EIMissue6

MARCH 2010

INTRODUCTION FROM THE EDITOR I take great pleasure in bringing you the latest issue of Environment Industry Magazine.

This issue, I think we have really managed to up the ante on the quality of the magazine.

I was really pleased with the last issue and thought it was as good as it could be but as ever, the team at EnviroMedia have pulled out all the stops and this issue is hopefully of an even higher calibre than I could have hoped for. As for the editorial contributors, I feel it would be impossible to improve on what has gone before; we will just have to settle for the best again. The main focus of this issue is Forestry and Biomass; I wanted to bring you a real authority on forestry and wanted to have comment from the Chair of the Forestry Commission, unfortunately as that role had just changed hands I thought it would be out of the question.

I never thought for a second that I would be introducing the first Chairwoman of the Forestry Commission, Pamela Warhurst as our contributor on forestry but here I am doing just that. There was only one first choice to write about the biomass industry, Stuart Howarth, Wood Procurement Director for Dalkia Bioenergy Ltd, and writing about bio-energy we have Claire Wenner, Head of Biomass and Transport from the Renewable Energy Association.

We also have contributions from John Crowther, Technical Director of Mouchel's Land and Environment Division, and Jackie Sadek, Head of Regeneration, CB Richard Ellis and Chair of British Urban Regeneration Association on contaminated land, as well as Thierry Gregorius, Group Data Manager at Landmark Information Group on Mapping and GIS, and Robert Tanner, Principal Investigator CABI, discussing invasive weed species.

Whilst we have been working on this issue there has been a storm brewing in the world of climate change. The science behind the argument for anthropomorphic affected climate change has been brought into question based on some leaked emails suggesting the conclusions on climate change may not be accurate. This has become what the medja have helpfully dubbed ClimateGate.

The interesting thing about this whole process is the fact that everybody has failed to notice that the science of climate change has become fundamentalism. We have a situation where the minister responsible for our governmental approach to climate change will not acknowledge any opinion which differs to the widely held belief on the cause of climate change.

Look at the old myth that Bumble Bees shouldn’t be able to fly - this was based on calculations using the aerodynamic theory of the early twentieth century. Since then there have been huge advances in aerodynamic understanding and it has been proven that albeit inefficiently, Bumble Bees can fly. Had we been unable to prove that Bumble Bees are capable of flight we wouldn’t have suddenly been bombarded by bees falling from the sky.

Science only explains what is happening, it doesn’t control it.

No matter which climate camp you are in, the one constant is that the climate is definitely changing. Whilst we are in the midst of arguing whether human activity has affected the climate, we are conveniently ignoring the fact that humans have managed to adversely affect everything else. The only reason we have such a thriving environmental industry is because we have been so adept at destroying the environment.

You only have to look at the devastation of ancient and tropical forests all over the world, the catastrophic effects of oil spills, the degradation of our natural resources, the contamination of land and water and even the destruction of our own species to see what kind of impact we have on our environment.

Nothing sums this up more than seeing the corpse of an albatross which has mistakenly fed on plastics.

The massive attention on climate change only masks the other impacts we are having on the planet. The most annoying thing is that all the things we are being encouraged to do in the name of global warming are things we should all be doing anyway. Whether you “believe” in climate change or not, when you consider the privileges and responsibilities we have in the developed world, it is incredulous that we are so wasteful.

Is it too much to ask that we use our energy efficiently and dispose of our waste responsibly? Apparently it is....

It would be a perfect irony if the biggest environmental problem to affect the human race wasn’t caused by us.

Alex Stacey Alex Stacey Managing Editor

Recently Jonny Ball was booed off stage by a group of atheists when he tried to discuss an alternative theory on global warming. (I am sure they saw the irony of their actions afterwards).

Surely the point of science is to adjust its view based on what is observed, that the conclusion of scientific finding is not always what was hypothesised.

Many scientific breakthroughs have come about because scientists disagreed with one another.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

CONTENTS News

Pages 04 - 24

Can We Have a Level Field, Please? By Steve Grant

UK Sustainable Development Association - The National Trust ‌ A Case Study in Cutting Carbon Emissions ‌ and Costs By Steve Turner

Forests to the Fore By Pam Warhurst

Page 25

Pages 26 - 27

Page 28 - 30

Illegal Logging in the Tropics By Sheam Satkuru-Granzella

Pages 31 - 33

Sustainable Wood: The New Solution to Climate Change By Paul Clegg

Pages 34 - 35

No Wasted Opportunity By Stuart Howarth

Pages 36 - 37

Can Biofuels be Sustainable? By Clare Wenner

Pages 38 - 39

Anaerobic Digestion By Dr. Nush Mohabuth & David Border

Pages 40 - 42

Wastewater Analysis By Dr. Rakesh Kanda & Gavin Mills

Pages 43 - 48

EnviroMedia Limited, 254a Bury New Road, Whitefield, Manchester, M45 8QN

Alex Stacey Tel: 0161 3410158 Fax: 0161 7668997 Email: alex@enviromedia.ltd.uk

Environment Industry Magazine is proud to be the official media partner for the UK Sustainable Development Association.

Every effort is made to verify all information published, but Environment Industry Magazine cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions or for any losses that may arise as a result. Opinions expressed in articles do not necessarily reflect those of EnviroMedia Ltd. Environment Industry Magazine welcomes contributions for publication. Submissions are accepted on the basis of full assignment of copyright to EnviroMedia Ltd unless otherwise agreed in advance and in writing. We reserve the right to edit items for reasons of space, clarity or legality.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Page 49

Water Framework Directive By Huw Irranca-Davies MP

Pages 51 - 53

Battling the Invasives: Are Natural Enemies the Solution By Dr. Rob Tanner

Pages 54 - 57

Managing Environmental Data in the Google Age By Dr. Thierry Gregorius

Pages 58 - 62

I Wouldn’t Eat Vegetables From Your Garden If I Were You! By John Crowther

Pages 64 - 66

Is Sustainability The New Regeneration? By Jackie Sadek

Page 67

Waste Management By Michael Grimes

Page 69

Environment Agency Prosecutions

Pages 70 - 74

Green Jobs By Katrina Pierce

Pages 75 - 84

Sustainabilitylive! Preview

Pages 86 - 87

Sustainability Decluttered By Peter Baxter

Pages 88 - 96

Case Studies

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

NEWS Sheep Like Sustainable Wine Peter Yealands’ aim is to develop the world’s leading sustainable vineyard and winery. Peter launched Yealands Estate at Blenheim on New Zealand’s South Island in August 2008. Since then he has experimented with a range of initiatives to make the Estate as green as possible. One approach is finding an alternative to using tractors to mow the grass between the vines.

Peter has tried using sheep for this, although the first breed he used developed a taste for the grapes. After finding guinea pigs similarly commercially unviable, Peter now uses miniature Babydoll sheep that reach a mere 45-60 cm in height.

Yealands also uses a range of sustainable approaches in its winery. Extensive insulation and heat recovery technologies reduce heat loss and recycle energy for re-use. Probes inside and outside the building maintain constant temperatures, whilst solar panels and wind turbines generate supplementary power. ©Jim Tannock 2009

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

The vineyard has already won accolades for its stance on sustainability. In April 2009, it received carboNZero certification from Landcare Research – the largest winery in New Zealand to obtain this for its organisation and wine products. “There are only a handful of wineries in the world with carbon neutral certification and seven of these are in New Zealand,” says Peter. “We’re the first in New Zealand to have been measuring emissions since day one.” Yealands also won the SME Business Environmental Award at the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Awards in Auckland in May 2009.

Yealands Estate does not just tick the sustainability boxes – it has won over 110 medals and awards since its inception, including three gold medals and one silver medal for its Sauvignon Blanc wine at the Air New Zealand Wine Awards. The Estate also produces Riesling, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir wines.

John Wade Group Choose CASE

Two CASE CX240B-MH tracked material handlers have been purchased by the Newton Aycliffe-based John Wade Group to meet demand at its rapidly expanding recycling and waste transfer facilities.

The crawler machines, supplied by local CASE dealer CJ Leonard of Guisborough, come complete with factory-built hydraulically raising cabs and are fitted with fully rotational clam grabs to handle the waste material on site. One of the machines is used to sort out the waste that is delivered to the transfer station before being sent through a variety of screens and a picking station to be recycled. The other machine is used to feed sorted waste, including timber, green waste and tyres into shredders.

So far the machines have also proven resistant to the problems encountered by their predecessors. “It’s a very dusty environment and the machines we had before would regularly choke up and shut down. They would also overheat, but the CASE machines have proven very reliable.

Touch wood, they’ve been no bother,” said Roy Blair, Waste Transfer Landfill Manager.

When backup has been needed it has been provided swiftly by local CASE dealer CJ Leonard. “We’ve had quite a lot of kit from them over the years and we have a good rapport with them. They’re prepared to go out of their way to help us with servicing or with supplying spare parts,” said David James, Workshop Manager.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

greenauction A BID TO SAVE THE EARTH

Cloud Choreography by Keith Tyson

Christie’s International, the world’s leading art business, announces “A Bid to Save the Earth” Green Auction. This first-of-its-kind charity auction will take place on April 22 2010 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day. The Evening Sale event will be held at Christie’s, Rockefeller Center, New York and be carried live globally via Christie’s LIVE™ on www.christies.com. Proceeds from the sale will be divided among four leading not-for-profit environmental organisations: Conservation International, Oceana, Natural Resources Defense Council and the Central Park Conservancy. All four beneficiary organisations are 4-star rated by CharityNavigator.org, its highest rating for notfor-profit organisations. The four participating not-forprofits have programming and supporters across 150 countries and all 7 continents.

Christie’s is partnering with Charitybuzz, the leading destination for online charity benefit auctions, to present a companion silent auction which will be hosted at www.ABidtoSavetheEarth.org. Christie’s will waive all fees and commissions for the auction. Native Energy, www.nativeenergy.com, a leader in carbon offsetting, will provide carbon offsets for the entire Green Auction. NBC Universal, as part of its ongoing environmental initiative, “Green is Universal,” will serve as the official media partner for the event. Advertising firm MMB, as Christie’s branding partner, created “A Bid to Save the Earth” as the unifying theme for this worthwhile and groundbreaking initiative.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

The Evening Sale will be a star-studded event with top celebrities serving on the Green Auction Host Committee that includes: Leonardo DiCaprio, Harrison Ford, Tobey Maguire, François-Henri Pinault, Salma Hayek, Bob Fisher, Candice Bergen, Ed Norton, Evelyn Lauder, Alec Baldwin, Zaha Hadid, Brooke Shields, and Matt Lauer.

The live auction will include major works from artists including Keith Tyson, Maya Lin, Subodh Gupta, and Olafur Eliasson. Other lots will include coveted celebrity experiences, upscale eco-vacations and exquisite jewellery.

Hugh Jackman, Christina Aguilera, and Candice Bergen are just a few of the talented stars offering VIP experiences, with additional luxury items secured daily.

Christie’s Green Auction will set a new standard in co-operation between commercial and not-for-profit organisations. Christie’s is in a unique position to serve as a bridge between the past and the future by linking these many spheres of influence in a revolutionary way.

In addition to bidding in the Green Auction, the public is invited to make a symbolic bid for the environment leading up to Earth Day this April 22nd. Simply visit www.ABidtoSavetheEarth.org and select from one of four areas in order to participate in this Call-To Action: Donate, Volunteer, Educate or Green your routine. Guests travelling to New York are encouraged to visit www.nativeenergy.com to arrange for carbon offsets for their travel to the Green Auction, in the hopes of making the auction as carbon neutral as possible.

ALLU PM+PF STABILISATION SYSTEM In situ Mass Stabilisations of peat, clays, sludges and contaminated soils etc.

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Golfpark Nuolen Leads GEO Certification in Switzerland The Golf Environment Organisation is delighted to recognise Golfpark Nuolen as the first GEO Certified golf club in Switzerland. With a proud record of environmental performance, achieving GEO’s award is further confirmation that both the Golfpark and Superintendent Steven Tierney are at the forefront of sustainable golf course management.

An active gravel pit that began its transformation into a golf course eleven years ago, Golfpark Nuolen will be extended to 27 holes by 2018. Set in a popular recreation area for the people of Zurich and the Schywz Kanton, the course averages over 40,000 rounds in its nine-month season.

Golf Course Superintendent Steven Tierney has been involved in the project since ground was broken in 1997. A three-time recipient of GCSAA (Golf Course Superintendents Association of America) international environmental awards, Steven is now proud to have achieved long-term accreditation: “It’s important for modern greenkeepers to seek recognition for their management practices and publicly represent their social and environmental responsibility. There are many awards and accolades available in the industry but GEO Certification is the most rigorous.

