green City Of The Future

John Blowes: Halton Lune Hydro

John is the Director, Project Manager and Chairman of Halton Lune Hydro – a community owned hydro-electric project generating around 750MWh of electricity per year – situated on the River Lune, just...

Keeping Our Heads Above Water

When it comes to flooding in the UK, we seem to be heading for a perfect storm.  Sea levels continue to rise. Global warming will cause warmer, wetter winters. Extreme rainfall events both in su...

Karla Ricalde: Sparking Conversations, (Em)powered Communities

Energy underpins most aspects of our everyday lives (I would say all, but I am cautious with absolutes). That is what makes it the perfect excuse to get on to other topics. Energy is often seen as ne...

#ClimateConversations: Spenbeck

Becky Valentine of Nottingham eco-office company Spenbeck talks about the challenges of meeting zero carbon in Grade II Listed buildings - and about the exciting climate action happening in her home...

Picture A Carbon Zero Future

This week we have launched submissions for our first ever online photography exhibition. Picture This: will showcase images of collective action from across the country, covering a broad range of app...

How to... raise funds for your community initiative

Funding is a key element required to launch a successful community initiative. In this bitesize interactive session, we get top tips on securing the financial support you need, from Richard Tynen, Di...

Halima Doski: Buildings That Shape Us

I don’t know about you, but the image of a sustainable building is a skyscraper covered in plants that runs on some obscure new technology and somehow produces zero waste. Anything in comparison seem...

How to... run a community share offer

Communities all over the UK are taking control of their energy and heating needs. But how do you raise money to fund solar panels, ground source heat pumps or hydro-electric turbines? In this int...

Boosting The Local Economy

This is part of our Unlocking Local Action series of events. Community is the lens so often left out of the environmental discussion, but it’s vital in implementing lasting solutions. Rather than...

Exploring The Crown Estate

In early December 2020, The Crown Estate announced its commitment to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. The Crown Estate is the Sovereign’s “public lands” - land owned by the current Monarch...

Amy Reid: Pioneering the community heat pump revolution with CREW Energy

We’re CREW Energy – a Wandsworth- and Merton-based community energy co-operative delivering low-carbon solutions, energy advice and community outreach to south-west London. It was formed in 2014 by a...

Sharon Lashley: Dare to Dream

Our work at Climate Action North is varied – and sees us collaborating with diverse groups, from commercial businesses like the retail parks that we rewild as part of our Pollinator Parks initiative,...

Sat Kaur: Timeless Principles For Eco Homes

The Government’s new Green Home Grants scheme is now live. Low-income households and private homeowners are being offered vouchers of up to £10,000 and £5,000 respectively to ‘wrap up [their homes] f...

Zoë Toone: Catalysing A Low Carbon Economy

The way we power our lives must change. And here in Oxfordshire, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the OxFutures project are showing the world how it’s done. The Low Carbon Hub is an en...

Green Homes Grants

We know that saving energy is less expensive than producing energy. It is also a low-cost approach to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. So, the good news is that starting from this month, homeowners...