National Trust – Forever for Everyone Sustainable Business Workshop (Jul11)
What a brilliant slogan – Forever For Everyone. I was one of two outside speakers at the National Trust’s sustainability workshop, which was looking at how to make this slogan mean something across the whole organisation. Whilst the Trust has superb examples of sustainability in practice, they’re looking at what they might do across the whole […]
Interface Carpets – Tomorrow’s Natural Business (Jul11)
Ray Anderson, CEO of Interface Carpets radically changed his approach to business in 1994, after reading The Ecology of Commerce by Paul Hawkens. I went to a workshop at Interface hosted by Andy Middleton from Tyf. Entitled ‘Tomorrow’s Natural Business’, the workshop aimed to show how biomimicry could be used as a template for creating organisations fit for a different […]
Writing for the Financial Times (Jun12)
I’ve started writing for FT House & Home. My first article, co-written with Fiona Harvey in March 2011 was about Feed in Tariffs. The second piece, published in June 2011 was ‘Eco-technologies at home – Electric Green‘ And the most recent article published on Saturday 21st April 2012, was about eco-renovating my London flat ‘It’s Not Easy Being […]
Eco-Renovating London Flat (Jan11)
I’ve started eco-renovating my London flat. It’s been rented out since 1995 but needs sprucing up. I’ve employed architect Jerry Tate , who specialises in bringing ‘buildings and nature closer together’. In this case it means lots of insulation, inspirational energy and water-saving ideas and including as much recycled materials as possible. I’ll be up-dating my […]
My goldfish died along with Labour – Here’s my coalition manifesto (May10)
Zac Goldsmith, formerly editor of the Ecologist, gets elected in Richmond Chris Huhne – New Minster for Energy and Environment Caroline Lucas – the first Green MP in the UK My goldfish died in the night. I’ve posthumously named him ‘Gordon’. It seems rather propitious that their floundering exit coincided. And […]
Yarlington Housing (Mar10)
I was the key note speaker at the Yarlington Housing Annual meeting, held in Yeovil, which is close to where I live. The organisation had a number of sustainability initiatives but hadn’t yet managed to fully integrate the principles into their housing developments.
Big Green Home Show (Oct09)
“I had to drop you a line to say ‘a huge thank-you’ to you for being such a fantastic guest speaker – you were absolutely superb!…. You made a very inspiring speech and I would have no hesitation whatsoever in recommending you to other event organisers as a guest speaker on eco or renovation matters […]
Energy Monitoring Gizmos (Jan08)
TRIED AND TESTED – ENERGY MONITORS Energy Monitors don’t directly save you energy – but they should help you work out where you’re wasting it around the house and so cut back. I reduced by electricity bill by a quarter, when I got one – which more than paid back the cost of the monitor. […]
Eco developments on the map (Oct07)
The market town of Langport on the Somerset Levels has been getting some good green press in the last few months. A new development – Great Bow Yard has won a Gold Award from the Buildings for Life Scheme set up by the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment or CABE for short. Ecos […]
Gay Times – I interviewed Kristin Digby (Sep07)
One of three interviews I did for the Gay Times – Kristin Digby . See also Peter Tatchell and Paul O-Grady “I don’t even know how to read a f***ing fuel bill”, Kristian admitted when I asked him to tell me how much electricity and gas he was using. I arrived at his house somewhere […]