“Our goal is to manage Golfpark Nuolen to the highest international standards and we’re proud to have achieved this recognition. The golf course, facilities and associated nature trails will be enjoyed by golfers, local schools and community groups for many years to come.”

The management team at Golfpark Noulen receive their GEO Certificate.

Left to right: Arthur Baselgia, General Manager, Golfpark Nuolen; Steven Tierney, Superintendent, Golfpark Nuolen; Benjamin Warren, Communications Director, GEO; David Bily, GEO Accredited Verifier.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Carbon Trading: A Complete Legal Update Conference, 20th April 2010 Masterclass, 21st April 2010 Central London

M

Outcome and direction post Copenhagen - the new carbon reduction principles, roadmap and agreement going forward.

M

US federal legislation - how can a uniform policy from the US emerge and interact with EU carbon policy?

M

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

EU ETS, European Renewable Energy Directive and REDD - impact on pre and post 2012 trading

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Current and future policies, regulation and legal requirements to shape deals and support successful transactions

New Legislation - grasping the challenges of the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme and keys to successful compliance

Jane Dennett-Thorpe Head of Branch, CRC Department of Energy and Climate Change Henry Derwent President and CEO International Emissions Trading Association MASTERCLASS Documenting trade transactions of various carbon assets now and post 2012 21st April 2012 A technical masterclass covering the full spectrum of documentation issues for emissions trade transactions and the legal principles affecting both English and international law.

Expertly led by: Andrew Hedges, Partner Norton Rose

Media Partner Graham Stuart, Head of Climate Change and Environment Baker & Mckenzie Peter Zaman, Partner Clifford Chance Felix Tse, In-House Counsel Gazprom Marketing & Trading

For more information visit:

WWW.THELAWYERCONFERENCES.COM

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Everyday grass could provide green fuel A five-year research project has come up with a way of generating green energy from a humble everyday grass.

Dr Richard Lord, Reader in Environmental Geochemistry and Sustainability, (left) with Richard Green, BioReGen Project Officer

Researchers at Teesside University's Contaminated Land and Water Centre began the project in 2004 to see which plants could best be grown on brownfield sites as a way of improving unsightly blots on the landscape.

The research by the BioReGen project team has revealed that reed canary grass can be turned into an excellent fuel for biomass power stations and, on a smaller scale, boilers in buildings like schools.

The native British grass is turned into bricks and pellets.

These not only burn well but also don't add to greenhouse gases or contribute to global warming.

The team experimented with four types of plant, willow trees, the current favourite for biomass power stations, and the miscanthus, reed canary and switch grasses.

Dr Richard Lord, Reader in Environmental Geochemistry and Sustainability, said: “The test burnings have shown that reed canary grass produces a good, clean fuel without picking-up contamination from the soil.

Reed canary grass has great potential because it offers a suitable use for unsightly brownfield sites while producing an excellent fuel at a time when the world is crying out for new ways of producing green energy.

Our research also suggests that the end product is improved soil quality and biodiversity at the greened-up sites.� www.hughesandsalvidge.co.uk +44 (0)23 9275 3733

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0117 949 8800 www.warmworld.co.uk | 10 | ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

the complete demolition service E001

Survey Suggests Red Squirrel Numbers Were Stable in 2009 A survey conducted by the Red Squirrel Survival Trust (RSST), which measured public perceptions, indicated that red squirrel numbers may have remained stable over the past six months, and in some areas actually risen. This will please red squirrel enthusiasts, who have had to endure decades of stories of the relentless decline of this native species. Its results suggest that the doom and gloom may be overdone and that with the right support, reds are perfectly capable of fighting back.

In December 2009 RSST launched a new survey to monitor people’s perceptions of red and grey squirrel populations around the UK. It asked whether people felt that red and grey numbers in their area were increasing, decreasing, or showed no change. Respondents also indicated how abundant they considered their local red and grey populations to be.

The strongest perceptions of an increase in red squirrel numbers were found in South Cumbria, North East Scotland, the Isle of Wight and along the Sefton Coast in Lancashire. In South Cumbria there was even a perception that grey numbers had decreased, which would be good news for reds since grey squirrels are the primary reason for their decline.

The non-native greys threaten reds by out-competing them for food.

Greys also carry the squirrelpox virus, which is deadly to reds but to which greys are immune.

RSST’s survey results also clearly show that people only consider red squirrels sightings to be common in the grey-free areas of Northern Scotland and the Isle of Wight.

Correspondingly, where there was a perception of abundant grey squirrels, such as in South Scotland, this was accompanied by a worryingly low number of reds.

© R. L. Wolverton

vegetation blankets for roof, ground covering and greenwalls • • • • • • • • •

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE | 11 |

National Trust to cut fossil fuel use by 50% by 2020 Scotney Castle, Kent A biomass boiler was installed to replace the old oil-fired boiler at Scotney Castle in early 2009 as a low-carbon solution for heating the new visitor reception and tearoom.

Ross Wingfield, Head Warden said: “It runs by burning woodchip from sustainable Sweet Chestnut coppice, a process which is 95% carbon neutral. This means that of all the carbon dioxide produced while burning the woodchip, 95% is absorbed and used by the coppiced trees as they re-grow.”

To get the maximum benefit from a tree's ability to absorb carbon dioxide, it is necessary to harvest and recycle the carbon from young or coppiced trees, as young and growing trees absorb more carbon dioxide than a fully mature tree.

Last year the team at Scotney used wood from Sprivers, another nearby National Trust estate, but in 2010 they are coppicing Sweet Chestnut from Scotney’s own estate which will be used next winter.

Dunster Castle, Somerset The National Trust’s first renewable energy project on a Grade I listed building, Dunster Castle near Minehead was runner-up in the Micropower Awards 2008, thanks to its innovative solar panels which are hidden inside the castle battlements.

The 24 photovoltaic panels on the roof supply the daily equivalent of the energy consumed by two family homes and in sunny weather provide most of the castle’s daily electricity requirements. Saving almost 3,000 kg of CO2 a year, the carbon payback from the overall project is expected in four years.

The panels are part of a plan to turn Dunster into the greenest castle in Britain by saving energy across the property, as well as reducing water consumption, increasing recycling and promoting green transport.

| 12 | ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

2010

Generating your future: the world’s leading small wind event

Two days of seminars, educational sessions and networking opportunities will bring together the global small wind sector, with focus given to renewable energy policy, international markets, technology awareness, research and educational issues.

Core Sponsor

Day One Tuesday 27th April Session 1: ISWC2010 opening session Session 2: Policy and Government: Leadership and legislation Session 3: International markets Session 4: Industry / Planning / Consumer focus Evening: Social event @ venue: Come and join over 300 delegates, speakers, and exhibitors for food, drinks and excellent networking opportunities.

Glasgow 27–28 April 2010

Free Exhibition Come and Discover your own Small Wind Turbine!

50 companies active in the small-wind sector will exhibit their products and services to agricultural, commercial, industrial and domestic customers, as well as consumers, farmers and those interested in generating their own renewable energy.

Day Two Wednesday 28th April Session 1: Industry standards, testing, certification, and global collaboration Session 2: Technical zone 1 Session 3: Technical zone 2 Session 4: Manufacturers: The future of small wind technologies

Find out how the new feed-in tariffs could benefit you To register and for more information visit: www.iswc2010.com Organised by

Compostable plastics have a sweet ending Food packaging and other disposable plastic items could soon be composted at home along with organic waste thanks to a new sugar-based polymer.

The degradable polymer is made from sugars known as lignocellulosic biomass, which come from non-food crops such as fast-growing trees and grasses, or renewable biomass from agricultural or food waste.

It is being developed at Imperial College London by a team of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council scientists led by Dr Charlotte Williams.

The search for greener plastics, especially for single use items such as food packaging, is the subject of significant research worldwide. “It’s spurred on not only from an environmental perspective, but also for economic and supply reasons,” explains Dr Williams. | 14 |ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

“Our key breakthrough was in finding a way of using a non-food crop to form a polymer, as there are ethical issues around using food sources in this way,” said Williams. Current biorenewable* plastics use crops such as corn or sugar beet.

“For the plastic to be useful it had to be manufactured in large volumes, which was technically challenging. It took three-and-a-half years for us to hit a yield of around 80% in a low energy, low water use process,” explains Dr Williams.

This is significant as the leading biorenewable plastic, polylactide, is formed in a high energy process requiring large volumes of water. In addition, when it reaches the end of its life polylactide must be degraded in a hightemperature industrial facility.

In contrast, the oxygen-rich sugars in the new polymer allow it to absorb water and degrade to harmless products

New Zealand Company Completes Northern Hemisphere’s First Multi-Purpose Reef New Zealand company, Amalgamate Solutions and Research (ASR), the world leader in the design and construction of multi-purpose artificial reefs, has announced that it has completed Europe’s first artificial reef on the Boscombe shoreline, just outside of southern England’s coastal town of Bournemouth. The reef was engineered and constructed by ASR, who spearheads the movement towards environmentally sensitive coastal protection.

ASR was enlisted to help Bournemouth improve its surfing conditions in order to increase tourism, which is part of the town’s £11 million Boscombe Spa Village regeneration plan, but the new reef will provide a much more substantial benefit to the beach-side community. Mimicking nature, the artificial reef provides the same beach protection benefits as natural reefs – acting as a protective barrier to the coastline to help decrease sand erosion on beaches, as well as creating a new marine habitat.

“At ASR we’re passionate about multi-purpose reefs as the sustainable future of coastal protection. Our beaches are facing increasing direct and indirect threats from both humanity and the natural world, with issues like global warming and the rise of the sea level,” said Nick Behunin, Managing Partner, ASR. “While the initial investment to build a reef is often more than seawalls and rock jetties, the environmental and economic benefits of artificial reefs far exceed those of traditional methods – as beaches are protected without creating blight, marine habitat is enhanced, and beach communities get socio-economic benefits from increased recreational use.”

“The Boscombe Spa Village project is already producing a rise in tourism, even before the completion of the reef, re-establishing Boscombe to its rightful place as a leading destination beach resort. An affluent surfer market is attracted to the area and, as a result, jobs have been created, the seafront transformed, a new water sports facility created and a community revived. The reef is a perfect example of how an innovative free-to-use project can have such a positive ripple effect in an area,” said Roger Brown, Director of Leisure Services, Bournemouth Borough Council.

“While the reef will improve wave quality for surfers, it’s exciting to know that there are underwater benefits too, as sea life, including cuttlefish and spidercrabs, have already been making the artificial surf reef at Boscombe their home.” ©Imperial College London

– meaning it can be tossed on the home compost heap and used to feed the garden.

Because the new polymer can be made from cheap materials or waste products it also stacks up economically compared to petrochemical-based plastics.

The polymer has a wide range of properties, laying the field open for a larger number of applications other than biorenewable plastic packaging. Its degradable properties make it ideal for specialised medical applications such tissue regeneration, stitches and drug delivery. The polymer has been shown to be non-toxic to cells and decomposes in the body creating harmless by-products.

The compostable polymer was developed by (left to right) Professor Molly Stevens, Dr Min Tang and Dr Charlotte Williams at Imperial College London.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE | 15 |

Eco Expo Asia In November 2009, Environment Industry Magazine was proud to be the only UK publication to be invited to Eco Expo Asia in Hong Kong. The event had such an impact on us that in November 2010 we will be their official UK supporting media partners.

The growth of the Chinese economy has had a major impact on the environment but events like Eco Expo Asia show that there is a great environmental awareness amongst the Chinese people and a real understanding of the problems that have been caused due to such rapid development. Due to this there is a great voracity for the services of British environmental companies. There is little question that the UK has considerable environmental expertise and it is this expertise that is so sought after in China.

Eco Expo Asia is a fantastic event to showcase your products and services and is, without doubt, one of the most fulfilling events I have visited. The show itself was remarkably well organised, the organisers had provided us with translators and we were guided to the opening ceremony and assisted through any potentially difficult obstacles.

The show was opened by the Secretary for the Environment of the Government of the HKSAR, the Honourable Edward Yau, JP. In his opening speech, he remarked, “The growth of the Expo owes much to the heightened awareness of the well-being of the environment. Today’s event is a good example that green makes economic sense. There are tremendous business opportunities in going green. It is a demonstration that business can contribute to a better environment.”

The event was officially opened by the organisers, sponsors and honourable guests watering a hedge.

Eco Expo Asia played host to over 200 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions.

The international exhibitors, including a fair number from Britain, were aiming their services at the rapidly expanding Chinese markets. The British contingency was supported by the UKTI, who organised the UK stand and supported | 16 | ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

the exhibitors with advice, access to services and funding.

I was truly surprised by the technology and innovation being promoted by the Chinese exhibitors - one of my particular favourites was the Hong Kong Polytechnic University. The students on the exhibition stand were some of the most enthusiastic and inspired people I have ever met. They were first year engineering students presenting the final year students’ prototype projects along with their own concepts. Some of the ideas were ingenious, in particular a solar heated lunch box, an automatic umbrella drier and a device for keeping food warm with the heat used in cooking. Due to an obviously successful affiliation with Bunhoi Co Ltd the successful ideas can be quickly put into production.

Other exhibitors were promoting even more exciting and innovative products, such as dehumidifiers which provided fresh drinking water, air conditioning units incorporating heat exchangers to provide hot water, solar powered golf buggies and photovoltaic glass which can be used in curtain walls of high rise buildings making the entire building into a solar cell.

Without Eco Expo Asia, there would be no forum to present these developments to the rest of the world. With the theme, “Transforming the Pearl River Delta into a Green, Quality Living Area”, the event combined the exhibition with a conference which offered a fantastic line-up of speakers (which, where appropriate were translated into English).

The crowning glory of Eco Expo Asia is the location; Hong Kong is one of the most beautiful and exciting cities in the world. If you ever needed a better excuse to visit....

UK companies wishing to exhibit should contact Philomena Chen at UKTI in Manchester on +44 (0) 161 875 2328 or by email at Philomena.Chen@uktinorthwest.co.uk Further information about the event is available at http://ecoexpoasia.hktdc.com

Satellite Phone Lands Green Traveller in Endless Indian Terrorism Trial

Andy Pag (35, London), the green traveller attempting to drive around the world in a vegetable oil powered bus, is due to face trial in an Indian court after being arrested on suspicion of terrorism when police found he was in possession of a satellite phone.

Complex Indian anti-terror laws require satellite phone holders to obtain a permit, however there is no information on any Indian Government website*, or at ports of entry, warning foreign visitors about the laxly enforced rule. In a further twist, Pag’s lawyer, Prateek Kasliwal, has since discovered there appears to be no government department which actually issues permits for satellite phones.

“I’m very sorry and embarrassed I appear to have broken the rules. I had no idea. I’ve used this phone in over 30 countries and I’ve never been asked for a permit before.” said Pag who has already spent 3 days languishing in police cells and a further 4 days in the harsh prison of Ajmer, Northern India, while the Regional Police and three separate Indian anti-terror forces investigated his background.

“But I’m certainly not a threat to India’s national security and I think the police realised that very quickly last month. I only brought the sat phone because I was worried about kidnappings by terrorists in Pakistan. I haven’t used it at all in India.”

Pag’s arrest in Pushkar, Rajasthan on the 11th of January, was followed by 100 officers sweeping through the town searching for evidence of terrorist connections to the green adventurer, who has previously driven a chocolate-powered lorry to Timbuktu and organised the Grease to Greece rally for cars running on waste cooking oil scavenged from restaurants across Europe, to test the viability for sustainable fuels. The night time raid on his vegetable oil powered eco bus, by 10 armed officers lead by Indian Military Intelligence, came amidst heightened security for a visit by the Bangladeshi president to a nearby town 20 km away, and Pag is the first person ever to be charged under Indian law for possessing a satellite phone.

Terrorists used similar phones during the Mumbai shootings *Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of External Affairs, Indian High Commission in London, Indian High Commission in USA, Visit India,

a year ago, and the heavy handed approach may also be a reaction to earlier press criticism of local police after a known terrorist, David Coleman Headley, evaded capture

by Pushkar police twice. The investigating officer, Superintendent Tak has failed for the fourth time to submit charges against Pag in time for the court deadline, triggering another delay, citing a busy schedule policing local elections as the reason. Supt. Tak pointed out “There are more elections coming up.” hinting that the situation may again be delayed at the next court deadline, but sources close to the officer suggest the true reason is that police are waiting for local media interest to die down, lessening their embarrassment over the arrest.

Meanwhile Pag is held in limbo effectively forced to stay in the region, but with a non-renewable tourist visa that expired on the 22nd of February.

When the trial eventually does start, it’s likely to take several days and Pag, currently freed on bail, if convicted could be sentenced to more time in Ajmer prison where inmates sleep on cold stone floors and have limited access to hygiene facilities. “The thought of going back there is truly terrifying. I can’t believe that a Judge would rule prison is a fair punishment for the easy-to-make bureaucratic mistake I appear to have made, but until the police finish their investigation the trial can’t start and I’m trapped in this catch-22.”

Pag, whose full name is Andrea Pagnacco and has dual British and Italian nationality, has so far powered his round the world journey 16,500km with sustainable fuels, like used cooking oil and biofuels made from waste vegetable oils sourced along the route. Regardless of the trial outcome, the rest of the trip is now in jeopardy as court and legal costs have significantly dented his travel budget, making it unlikely he will be able to afford to complete the global journey. Pag Said “The trip was going so well until this happened, it’s heartbreaking to be dealt such a blow over something so unexpected. I just wish it would get sorted out quickly and reasonably.”

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE | 17 |

The Sustainable City Awards 2009 The great and good of the green world gathered on the 18th February at Mansion House for the City of London Corporation’s annual Sustainable City Awards. Winners ranged from Britain’s first organic gastropub and a zoo combating CO2 emissions, to innovative climate change initiatives by multi-national corporations.

Simon Mills City of London Corporation Head of Sustainable Development

Dubbed the ‘Green Oscars’, this year’s winning projects reflect how the business community’s ambitions have grown since the award scheme began in 2001, as early gestures towards more sustainable practices have been replaced by all encompassing climate change initiatives that overhaul traditional business models. Despite UK businesses experiencing one of the most challenging of years in 2009, the high calibre of nominees is further evidence that the environmental and financial benefits of sustainable business practice have remained high on the business agenda.

Simon Mills, Head of Sustainability at the City of London Corporation, said: “It makes business sense to go green, and the range of sectors represented by our winners this year shows how this spirit is being embraced unilaterally. Sustainable business practice is no longer a niche, but a mainstay movement across the whole spectrum of the business community. Whether it’s an international bank or small start-up, businesses want to do their bit towards the one common goal.”

Hosted by David Kennedy, the Chief Executive of the UK’s Committee on Climate Change, the 12 category winners were chosen by a judging panel consisting of environmental and sustainable experts, including the Rt Hon. John Gummer, MP, Conservative MP for Suffolk Coastal, Samantha Heath, CEO of London Sustainability Exchange, and Penny Shepherd MBE, CEO of UK Social Investment Forum.

Mansion House - Aerial View

David Kennedy said: “It’s crucial we recognise the lengths many businesses are going to in their efforts to combat climate change and reduce their carbon footprint. They’re setting an example that others are evidently following, as applications and interest in the awards grow year on year, and the scale of businesses’ sustainable practice continues to exceed precedents.”

The highly respected RSA-accredited awards are staged by the authority for the Square Mile financial district and have grown to become the most prestigious sustainability awards in the UK since their launch 9 years ago. The Sustainable City Awards are run in partnership with 20 organisations including livery companies, trade bodies, voluntary sector organisations and businesses, with representatives from each joining the judging panel to select winners and runners-up across the award categories.

The awards are part of a feeder scheme for the European Business Awards for the Environment, which means the winners have the chance of international recognition for their efforts.

L-R Claire Stevens David Kennedy Magda Cieslak William Swan - Paper Round | 18 |ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Sustainable City Award Category

Winner

Access to Goods and Services for Disadvantaged Communities

Roots & Shoots

In association with the Worshipful Company of Patten Makers

Sustainable Buildings In association with the BRE and the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors

Environmental Management of SMEs In association with the London Sustainability Exchange and the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners

Awarded for their environmental education programme on issues such as sustainable food production and biodiversity within local communities in Lambeth and Southwark.

John Thompson & Partners A practice of architects and urbanists recognised for the green refurbishment of their office space in Islington, including natural ventilation, low flush toilets and work surfaces made from plastic derived from yoghurt pots.

Paper Round Managing the recycling for 3,700 London offices, this small business encourages green action amongst its workforce. On site showers and a bike lock-up encourage staff to cycle to work, and Energy Saving Trust “Smarter Driving” courses are compulsory for its truck drivers.

Newquay Zoo Adapting to and Mitigating Climate Change In association with Pure, the Clean Planet Trust, and the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers

A Thermal Imaging Report of every building on the Zoo site has supported a programme to insulate or rebuild the worst offending buildings that waste energy in the complex. An Eco Map and Plan is in place for every area of the zoo, with energy reduction targets.

Eastit Traffic Reduction & Transport Management In association with the Campaign for Better Transport and the Worshipful Company of Carmen (UK wide)

Created a number of networking partnerships representing over 115,000 employees in the South East to ease congestion and tackle commuting transport issues, ranging from a bespoke car share website to shuttle buses carrying an average of 2,000 workers each week.

Café Direct Sustainable Procurement In association with London Remade

Café Direct’s entry concerned ‘Adaptation for Smallholders to Climate Change’, a 3 year public private partnership that supports small scale coffee and tea farmers in four countries to adapt to the effects of climate change that are already affecting them.

Duke of Cambridge Sustainable Food

Britain’s first organic gastropub keeps food miles as low as possible with 80% of fresh produce sourced from the Home Counties and a seasonal menu.

Land Securities Responsible Waste Management

Awarded for their mandatory carbon-offset programme for energy usage associated with common parts of the shopping centres the company owns, including lighting, car parks and ventilation.

Jones Lang Lasalle Sustainable Finance

Launched the industry’s first portfolio-level sustainability risk mapping service (The Third Dimension), which reinvents traditional property investment decision making by enabling investors to compare forecast risk and total return with sustainability. Over £30billion worth of assets are signed up to this service.

Société Generale The Farsight Award

Awarded for research conducted by the international financial services provider examining the immense opportunities available to investors in the field of sustainable goods and services - from green cars to renewable energy and waste disposal.

Green Tomatoes Sustainable City Award Trophy

Sustain Magazine’s Award for Leadership in Sustainability

The first private hire company in the UK to exclusively use low emission vehicles in its fleet, the business also installed telematics in all of its vehicles enabling sophisticated assessment of driver performance, and a ride-sharing option to improve operational efficiency while reducing fares for customers.

Land Securities Awarded for their mandatory carbon-offset programme for energy usage associated with common parts of the shopping centres the company owns, including lighting, car parks and ventilation.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE | 19 |

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The Government has recently published a 15 year strategy to deliver world class marine science which will inform decisions on food and energy security, managing the seas sustainably and climate change.

By co-ordinating marine science across Government, devolved administrations and agencies, the UK will become a world leader in marine environment science and expertise. The new strategy, a recommendation from the House of Commons Select Committee Report “Investigating the Oceans”, has been developed in partnership with the devolved administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and with significant input from organisations and individuals with marine science interests. It provides a direction for future marine science by identifying three high level priority areas: understanding how the marine ecosystem functions, responding to climate change and its interaction with the marine environment and sustaining and increasing ecosystem benefits.

Cauldron Foods celebrates a fourth year at the heart of vegetarianism as headline sponsor of National Vegetarian Week 2010, 24 - 30 May. During National Vegetarian Week Cauldron will be sharing their recipe know-how with consumers, sponsoring Cauldron Local Hero Awards and appearing on point of sale materials. Visit www.nationalvegetarianweek.org or call 0161 925 2000 for free Vegetarian Society and Cauldron Foods recipes, meal plans and information on how you can love the food you eat.

SKM Enviros is the new name for the combined expertise of Sinclair Knight Merz (SKM) – a global engineering, sciences and project delivery firm – and Enviros Consulting – an environmental, sustainability and health and safety consultancy.

The launch of the new SKM Enviros business follows the acquisition of Enviros by SKM from Carillion plc in October 2009.In a resource-efficient, low carbon economy, SKM Enviros’ aim is to lead debate, influence policy and shape development to achieve outstanding client success in a more sustainable way.

Almost 70% of British diners think that restaurants aren’t doing enough to tackle social and environmental issues with a similar number saying that they are more likely to go to a restaurant that was, according to a survey carried out by the Sustainable Restaurant Association (SRA). The survey results combined with feedback suggests that much more needs to be done to meet consumer demand for ethical eating. Launching on 28th February 2010 at Hotelympia, the SRA is a not-for-profit organisation focussed on helping UK restaurants to become global leaders in sustainability. As well as practical advice and guidance, it will provide a voice for the industry via national campaigns, and assist restaurants in enhancing both their reputation with customers and ultimately the bottom line.

Quantitech instruments chosen for new multi-agency air quality unit Environmental instrumentation company Quantitech has been awarded a contract, worth in excess of £1million, to provide advanced air sampling and analysis equipment to the multi-agency air quality cell that has been established following the recommendations of the Major Incident Investigation Board for the Buncefield incident.

The project was created to develop an air monitoring and modelling capability for major pollution incidents affecting England and Wales. Participants include the Environment Agency, the Health Protection Agency, Public Health Wales, the Met Office, the Health and Safety Laboratory, the Food Standards Agency and Local Authorities.

Portable monitoring equipment is vital to the success of the project because of the rapid response times that have been established by the project. The Emergency Services will notify the Environment Agency within 30 minutes of a major pollution incident and the Environment Agency will then convene the Air Quality Cell (AQC).

CHEMET air modelling information from the Met Office will be available within 20 minutes with more detailed modelling provided later.

The Environment Agency will mobilise monitoring teams from one or more of eight locations and monitoring data will be provided to the AQC within 2 to 6 hours of the incident.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Groundwater Remediation - Special Challenges to Protect Vital Source Groundwater makes up almost 70% of the world’s freshwater. This vital resource must be preserved for future generations and where necessary remediated. On Thursday, 25th March 2010, an all-day conference in London will address the challenges, practicalities and aspirations of this important area.

Organised by Brownfield Briefing, the Special Challenges to Groundwater Remediation Conference will provide both an examination of technologies and remediation approaches currently employed and emerging in the UK, and a look at the current and forthcoming regulatory drivers. Prestigious speakers will investigate the legislative and policy changes along with the practicalities and latest technologies.

The conference will be as valuable to the new engineer moving into this expanding sector as it will to the seasoned professional wishing to keep abreast of developments. It will be attended by consultants, contractors, regulators and local authorities, environmental scientists, lawyers; and problem holders and end users.

Conference presentations will cover:  What Legislation Drives UK Groundwater Remediation, Present and Future?  Groundwater and Conceptual Site Models  Groundwater quality - Legislative & Policy Changes  Risk Assessment: Challenges and Emerging Issues  Remediation in Systems of Varying Permeability

Boart Longyear E&I Drilling Division’s head office and main depot have moved to larger premises. Their new building and yard has been extensively refurbished and modified by themselves to provide them with a tailored building which meets their requirements including office space, meeting room, workshop and storage space. This move was required as they had out grown their previous site whilst the new site will enable them to expand further and continue to provide a quality service to their Clients.

Boart Longyear are also pleased to announce that they now have the ability in house to calibrate their own Standard Penetration Test Hammers in accordance with Eurocode 7.

New contact details for Boart Longyear E&I Drilling Division are; Boart Longyear, Unit D, Greenfield Complex, Greenfield Street, Alloa, FK10 2AL Tel: 01259 727780 Fax: 01259 727781 Email: sonicdrilling@boartlongyear.com

 How Subsurface Conditions Affect the Performance of Groundwater Remediation  Validation and Rebound Case Study: Tracing to a Successful Chalk Remediation  Technologies: What is Really Being Used Out There?  International Perspectives Speakers include:  Jeremy Birnstingl, Managing Director, Regenesis  Alistair Kean, Director, IKM Consulting Ltd  Judith Nathanail, Company Secretary, Land Quality Management  Tony Marsland, Policy Manager, Groundwater Quality & Protection, EA  Mike Rivett, Lecturer in Earth Sciences, University of Birmingham  Mike Quint, Associate Director, Arup  Mark Stevenson, Service Line Leader, Process Remediation ,URS  Dr. Genevieve Boshoff, Associate, Sirius  Nicky Robinson, Principal Hydrogeologist, Atkins Limited  Thomas Grosjean, Technology Specialist, BP  Cecilia McLeod, Technical Director, Arcadis

Three months on from the devastating Cumbria floods, the Environment Agency has announced plans to double the number of homes and businesses that receive free flood warnings. The organisation has started to issue flood warnings to an extra half a million properties with a landline at risk of river and sea flooding. The Environment Agency is sending letters out next week to all homes and businesses which are to be signed up.

Subscribers can choose to opt out of the service but the Environment Agency is urging everyone to check its website for more information about preparing for the risk of flooding.

The Environment Agency and Natural England have become the first regulators to be given new civil powers that will give them greater flexibility to enforce environmental law. The range of new civil powers will increase the options available to regulators and include fixed and variable monetary penalties and compliance notices. The sanctions will provide an alternative to criminal prosecutions for regulators which is more proportionate and reflects the fact that the majority of non-compliance by businesses is unintentional.

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New survey shows England's green energy hot spots More people are turning to biomass as fuel according to a new survey from the Forestry Commission England.

The Forestry Commission is supporting the use of biomass through its woodfuel strategy, which aims to develop this growing market.

The survey has identified almost 2,000 biomass heat boilers in England - an increase of 455 from 2008.

The Yorkshire and Humber region has the most biomass heat boilers in England, with 290 installations out of the 1960 identified. This region's boilers are also some of the most powerful in the country, capable of generating 25% of England's biomass boiler heat.

Angela Duignan, the Commission’s Head of Woodfuel Implementation, said: “More businesses and communities are choosing biomass as source of heat.

Locally-grown woodfuel is a low carbon alternative to fossil fuels and will help the environment locally, by improving Waste management firm Veolia Environmental Services has been appointed successful bidder for the waste, recycling and street cleansing contract

by Westminster City Council. The deal will see more than 650 staff working around the clock 365 days a year keeping Westminster clean, with waste and recycling collections being carried out by a fleet of environmentally friendly rubbish trucks. The new contract also aims to substantially increase recycling rates despite the challenges posed by Westminster being one of the most densely built and populated areas of the country, and will also cover gritting during snowy conditions for up to 14 years.

The Local Environmental Quality Survey England (LEQSE), funded by Defra, showed that in the last year the number of sites where non-alcoholic drinks cans and bottles were found was down from 57% of areas surveyed to 51%, with small decreases in the number of sites with cigarette ends, fast food litter, broken glass and discarded food. However, there was a slight increase in the number of sites where dog mess was found and increases in the amount of graffiti and plastic bags. Keep Britain Tidy carries out the survey to assess the cleanliness of our streets, parks and other areas. 12,000 sites were surveyed in 54 local council areas to show the prevalence of different forms of litter in our open spaces. The information is used by local authorities to see how they are performing against the national average and to get an overall picture of how clean or dirty the country is.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

wildlife through woodland management, and globally, through cutting carbon emissions.”

She said that England had more than one million hectares of woodland and forest but 60% were currently undermanaged. By managing these areas for woodfuel production, landowners could generate an income and improve biodiversity.

The Commission has a team of regional woodfuel coordinators who are supporting the supply chain, from woodland owners, foresters, hauliers and fuel suppliers.

They can also advise on the range of grants available for woodland management through to boiler installation.

Angela added: “Woodfuel boilers are suitable for a whole range of larger, commercial and community buildings, and we want more people to consider this traditional fuel as a future energysource.

It is also providing a boost for the rural economy as jobs are being created, from foresters, hauliers, woodfuel suppliers and boiler installers.”

GMC Instrumentation are exhibiting their range of Test & Measurement and Power & Energy monitoring equipment from leading manufacturers - Camille Bauer, Elspec, Gossen Metrawatt and Hioki.

From Camille Bauer, they offer the most comprehensive range of power and energy transducers, able to monitor all AC system variables. Elspec produce the world’s most advanced digital fault recorders suitable for monitoring both national and local grid networks. Gossen Metrawatt's latest professional multimeters and calibrators offer accuracy levels and measurement features not found on other similar testers. Hioki's extensive range includes compact power quality analyser, suitable for facility managers or electrical engineers, a bench top power and energy analyzer for monitoring both AC and DC electrical systems, including the latest hybrid car battery systems. To complete the energy theme, Hioki offer electrical testers for monitoring energy consumption including standby power, in line with the new Energy-using Product Directive.

GMC Instrumentation are exhibiting at Sustainability Live - stand number AWM10.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

UK-SDA

The National Trust … a case study in cutting carbon emissions … and costs Steve Turner is the Managing Director of Lorien Engineering Solutions, and a member of the UK Sustainable Development Association. Lorien are experts in the design and management of environmental projects, and were recently awarded the RoSPA Order of Distinction for occupational health and safety for the third consecutive year.

In a landmark energy saving project, it is now one year on since Sudbury Hall in Derbyshire became one of the first National Trust historic houses to be powered by small-scale renewable energy through a green energy partnership with npower, that has enabled its annual carbon emissions to be substantially reduced.

Picture courtesy of Hoval Ltd

This has been achieved by the installation of a bio-mass wood pellet boiler, which has delivered a decrease in carbon emissions despite longer opening hours and a 50% increase in visitor numbers compared with the previous year. The benefits of the renewable energy system are felt right across the property, with boilers that are more easily controlled and enable cleaner and odour-free delivery of fuel.

The biomass boiler is part of a wider effort by Sudbury Hall to reduce its carbon footprint, including the use of compact fluorescent lamps across the property, watersaving devices in all flush systems, an experimental area of secondary glazing, draught exclusion in one domestic area of the property, and full recycling across the site.

April 2009, with CO2 emissions during the period (compared to oil) dropping from over 52 tonnes to under 12 tonnes, a decrease of over 80%. The work falls under the Green Energy Fund for Renewable Energy, which makes available a total of £950,000 to help deliver a programme of renewable energy projects across National Trust properties until July 2010. In addition to Sudbury Hall, the fund is designed to cover more than a dozen properties ranging from BorrowdaleBowe Barn in the north-west of England, through to the Stackpole Centre in south Wales.

National Trust Green Energy was launched in partnership with npower in September 2007. Through this partnership, a renewable energy tariff has been created based upon offshore wind and hydro-electric sources. When a customer signs up to National Trust Green Energy, npower makes a payment to the National Trust Green Energy Fund, which is invested in small scale renewable energy generation and other carbon saving projects at Trust sites. National Trust Green Energy customers also receive an energy saving tips booklet and money off products such as insulation and PV panels to encourage them to save energy and money in their own homes.

The Sudbury Hall project has also been supported by the Big Lottery Fund, who is funding a number of projects as part of the Bio-Energy Capital Grants Scheme.

As Europe’s biggest conservation organisation, looking

Since sustainable heating was installed at Sudbury Hall, over 20 National Trust properties, ranging from historic mansions to outdoor visitor centres, have benefited from the National Trust Green Energy Fund, established in partnership with npower. This programme has helped put in place a range of renewable energy technologies across Trust locations, including solar water heating systems, replacing oil powered heaters with biomass wood chip pellet boilers, and installing air and ground source heat pumps.

The carbon dioxide emission calculations that have been conducted at Sudbury show that 39.6 tonnes of wood pellets were used between November 2008 and Picture courtesy of Lorien Engineering Solutions ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Technology

Scale

Tariff level for new installations in period (p/kWh) [NB tariffs will be inflated annually] Year 1: 1/4/10 - Year 2: 1/4/11 31/3/11 31/3/12

Year 3: 1/4/12 31/3/13

Tariff lifetime (years)

Anaerobic digestion

≤500kW

11.5

11.5

11.5

20

Anaerobic digestion

>500kW

9.0

9.0

9.0

20

Hydro

≤15 kW

19.9

19.9

19.9

20

Hydro

>15-100 kW

17.8

17.8

17.8

20

Hydro

>100 kW-2 MW

11.0

11.0

11.0

20

Hydro

>2 MW-5 MW

4.5

4.5

4.5

20

MicroCHP pilot*

10*

10*

10*

10

36.1

36.1

33.0

25

PV

≤2 kW* ≤4 kW (new build**) ≤4 kW (retrofit**)

41.3

41.3

37.8

25

PV

>4-10 kW

36.1

36.1

33.0

25

PV

>10-100 kW

31.4

31.4

28.7

25

PV

>100kW-5MW

29.3

29.3

26.8

25

PV

Stand alone system**

29.3

29.3

26.8

25

Wind

≤1.5 kW

34.5

34.5

32.6

20

Wind

>1.5-15kW

26.7

26.7

25.5

20

Wind

>15-100kW

24.1

24.1

23.0

20

Wind

>100-500kW

18.8

18.8

18.8

20

Wind

>500kW-1.5MW

9.4

9.4

9.4

20

Wind

>1.5MW-5MW

4.5

4.5

4.5

20

9.0

9.0

9.0

to 2027

PV

Existing microgenerators transferred from the RO

after special places across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and with over 3.6 million members and 52,000 volunteers helping to look after 300 historic houses and gardens, 1,100 kilometres of coastline and 250,000 hectares of open countryside, the National Trust is well placed to make ongoing future financial and carbon footprint savings following the Government’s announcement of financial support to encourage investment in renewables.

From April 2010, anyone who generates electricity will be eligible to claim a Feed-in Tariff (FIT) from their energy supplier, in line with the recently announced rates (shown in the table above), with similar arrangements for heat generation anticipated through the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) due to be introduced next year.

Aimed at the general public as well as businesses, for organisations such as the National Trust with a large land and property portfolio, the combination of FITs and RHIs means that an investment strategy can be put together that will reduce energy and heating costs to zero, and produce an income to supplement other

operational costs. Alongside the biomass boiler technology already installed at Sudbury Hall, other renewable technologies likely to feature in such a strategy include all those listed in the above table, plus farm-scale biomass heat and power, and ground and air source heat pumps.

For other organisations and individuals, similar opportunities to put in place financial models that reduce both carbon footprint and energy costs also arise, with schemes such as the Carbon Trust’s 0% loans (to those meeting qualifying criteria) making funding of the initial capital costs equally affordable.

For the National Trust, other considerations such as the impact of renewables technologies on the fabric of historic buildings and landscapes also needs to be taken fully into account, but should not normally give rise to insurmountable problems. And as the very successful Sudbury Hall project has shown, a sensible start can always be made with “hidden” but highly effective technologies such as modern biomass boilers. 

For further information visit www.uk-sda.org ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Woodfuel, such as these chips, can not only generate business and employment opportunities, but can also improve the bottom line and fuel security for businesses that use it, while contributing to carbon emissions abatement.

Forests to the fore These are exciting times to be involved in forestry- that much has become very clear to me since I became Chair of the Forestry Commission in January.

From local to global levels, there is growing recognition that sustainable, well-managed trees, woods and forests are very relevant to all of us, whether as individuals or participants in business and industry.

Not least among their many benefits is the fact that, globally, forests hold one of the most cost-effective keys to preventing dangerous climate change, as well as helping society to cope with the degree of change that is now inevitable.

As climate change advances, forests offer opportunities for business to help save the planet while boosting the bottom line, writes Pam Warhurst, Chair of the Forestry Commission

This gained formal expression at the global level in December at the Copenhagen climate change summit, when a number of key countries committed $3.5 billion of initial funding to reduce and reverse deforestation in developing countries. Lord Stern had recognised it in 2006 when he reported that halting and reversing deforestation could be one the most cost-effective ways of combatting climate change. Then Professor Sir David Read’s scientific panel endorsed tree planting as a comparatively cheap way to abate Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHGs), in the Read Report on UK forests and climate change in November.

Deforestation – the permanent removal of forests – causes an estimated 18% all GHGs, making it the second biggest single source. If deforestation rates are not significantly reduced soon, the goal of a maximum 2oC temperature rise will not be reached.

So climate change is a serious threat, but with threats come opportunities, not least for business. The opportunities flow from the fact that, alongside this emerging recognition

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of the solutions that the right trees in the right places can offer, is a parallel recognition that if we want to keep our remaining forests and restore those we’ve lost, we must make them worth more alive than dead. As foresters say, “the forest that pays is the forest that stays”, and climate change is throwing up new opportunities for forest-based prosperity, for using trees and woodland as business assets, and for boosting the Corporate and Social Responsibility (CSR) sides of company ledgers, often in ways that are not immediately obvious.

Timber is the obvious commercial output from forestry and it’s the ultimate low-carbon product. It’s also endlessly renewable, versatile, attractive, and environmentally friendly. Investment advisors are beginning to spot this, and have been tipping forestry and timber as smart long-term bets as the world moves towards a low-carbon economy.

Forest-based tourism, recreation and specialty food businesses, such as those dealing in venison, mushrooms and berries, are others. However, there are other opportunities.

‘Carbon forestry’ and carbon trading are among them, whereby individuals and organisations can ameliorate the effects of their carbon emissions by financing tree planting projects, at home or abroad, while also providing the other environmental benefits for which we value woodlands. In some cases the carbon sequestered by tree planting can be converted into cash income through carbon “offset” trading. Although woodland planting in the UK does not at present qualify for such trading, this does not mean it cannot affect the bottom line.

For example, scientists are predicting more flood events as the climate changes, and our Forest Research arm and others are researching the potential for using strategically sited woodland to reduce floods’ impact and severity. So

business owners whose sales, profits and insurance premiums have been hit by flooding in their office or factory can appreciate that a lack of woodland in the upstream catchment of the local river system might be a bottom-line issue for their business. It might even be something they could consider investing in as both a carbon forestry and a flood amelioration project.

Supporting this development, the Forestry Commission is establishing a Code of Good Practice for carbon forestry projects. This code and its processes for monitoring, reporting and verifying approved schemes will provide assurance to investors that they will deliver the carbon benefits claimed, and will comprise well-managed forests. The UK, Scottish and Welsh Assembly Governments all have aspirations to increase Britain’s woodland cover from its present 12% of the land area (compared with the European Union average of 37%). And carbon forestry financing holds the prospect that we can achieve more woodland planting through investment from the private sector.

Scientists are also telling us that climate change will lead to hotter summers, increasing the costs and carbon emissions from air conditioning as we seek to maintain offices and factories at a comfortable temperature. Again, trees can be part of the solution. There is good evidence that judiciously sited trees can play a significant role in cooling buildings and streetscapes in our towns and cities, with benefits to power bills, property values, carbon emissions and wildlife.

The benefits of urban trees don’t stop there. A growing body of evidence highlights the health benefits of urban greenspace, including woodland. It indicates that people with good access to such areas enjoy better physical and  ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

When deployed in long-term uses such as construction, timber can store carbon long after the tree has been harvested, while more trees can be planted to lock up even more carbon.

It is also being tipped as a good long-term investment as the world moves towards a low-carbon economy.

mental health deriving from trees’ and greenspaces’ ability to filter pollution, muffle noise, oxygenate the air, cool hot spaces and provide opportunities for exercise. The financial benefits for business can be measured in reduced sick leave costs, and the easier staff recruitment and higher property values that flow from an attractive environment.

The Forestry Commission is working with local authorities and a range of partners across Britain to bring these benefits of trees and woodland to urban populations through programmes such as the Community Forests and Newlands in England, Woodlands In & Around Towns in Scotland, and Tir Coed in Wales.

Forest land, of which there is about 3 million hectares in the UK, also offers opportunities to make a return from renewable energy generation. The Forestry Commission has been an early leader in exploring these opportunities, and is developing wind farms, hydro-electric schemes and wood-fuelled energy generation projects on the land it manages, in partnership with the private sector. These are real opportunities for business.

Organisations of any sort can engage with forests, for good or ill, without even knowing it. Purchasing decisions, in particular, can help to conserve or destroy forests, and mitigate or aggravate climate change. Choice of building materials is one – timber processing uses less energy and emits less carbon than concrete, brick and steel production. Replacing one cubic metre of concrete or red brick with one of sustainably produced timber can save about a tonne of carbon emissions. Timber-frame buildings can be built faster than others, and can compete on cost.

And when deployed in long-term uses such as buildings, wood can continue to lock up the carbon long after the tree has been harvested, while we plant another tree to take its place and lock up even more carbon.

Choice of fuel is another. Wood from sustainable forests can be a low-carbon fuel for heat and power generation that can compete on price and performance with oil, coal and gas. In some circumstances the financial savings can be significant, and the Forestry Commission and its partners are making good progress in developing the woodfuel industry in Britain. The Read Report estimated that woodENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

fuel has the potential to save about 7 million tonnes of CO2 emissions a year within the next five years. Into the bargain it is generating new business and jobs and adding a welcome income stream to forest owners’ businesses, often in rural communities with fragile economies.

Purchasing decisions can also engage with forestry in ways that make things worse, as in the case of buying materials that originate from deforested land. These could include timber flooring produced from illegal and unsustainable logging, meat reared on ranches created by clearing rainforests, or soaps, cosmetics and foodstuffs containing palm oil grown in plantations for which forests were destroyed.

It might, then, be instructive to imagine where our businesses will be in 20 years’ time. By then, I believe, energy costs will have soared, and enlightened organisations will have a competitive edge in an increasingly low-carbon economy, when the public will expect commerce and Government to be conducted in ways that generate the lowest possible Greenhouse Gas Emissions.

In this context, more and more companies are reporting their annual business in terms of CSR achievements as well as financial ones as public concern about environmental and ethical issues increases. Those that source materials from land that has recently been deforested are coming under increasing scrutiny and risk losing business from aware customers. Already there have been some high-profile cases where major loan finance has been withdrawn or large corporate customers have stopped buying from primary suppliers who cause deforestation.

The far-sighted business that wants to build long-term, sustainable prosperity on customer trust, ethical corporate behaviour and environmental responsibility looks for opportunities to put these values into practice.

I would encourage them to consider whether some positive engagement with trees, woods and forests could be among those opportunities.  For further information, visit www.forestry.gov.uk

ILLEGAL LOGGING IN THE TROPICS Sheam Satkuru-Granzella Director, Malaysian Timber Council Illegal logging, more so in the tropics, has been a priority environmental and political agenda item since the 1990s into the turn of the century, and rightly so. Following intense pressure from a multitude of interest groups, never before have we seen such strength in interest, political commitment and a real desire for change in the tropical regions around the world.

widely embraced by several countries, has in recent years evolved, with natural forest management gradually shifting away from the emphasis on timber production to a balance between timber production encompassing environmental and social sustainability. This is still work in progress, the lack of technical, funding and human resources lying at the root of the slow uptake.

A decade into the 21st century has seen significant progress in the tropics with laudable achievements. Asia and Latin America saw pockets of independent third party certification of forests towards the end of the 1990s and parts of Africa have seen the very same developments during the past decade. 18 years of intensive work since the Rio Summit of 1992 has, however, resulted in only approximately 8% of the world’s forests being independently certified, despite the lack of promised funds and tropical forests currently supply less than 1% of this total in terms of global roundwood.

Reality has also shown that the implementation of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) has the potential of reducing wood supply from the tropics by as much as 20 – 60% due to the introduction of sustainable harvesting practices, simultaneously increasing production costs by 5% - 25%. Global projections on wood consumption indicate increased consumption in select regions, demand for which will not be met by production from sustainably managed forests.

The concept of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM),

Deforestation remains a cause for concern in some countries but tarring all tropical countries with the same accusation risks making a mockery of the achievements  ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

in efforts towards balancing conservation and sustainable use.

Conserving tropical forests as the lungs of the earth is of course the idealogical solution to partly address climate change concerns, but what of the lost revenue and employment for the host forest conservation countries? Would it be the intention to provide alternative employment and revenue to those displaced by such moves? And who will provide it?

Potential abounds, but commitment is scarce.

Several measures at the international and national level have seen public awareness on climate change and the role of tropical forests increase at alarming rates, with the expectation that tropical forests bear the onus of curing the ills of climate change. This would be too much of an expectation for developing countries to shoulder if the whole concept favours conservation over and above a country’s sovereign rights to develop and alleviate poverty, which is the main cause of deforestation and forest degradation in the tropics.

It is time that the focus on illegal logging rightly evolves to legal logging and emphasis increased on providing encouragement and rewards for countries who have invested in implementing change within their own constituencies in order to meet international demands.

Timber consumption in Europe, or at least in the 6 major timber importing EU member states, is governed by public procurement policies that demand the supply of independently certified timber. Although the two existing international timber certification schemes are generally equally accepted, some of these member states, the thousands of local authorities ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

in Europe and the majority of the private sector display a strong preference for one out of the two schemes, purely due to fear of ENGO reprisal at choosing the other. Several major projects also choose to specify one over the other, frequently quoting that ‘negative publicity’ due to the ‘high profile’ status of the project is something one can ill-afford. The question is, whatever negative publicity is generated, it is always in favour of one to the cost of the other but to what end? To prove superiority? Even when the preferred scheme is unable to supply sufficient quantities of certified timber?

Aggravated further by those who demand perceived perfection refusing to pay the price that certified timber rightly commands?

Resulting in certified timber being sold as uncertified timber, alongside other uncertified resources? Was this the intended counterproductive outcome that we all strived for?

The call for double certification is resulting in the total area of forest certification currently stagnating, as resources are being spent chasing dual certification rather than being invested in new potential areas to be certified.

Timber remains by far the most aesthetically beautiful, environmentally friendly and perhaps the most sustainable material available to mankind when compared to other materials.

All the restrictions placed on the use of timber for ideological or romantic reasons, even if partly justified, runs the risk of timber losing even further market share to other materials, at a cost to our environment and benefits timber’s competitors. Tropical timber producing countries, all of whom are developing countries, need far more encouragement than is currently available to pursue SFM and/or conservation.

Malaysian Timber Council, 24 Old Queen Street, London SW1H 9HP Tel: 020 7222 8188 Fax: 020 7222 8884 E-mail: council@mtc.co.uk

Blocking market access to legally sourced or uncertified timber materials from the tropics may make developed countries feel they are making a difference, but this will only last as long as those forest resources are not being pressured by a more economically viable alternative than standing stock, which does not sufficiently contribute to the country’s economy. Placing varying requirements and raising the bar to unachievable limits will only retract current momentum.

One way of effectively reducing pressure on natural forests is the establishment of forest plantations (afforestation) through which future supply of wood resources can be increased. Provided this is not done at the cost of natural forests, it should be supported and accepted as a viable way forward. The more efficient use of forest resources is already strengthening its hold, and the issue of forest ‘conversion’ (again, only applicable to very select tropical countries) needs to be examined in proper context, taking into consideration a country’s sovereign rights over its land use and more importantly, without discounting the workability of sustainable forest management worldwide in the long run.

Malaysia for one has 57% natural forest cover and approximately 16% of plantation cover, almost 74% total tree cover. The International Tropical Timber organisation heralds Malaysia as ‘the most developed’ tropical timber producing country in terms of SFM and forest certification. The timber industry is valued at US$6 billion and contributes over 4% towards the country’s GDP (www.mtc.com.my). The Malaysian Timber Certification System has been operational since 2000, has been accepted at ‘sustainable’ status by several authorities and was PEFC-endorsed in May 2009 (www.mtcc.com.my). Yet, several challenges remain for Malaysia. What of the others? 

MTC represents the interests of the Malaysian Timber Industry in international markets and is able to assist specifiers, end users and importers to obtain technical information and to source Malaysian hardwoods and timber products.

MALAYSIA: NATURAL BEAUTY, DURABILITY, RELIABILITY. MTCS-certified and PEFC –endorsed suppliers available ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Sustainable Wood: The New Solution to Climate Change Paul Clegg, Chief Executive Officer of Accsys Technologies PLC. The future is wood as it reduces carbon dioxide and increases carbon sinks at the same time. However, to sustain a clean and green environment in the long term, using wood is not enough. The key is to use sustainable wood that guarantees a low carbon footprint resulting in minimal impact on environmental damage. Paul Clegg, Chief Executive Officer of Accsys Technologies PLC, reports.

Sustainable Wood

With climate change a growing threat to our environment, low carbon yet high performance materials based on renewable resources are high on the agenda.

Charles Trevor, Chairman of The Wood Technology Society, comments on the changing wood industry: “With fibre from certified forests likely to become scarcer in future, Accoya® is set to become an important alternative material

Reducing carbon sources as well as increasing carbon sinks is equally important to lessen carbon dioxide in the air, according to the Kyoto Protocol, and one of the perfect ways to achieve both is to increase the use of wood.

Using wood offers a simple way to reduce the carbon dioxide emissions that are the main source of climate change, through the carbon sink effect of the forests, the carbon storage effect of wood products and the substitution for non-renewable, carbon-intensive, synthetic materials such as metals, plastics and concrete.

The Future is Wood The possibilities wood offers can be seen wherever we look: as sturdy decks or decorative trims, winter fuel or stylish furniture, musical instruments or industrial structures, window frames or walking sticks. Wood is a material that is both aesthetically appealing and endlessly practical. It is also our only naturally renewable construction resource.

Britain now uses a large amount of timber, paper, boards and other wood products each year, equivalent to about 50 million cubic metres. Around 85% of this has to be imported at a cost of about £8 billion.

The volume of wood supplied from Britain's forests each year has more than doubled from 4 million cubic metres in the 1970s to nearly 9 million now. This will increase to 15 million cubic metres by 2020, offering scope for further substantial investment in the processing industry, according to The Forestry Commission.

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However, using wood is not enough to mitigate climate change, say industry experts.

The use of wood products from sustainably managed sources can help to reduce our carbon footprint in the long term and contribute to a sustainable future for the next generation.

~ Bespoke Joinery and Stairs ~ Sliding and Folding door systems ~ BFRC Energy Rated windows

www.westgatejoinery.co.uk 01273 814555

for a number of end uses such as decking, windows, doors, fascia boards and soffits. Accoya® could well prove to be the answer to the problem of how to specify timber from a certified source that will perform even to the most exacting specifications.” .....for the Future

“The moral imperative to make big changes is inescapable...that what we take for granted may not be here for our children” Al Gore, 45th Vice President of the United States, from his climate change film 'An Inconvenient Truth' (2006).

Against a backdrop of growing concern about the environmental impacts of the things we do and the materials we use, the popularity of wood - a versatile, beautiful material that's easy to use and to live with - is set to increase. It's not just good looks and charm that will ensure that wood plays a leading role in our future, but a number of other factors, too: • Wood is a non-toxic, recyclable raw material • Wood is light yet strong and easily worked • Wood offers good sound absorption properties • Wood can be used as a biofuel at the end of its product life • Wood is our only truly sustainable resource for construction • Wood is a natural insulator and, as such, reduces energy used for heating • Wood reduces the effect of global warming as trees and wood products act as carbon sinks • Wood is sustainable and healthy: every cubic metre used saves 0.8 tonnes of CO2 Using sustainably grown wood and improving its properties without adding toxins helps to protect threatened species, rainforests and the environment.

There is currently a heavy focus on forests and wood products as they can act as a potential carbon sink to

mitigate climate change and substitute carbon intensive non-renewable materials.

Camco (a world leading environmental consultancy) assessed the carbon footprint of sustainable wood products based on a cradle to gate scenario, i.e. cubic metres of material leaving the factory gate. Translation of the cradle to gate results of the study (cradle till grave) to applications such as window frames and bridges, reveals that sustainable wood products score significantly better in terms of greenhouse gas emissions / year than metals (steel, aluminium), plastics (PVC), unsustainably sourced timber and concrete, and are competitive with sustainably sourced (certified) timber.

In a carbon footprint assessment, the greenhouse gas emissions, causing global warming, can be measured over the life cycle of a product or material.

However, the annual yield of renewable materials is not included in the carbon footprint assessment. This provides an important additional environmental credential since fast growing softwood species such as Radiata Pine are primarily used. Radiata Pine even outperforms giant bamboo – known to grow incredibly fast – in terms of annual yield. This means that there is an ample supply of timber from certified sources for the production of sustainable wood products to replace scarcely available certified tropical hardwood in demanding exterior applications.

A key example of sustainable wood products would be Accoya® wood, the world’s leading high technology wood licensed and produced by Accsys Technologies PLC (“Accsys”). Accsys is a UK incorporated environmental science and technology company which has been voted as a ‘sustainable’ company’ in various industry awards and prizes. The environmental performance of Accoya will continuously be assessed and there will be of a fully peer reviewed ISO 14040/44 compliant Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study by Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, one of the world’s leading science institutes. For further information, visit www.accoya.com

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NO WASTED OPPORTUNITY As organisations across all sectors fall under increasing pressure to reduce their carbon footprint, against a backdrop of rising energy costs, there is a growing interest in the potential for onsite power production using a range of biomass fuels. Here Stuart Howarth, Wood Supply Director of energy and utilities management company Dalkia, explains why, for many organisations, this is becoming a very viable alternative.

Many power plants that provide demand side energy directly to site have until recently been fuelled by piped gas. As the spark gap between gas and electricity prices becomes wider, combined heat and power (CHP) is a very attractive option for an increasing number of organisations.

Now advances in technology are incorporating biofuels, opening up this energy efficient, low carbon and environmentally responsible form of energy generation to a wider audience.

Fuel from waste materials is available not only as a gas, but in a number of forms. By recognising the potential to use biofuels to generate power for a variety of applications, organisations across all industry sectors can look to save on costs and minimise their environmental impact, contributing to their CSR agenda too. Combining the potential of biomass with CHP technology represents a very efficient and immediate approach to the long-term reduction of an organisation’s energy costs inline with its environmental policies.

Over the past two years there has been an upsurge in interest surrounding cogeneration because of CSR awareness, the increasing need for organisations to reduce their carbon footprint, and escalating fossil fuel costs.

CHP plants, previously powered by fossil fuels as a more efficient on-site method of power generation, have evolved to burn more environmentally viable forms of fuel to the same effect. 1kg of wood produces about 1kw of electricity, with insignificant amounts of this power being lost in transmission.

perform in an environmentally responsible manner. As a result, CHP has evolved to generate heat and power onsite, not only from biogas created through anaerobic digestion (AD), but also from landfill gas, bioliquid and biomass too.

Bio-fed CHP plants are often fuelled by natural gas because it is clean, consistent in quality and normally cheaper than the alternatives. However, a CHP plant can also operate widely on natural gas, biogas, landfill gas, liquid gas, propane, diesel and bio diesel.

Dalkia is currently pioneering the use of life-expired wood as a biomass fuel source for CHP energy production.

Typically a bio-fed CHP operates with wood fired boilers generating steam, which drives turbines that generate electricity. This can then be distributed across a site via a local electricity network. Because of the cogeneration aspect of any CHP, heat is also produced and, unlike in standard energy generation, it is captured for use as hot water across the site too.

Work has now started on a new ÂŁ40m CHP bio energy centre at Chilton in Co. Durham where around 120,000 tonnes of locally sourced life-expired wood per year will be processed onsite as a carbon neutral fuel. Once built, the new plant, will be operated and maintained by Dalkia and will generate 18MWe of renewable electricity, supplying green electricity to 20,000 homes and saving 115,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

There is also rising interest in using on-site fuels derived from process by-products and waste, such as biogas produced from the anaerobic digestion of manufacturing effluent, for example as a result of food and beverage processing.

This facility marks a significant step forward and breaks new ground in the UK renewables industry, with the establishment of a closed loop recycling system for all grades of life-expired wood for use in energy supply.

By integrating this into Dalkia’s existing generation technologies it represents a new business model for recycling and carbon neutral power generation.

The growing interest in bio-fed CHP has been driven by the current environmental landscape, and the pressures placed on all sectors to reduce emissions levels and

Largely sourced from the construction, packaging, manufacturing and waste transfer sectors, life-expired wood is a much greener fuel option than green wood.

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The main benefit in utilising life-expired wood is that this model draws energy from a waste stream that would otherwise find itself biodegrading in landfill sites. A far more efficient and environmentally sound option, the process does not rely on ‘virgin’ wood that places a huge demand on energy and natural resources, such as water, in order to be harvested, processed into biomass pellets and transported to energy centres. Instead life-expired wood can be sourced from a number of outlets – with the additional benefit to organisations supplying the wood: their landfill tax costs are reduced as a result of less wood waste going to landfill, their waste is used in an environmentally responsible way and their corporate responsibility is improved.

The construction and demolition sector produces some 750,000 tonnes of waste wood every year. The minimisation of site waste is particularly key, contributing to higher points under the Code for Sustainable Homes and BREEAM ratings. The diversion of such waste from landfill represents a contribution to sustainable energy generation and is therefore a benefit for this sector.

The manufacture of pallets and packaging, including crates and cable reels also produces significant volumes of waste. Pallets and crates produce some 670,000 tonnes of waste wood every year, while the manufacture of cabinets and furniture also contribute to these volumes. With landfill tax increasing year on year, any organisation that handles wood as a core part of its business will benefit from removing this element of the waste stream from landfill.

In addition it is estimated that around 420,000 tonnes of waste wood is produced by households each year, or deposited at civic amenity sites in the UK. This poses a considerable challenge. Wood is biodegradable, so contributes to greenhouse gas production if allowed to rot in landfill sites. This makes it subject to the EU Landfill Directive, which stipulates that an increasing percentage of biological municipal waste must be diverted from landfill.

The benefits for using waste wood biomass are multiple: power is supplied directly to the site with excess energy being exported to the grid for a profit, exemption from the Climate Change Levy (CCL) and the incentive of Renewable Obligation Certificates (ROCs) as well, a free carbon neutral fuel source, and of course the addition of heat and, in the case of tri-generation plants, cooling as well.

Of course, the viability of any scheme comes down to economics against the increased energy security that demand side, onsite power production provides. For example, Germany has recently produced a large number of small digester gas projects in the last few years because organisations there have received green certificates from the German government, which increases the value of the electricity derived from this type of plants, representing a form of subsidised grant.

their own waste wood to power a CHP plant, the benefit here is a closed loop approach to the generation of power.

Similarly in the manufacture of food, or the processing of pharmaceuticals, spent resources can be used to create steam, drive turbines and generate heat and power.

Demonstrating the viability of a waste wood biomass powered CHP approach in a very different sector, the London borough of Southwark has appointed Dalkia to deliver a fully integrated multi-utility service (MUS) that will finance, design, build, own, operate and maintain a muti-utility infrastructure for the borough’s homes and civic buildings.

In doing so, Dalkia will use recycled wood as a fuel source, to generate electricity using CHP technology on a local basis to supply residents and businesses with electricity at a rate that is guaranteed to remain below the cost of the cheapest market rate.

Most recently, drinks manufacturer Diageo announced its plans for a bio energy plant at its Fife-based site in Cameronbridge. The £60 million facility has been designed, and will be constructed, operated and maintained by Dalkia. It will combine anaerobic digestion technology and biomass conversion from the spent grain used in the production of grain spirit, to provide 98% of the thermal steam and 80% of the electrical power requirements across the site. As a result Diageo expects the Cameronbridge site’s annual CO2 emissions will be reduced by some 56,000 tonnes.

By combining the distillery’s recycling policy, its need for electricity and its specialist plant, Dalkia and Diageo have delivered a truly integrated energy management and specialist services package. It is believed to be the largest single investment in renewable technology by a non-utility company in the UK, and its range is beyond the reach of many organisations that would seek to bring in expert outsourcing partners to reduce their emissions and fuel costs.

The possibilities that arise when biomass energy provision and specialised plant are combined are wide-ranging and beneficial for plant managers. Rather than solely delivering financial savings, improvements in the delivery of sitespecific CHPs can be significant and, with the right energy services partner, can be accompanied by improved energy efficiency and reduced emissions, as well as contributing to an organisation’s CSR objectives. 

Currently Dalkia manages over 1,508 MW of renewable energy fired plant serving various sectors across the world. For more information visit www.dalkia.co.uk

Recycled wood can be used widely as biomass, removing this material from the waste stream and preventing it from being sent to landfill sites. For organisations using ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Can

biofuels “

We do only have one planet, carbon emissions globally are still rising, we are searching in ever more difficult locations for fossil fuel and our global population not only goes inexorably up, but demands a richer diet in the process.

”

Clare Wenner Head of Biomass and Transport Renewable Energy Association

Three years ago the future of biofuels was called into question by a range of interest groups concerned about the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the face of climate change and rising food prices. While the questions were legitimate, the hysteria that was provoked by the simplistic presentation of the issues masked the very real problems that still need solutions today – namely, how is this world of ours going to feed itself sustainably as the population rises to 9 billion and how are we to produce sustainable energy? To accuse biofuels of causing climate change and world hunger was to do a great disservice to the need for a more rational consideration of the problems and the solutions.

Two years on the debate has become more measured as the reality of what we are facing hits home. We do only have one planet, carbon emissions globally are still rising, we are searching in ever more difficult locations for fossil fuel and our global population not only goes inexorably up, but demands a richer diet in the process.

Seen in these bald terms the future looks bleak. The time really is now to take a grown-up look at what we can do in practice. I would suggest that we should re-appraise what the biofuels debate has really achieved.

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Let us start with how the anxieties about biofuels have been dealt with by Government and by the UK biofuels industry.

First - even as the earlier hysteria was rising, the industry was working with the UK Government to put in place a set of rules to govern the environmental and social conditions under which biofuels sold in the UK can be produced.

These are set out in a voluminous tome entitled “Carbon and Sustainability Guidance” under the UK’s Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation. This Guidance has been the sustainability benchmark by which biofuels have been measured and publicly reported on for the last two years in the UK. Looking at the results of the reports, it is clear that biofuels made in the UK have achieved outstanding carbon and sustainability scores. So - it has been shown that it is possible to produce good biofuels which deliver high (over 80% for some biodiesels and bioethanol) greenhouse gas savings. The trick is to get our fuel suppliers to get these good biofuels into our fuel pumps.

Second – the UK really has been a leader in demonstrating to other countries that we can produce good biofuels. The rules that the UK industry operates under have been taken up by the European Union. They have been largely transposed into the EU Renewable Energy Directive such that, from December this year when the Directive

© Elenathewise - Fotolia

be

sustainable?

comes into force, biofuels sold across the EU will also have to obey clear carbon and sustainability rules. In the USA the Obama administration has also decided to re-appraise the sustainability of their biofuels.

Third – the biofuels debate has thrown up the vexed question of indirect land use change – a short hand way of suggesting that if we demand more biofuels, this could have a knock-on effect on global ecosystems, with implications for the carbon balance.

So what has the biofuels debate achieved?

First – it has proved that there are such things as good biofuels, made from renewable sources, which save carbon.

We don’t need to go on relying on increasingly scarce and expensive fossil fuels.

Second – that good practice can be contagious. By giving a lead we can encourage others to abide by the rules that ensure our biofuels are sustainable.

Third – that these improved standards can spread to other forms of bioenergy, not just for transport, but for our heat and our electricity. The European Union is encouraging us all to use biomass that has been produced sustainably in these sectors as well.

Fourth, and in my view this is the most valuable contribution – that we must be smarter in the use of our most precious resource – our land. As our demands for food, fuel, clothes, houses, medicines and even our body lotions increase, it won’t do the planet a particle of good to say “Well – we banned biofuels”. We just have to be more responsible about how we use our land to get the production from it to be as sustainable as we can, no matter what the end use of that production might be.

And finally – what about increasing food prices? That comes back to our use of land as well. Global agriculture has been seriously under-invested for decades, especially in the developing world. Don’t we owe it to them to help them to improve the productivity of their land in a sustainable way? Don’t we owe it to them to help them to feed, fuel and clothe themselves and us and earn their living doing so? And while we’re at it, don’t we owe it to them not to waste food in the way that we do in the West?

And why are we now thinking in this more joined-up way?

Well, in my view the biofuels debate has made us think a lot harder about how we use our earth’s resources – so let’s hear a vote of thanks for biofuels. 

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Anaerobic Digestion ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Dr. Nush Mohabuth – Technical Manager (nush.mohabuth@envar.co.uk) David Border – Head of Composting (david.border@envar.co.uk)

Anaerobic digestion (AD) is a natural biological process in which a range of bacteria, in the absence of oxygen, first hydrolyse the carbohydrates, proteins and fats in organic wastes into sugars, amino acids and fatty acids. These are in turn broken down by different bacteria into volatile fatty acids, then acetate, and finally methane and carbon dioxide (biogas) in the approximate ratio of 60:40. This biogas can be burned in a CHP (combined heat and power) unit to generate electricity, it can be cleaned to remove non-methane components and injected into the national gas grid, or it can be compressed into biofuel as a replacement for petroleum-derived fuel. The organic material remaining after the digestion process (digestate) can be used as a bio-fertiliser.

Anaerobic digestion fits in very well with Government policies.

The Government, through the Climate Change Act (2008) and the Low Carbon Transition Plan, has outlined attempts to decarbonise the economy. This is part of a concerted effort to counter climate change and to move to a low carbon economy.

The Renewables Obligation (RO) was introduced to aid the development of the production of electricity from renewable resources. A Renewables Obligation Certificate (ROC) is a green certificate issued to an accredited generator for eligible renewable electricity generated and supplied to customers within the UK. One ROC is issued for each megawatt hour (MWh) of electricity generated. The double ROCs available for AD has had a significant effect upon the economics of the AD technology.

A number of recent publications by DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change), in support of this green policy, will have a considerable influence on the development of AD in the UK. For example, “Feed-in Tariffs: Government’s Response to the Summer 2009 Consultation”, published in February 2010, is intended to encourage the investment in small scale low carbon electricity in return for a guaranteed payment for the electricity generated. DECC expects the scheme to support 750,000 installations by 2020, with the saving of 7 million tonnes of carbon dioxide. AD is not the only electricity generating technology supported by this scheme.

Other technologies such as wind power, hydro, solar photovoltaic and wind projects, up to the level of 5 MW are also supported.

AD has been a well established technology in many European countries for the treatment of organic household waste, but is only just developing in the UK for the treatment of this type of waste. For example, elsewhere in Europe there are over 170 installations, processing c. 5,000,000 tonnes a year of household organic waste. This figure represents only c. 3% of the possible feedstock so there is considerable room for expansion.

In addition, there are many other AD facilities processing agricultural wastes.

A wet AD facility in Holland

The basic AD technology is well proven with many successful installations, while the pre-treatment of the feedstock and the post-treatment of the end products are still being optimised, and are very site and feedstock specific. For example, the cost of connecting an AD facility to the national electricity or gas grid can be considerable.

The choice of AD technologies available can appear overwhelming. There are systems that process dry feedstock  ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

(>15% dry solids) and wet feedstock (<15% dry solids).

Some systems operate at mesophilic temperatures (35 to 40°C) while others work at thermophilic temperatures (50 to 55°C). Some are single stage while others have two or more stages, and some use a single feedstock while others process a combination of different wastes.

Envar Ltd – part of the ADAS group of companies - went through a thorough evaluation process before selecting suitable AD technology partners with which to develop projects in the UK. This involved surveying all identifiable AD technology suppliers, mainly in Europe, and producing a short list of suitable companies. The criteria for selecting the short list included evidence that the technology company had at least 10 installations each of which had been operating for at least 10 years using the same or similar feedstock proposed for the Envar projects. For the most part, the feedstocks of interest to Envar at the moment are kerbside collected food waste (with or without co-collection with green waste), commercial food waste, and other feedstocks with the potential for the generation of large yields of biogas.

Envar Ltd already has considerable experience in composting organic wastes, with a site in Cambridgeshire licensed to process 105,000 tonnes a year of organic wastes.

In selecting the best in-vessel composting technology, Envar went through the same thorough survey process before selecting a batch tunnel system produced by the Dutch company Gicom b.v.

One of the most critical aspects for the expansion of AD in the UK is funding, particularly if AD is to expand to the extent required to fulfil its potential in the UK to meet Governmental targets. The problem, however, is shortage of bank credit and the relative unfamiliarity in the UK with the AD technology. To address this, Envar Ltd has teamed up with Acuity Capital Management Limited who have launched two innovative venture capital trusts (VCTs) to raise funds specifically to fund the Envar pipeline. The advantage for Envar is access to funding, and for Acuity the advantage is of obtaining operating expertise and ready-made projects. The investors will be able to benefit from generous tax breaks on VCTs as well as investing in projects backed by long term waste contracts. Acuity Capital also are seeking institutional funding alongside the retail driven VCTs. The development of the UK AD industry is being ably supported by the newly formed Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association (ADBA), and the Association for Organic Recycling (AfOR). AD is clearly going to play a major role in enabling the UK Government to meet its recycling and climate control targets. The technological choices in AD are much more complicated than for in-vessel composting, and considerable care has to be taken in choosing the appropriate technology provider for the feedstocks to be processed. This is one case in which demonstrable experience and a proven track record are essential. 

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Wastewater Analysis Dr. Rakesh Kanda and Gavin Mills Severn Trent Laboratories

The potential risks to human health, wildlife and domesticated animals caused by the presence of chemical contaminants and pathogens in water are of significant concern to the Water Industry. Technological advances in water treatment have virtually eliminated the risks of faecal pollution in developed countries and therefore chemical contaminants now pose the highest risk to the safety of water supply. There are many sources of chemical contamination, including wastes from industrial and domestic wastewater treatment plants, run-off from agricultural land and leachates from landfills and storage lagoons. Wastewater from industry or domestic use requires treatment to reduce the organic load so that the effluent can be discharged safely into receiving waters.

Operator Self Monitoring The monitoring of effluent discharge and the impact of such discharges on the environment are key elements of regulatory control. Under current UK regulations the Environment Agency or SEPA collect ‘end-of-pipe’ samples of effluent from wastewater plants, to check compliance with the conditions of consent to discharge. The costs associated with this sampling and analysis are levied on the operators under the ‘polluter pays’ principle. These charges are primarily determined by the size of the discharge, rather than the actual risk to the environment from what is being discharged.

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authority) will shortly be introducing Operator and Pollution Risk Appraisal (OPRA) and Operator Self Monitoring (OSM) requirements for water quality. OPRA assesses the environmental risks of effluent discharge based on a number of different attributes including size and location of the discharge and the performance by the operator.

OSM will pass the responsibility for collecting, analysing and reporting discharge quality to the wastewater plant operators.

The operator is in a better place to deploy monitoring and regular self-monitoring activity will provide more information on effluent quality than may be obtained by periodic inspection and monitoring by the competent authorities. All the costs associated with self-monitoring will be met by the operator.

Monitoring techniques will vary depending on consents and may include the use of:  On-site continuous reading instruments;  Portable discontinuous reading instruments;  Laboratory analysis of samples taken by on-line or flow proportional samplers;  Laboratory analysis of spot or composite samples Whatever measurement technique is employed, they must conform to a relevant national, European (CEN) or International (ISO), standard and, where considered necessary, should be carried out within a qualified measurement infrastructure conforming to the European Standard 45000.

Wastewater Analysis Wastewater effluents can be contaminated with numerous household chemicals, personal care products and with faeces and urine, whilst wastewater from other sources could potentially contain a wide spectrum of industrial chemicals. Both sources of wastewater may contain pollutants such as nutrients, oxygen depleting substances and toxic substances, which if not treated would have detrimental effects on the environment. Conventional wastewater treatment processes include:  Pre-treatment/Screening – used to remove sand, gravel, rocks and other solid materials;  Primary treatment/Sedimentation – to remove dissolved organic matter (as sludge) and fats, oil and grease;  Secondary treatment – used to further remove suspended solids and soluble organic matter not removed by primary treatment. Removal is usually accomplished by biological processes which consume biodegradable, soluble, organic contaminants or produce a flock of non soluble contaminants;  Tertiary treatment – used as the final phase of treatment, for example when nitrate and phosphate levels must be reduced and where the intended receiving water is very vulnerable to the effects of pollution.

Laboratory analysis of samples is used to monitor effluent from wastewater plants, to check compliance with the conditions of consent to discharge. The effectiveness of 

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the primary treatment/ sedimentation process is monitored by the analytical parameter, Total Suspended Solids (TSS).

An estimate of Total Suspended Solids can be obtained by measuring the turbidity parameter.

It is not just solids that are monitored in wastewater. The measurement of pollutants is essential for performance

testing of wastewater treatment plants and the impact on receiving waters. Several parameters are routinely used for this analysis, including individual elements e.g. metals, nitrogen, phosphorous, parameters based on oxygen demand, total organic carbon and analysis that identifies specific compounds (target analysis).

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Biological Oxygen Demand One of the oldest known tests for determining wastewater quality is the Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) parameter.

The BOD result indicates the amount of oxygen in the wastewater, which is needed for biological decomposition of substances.

BOD is determined by adding micro-organisms to the water sample. After a predefined time interval, usually five days, the oxygen, consumed by bacteria during the decomposition of organic substances, is measured. The Royal Commission on Sewage Disposal originally developed the routine BOD test as a means of assessing the rate of biochemical oxidation that would occur in a stream when a polluting effluent was discharged to it. However, predicting the effect of such a discharge on a stream requires consideration of many factors that are not covered in the determination of the BOD. A number of issues can influence the results of the BOD test including the activity of the micro-organisms added to the sample, which may be inhibited by high or low pH, metals, free chlorine, phenols, pesticides and other substances toxic to microorganisms. In addition, enhanced utilisation of oxygen may be caused by algae and nitrifying organisms.

Chemical Oxygen Demand The depletion of oxygen in receiving waters is one of the most significant negative effects of water pollution.

Preventing these substances from being discharged by wastewater treatment plants is essential to protecting the environment and aquatic life. However, the BOD (5 day) test is far too slow to provide information useful for

the monitoring and controlling of wastewater treatment plants. Therefore a more rapid test is often used to estimate the BOD â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) test.

The COD value indicates the amount of oxygen needed to chemically oxidize organic compounds present in wastewater. In addition to organic compounds, other compounds, for example nitrites, bromides, iodides, metal ions and sulphur can also be oxidized using this procedure. The COD value can be correlated with BOD for specific types of samples and is generally higher than the BOD result (typically about 2.5 times). Total Organic Carbon (TOC) analysis is an alternative test to COD (it only produces a response to organic compounds present in water) and TOC can be correlated to both BOD and COD. Eutrophication and Nutrients Eutrophication of surface waters is caused by nutrient pollution, such as the release of inadequately treated sewage effluent, urban stormwater run-off, and run-off from agricultural land containing fertilizers. Eutrophication promotes excessive plant growth or phytoplankton (e.g. algal blooms), which can disrupt the natural ecosystem by removing oxygen from the water.

Major nutrients in domestic sewage include compounds of nitrogen or phosphorus.

High concentrations of nutrients are potentially damaging if discharged into receiving waters, however they are essential for biological treatment in wastewater treatment plants. ď ľ

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Alkalinity and pH The pH of a sample is a measure of the acidity or alkalinity. Extreme pH in wastewater and in natural waters can:  Be harmful to aquatic life  Disrupt biological processes in wastewater treatment plants  Produce hydrogen sulphide which is odorous and toxic if the pH is low Most living organisms can only function at a pH close to neutral, with the exception of some micro-organisms, which are tolerant to very acidic conditions.

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Although an important measure within wastewater treatment plants, the pH of a sample only measures hydrogen or hydroxide ion concentrations. Therefore it does not measure the total acids or bases as pH, because the total amount of a weak acid and base do not dissociate completely. To measure the total acidity or alkalinity of a water sample, the sample has to be titrated with a strong base or strong acid and the endpoint determined.

Water Framework Directive

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Although the routine parameters discussed above provide useful information on the general quality of wastewater and environmental water samples, detailed analysis, to monitor specific compounds that may be harmful to the environment or living organisms, need to be measured individually. Detrimental effects on wildlife include acute and chronic toxicity as well as subtle effects, which include endocrine disruption i.e. the feminisation of fish due to the discharge of oestrogenic compounds into receiving waters.

Currently a range of legislation covers different aspects of water management. Over the next 5 years many of these regulations will be replaced by the recently introduced Water Framework Directive (WFD), which aims to introduce a simpler approach to environmental protection. For example, the following regulations will be replaced in 2013:  Freshwater Fish Directive - 78/659/EEC  Shellfish Waters Directive - 79/923/EEC  Groundwater Directive - 80/68/EEC  Dangerous Substances Directive - 76/464/EEC

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The Water Framework Directive looks at the ecological health of surface water bodies as well as traditional chemical standards. The Directive will help deal with diffuse pollution as well as point source discharges.  Severn Trent Laboratories are a leading environmental testing organisation. They provide water and wastewater analysis to a wide range of customers including Water Utilities, Waste Management Companies, Industry and Manufacturing and Local Authorities.

Severn Trent Laboratories can be contacted by email info@stl-ltd.com or telephone 024 7642 1213. The authors of this article can be contacted directly by email rakesh.kanda@stl-ltd.com and gavin.mills@stl-ltd.com.

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Water Framework Directive Huw Irranca-Davies Environment Minister Our rivers are among one of the most beautiful but fragile natural habitats. A clear mountain stream, a slow gentle river or a busy waterway all are part of nature but something that can so easily be damaged and even ruined by pollution. We have worked hard over recent years to improve the quality of water and protect our waterways.

Otters, salmon and other wildlife can be found in many rivers now for the first time since the Industrial Revolution.

The River Mersey, once the most polluted river in Europe is the cleanest it has been for a century - but there is still much to be done to preserve our natural waterways.

The first River Basin Management Plans were published last December under the terms of the Water Framework Directive. The plans will improve over 9500 miles of rivers by tackling pollution and setting out how good water status can be achieved and maintained for each lake, stretch of a river, estuary or coastline in each of the ten river basin districts in England and Wales. It will help us reach tough new EU standards on water quality and show exactly how we intend to keep our waterways safe for humans and wildlife.

The river basin districts are based on catchment areas and river basin areas, extending from the headwaters to the coast: Thames, South East, South West, Anglian, Severn, Dee, Western Wales, North West, Humber, Northumbria and the Solway Tweed.

Included within each plan is a classification of the current status of the water (by for example, quantity and quality), future objectives for water improvement and a programme of measures showing how to meet these objectives.

The Water Framework Directive itself has changed how we measure water quality in the UK. Water status is measured by examining the ecological and chemical make-up of water and the standard needed to reach the “good status” required by Europe.

Measures under the plans are wide ranging and include investment from water companies to improve water and waste water treatment, work with farmers to address diffuse pollution and schemes to restore rivers, improve habitats and control the impact of any non-native species.

We are bringing water quality investigations forward and giving £1 million to the Environment Agency now so that we can see where the problems are and deal with them now, and the money available to farmers for tackling water pollution is being raised to £7.5 million.

Other measures include activities to help prevent and control diffuse pollution from urban environments. As ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

economic, industrial and housing development continues, we are seeing increasing problems relating to surface water such as the run-off from urbanisation and roads.

Rain and other water draining from hard surfaces can carry pollution into rivers, groundwater, lakes, estuaries and coasts. This includes run-off from roads, driveways, roofs, car parks, construction sites and gardens, litter, car washing and industrial spills. In many places, ‘combined’ sewers receive this surface water run-off.

Development planning plays a key role for sustainable development and it is important that those involved in this sector continue to work closely with for example planning authorities and construction bodies.

In the right places, sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) will have a role to play with the aim to manage surface water by replicating natural drainage systems as closely as possible, helping to reduce flood risk and improve water quality and amenity. SuDS control the quantity and quality of run-off by slowing the speed and filtering pollutants.

This includes features such as green roofs, swales, permeable paving, filter strips and balancing ponds.

Measures are being proposed under a new Flood and Water Management Bill to encourage the use of SuDS in new developments and redevelopments. The Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament, shows that SuDS can no longer be a luxury, and must be incorporated into all new developments – it provides that construction work cannot commence unless the surface water drainage system has been approved by a SuDS Approving Body. The SuDS Approving Body will be a Unitary or County Council.

In the future connection of surface water to the public sewer will be a last resort and SuDS must be used where possible. The SuDS National Standards are currently under development and there will be a full public consultation on the National Standards and accompanying guidance before they are published.

The Flood and Water Management Bill will also require the SuDS Approving Body to adopt and maintain approved SuDS which serve more than one property. Local authorities will be funded to adopt and maintain SuDS. We will be working hard in each local area alongside the farmers, water companies and groups such as the Rivers Trusts and RSPB who all have a key role to play. We must look after the quality of water in every lake, stretch of water, estuary and coastline and make them healthy environments for now and the future. 

Battling the invasives: are natural enemies the solution?

Dr. Rob Tanner Senior Scientist- Invasive Species Management Many landowners and managers throughout the UK, whose land has been blighted over the years by non-native invasive plant species, are currently in the planning stages to eradicate, or at least curtail, the coming season’s infestations. Most of the UK’s most invasive plant species were brought into the country as attractive ornamental additions to Victorian gardens in the 19th century. Unfortunately, these invaders have long surpassed their novel intrigue from gardeners and land managers alike, as they slowly escaped from the confines of the ‘garden wall’ to become naturalised in our countryside, towns and cities.

invasive plants, thereby making it illegal to plant them in, or release them into the wild. Before the latest amendments only two terrestrial plant species were included in the act, namely Japanese Knotweed and Giant Hogweed, but soon the act will include 40 species including problematic weeds like Floating Pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides) and Himalayan Balsam (Impatiens glandulifera). The UK Government is also looking to ban the sale of certain non-native species under Section 14ZA of the Act and these amendments will come into force later in the year.

When non-native plant species become invasive, they threaten ecosystems by altering the make-up of the plant community by displacing native plant species. This in turn can have an impact on the associated fauna which utilise natives as a food source. Non-native species can also damage our economic interests such as agriculture and infrastructure (both transport and developments) and in, some cases, threaten public health, as is the case with Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), which can cause severe blistering of the skin.

In addition, European legislation and commitments such as the EU 2010 halting biodiversity loss target and the Water Framework Directive (2000) require all EU Member States to address the issues which threaten natural ecosystems and the species within. Indeed the spread and occurrence of invasive non-native species is certainly one threat to our native biodiversity which requires attention.

Globally, invasive species are regarded as one of the largest threat, to biodiversity, second only to habitat loss.

Legislation on non-native plants is currently being updated in the UK, under Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, to include a number of potentially devastating

Banning the sale and deliberate introduction of nuisance non-native plant species, which are known to cause significant environmental damage, could go a long way to halt further introductions into the UK countryside.  ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

But how do we deal with those species already out there?

In development sites, in urban areas, chemical control can be effective if applied over a number of seasons. For species like Japanese Knotweed, integrating chemical control with physical methods, such as excavation, cutting and installing root membrane barriers, can increase the likelihood of populations reoccurring in discrete areas.

However, controlling invasive populations when they grow in or around water is more problematic, due to tight regulations of chemical application near water bodies and the increasingly scarce number of products available for use in such habitats. In the UK only two chemical formulations, 2, 4-D amine and Glyphosate, are approved for use in or around water. In addition water bodies are heterogeneous habitats prone to disturbance by the hydrological forces within which can act to spread invasive plants, be it in the form of seeds or rhizomes throughout the riparian habitat. Due to the sheer scale of some invasive plants and their high impact on natural habitats, the UK is looking towards other methods to control invasive plant species.

Biological weed control, defined as the utilisation of natural enemies in the regulation of host populations, is an ecological and economical tool which can provide permanent suppression of an invasive population. Total eradication is not the desired outcome of a biological control agent; indeed any natural enemy which totally eradicates its host would be deeming itself to a near certain fate, as without its host the organism would die out. Instead biological control aims to reduce the occurrence, vigour and spread of the invasive species making the population more amendable to integrated control using traditional methods.

As with our native plant species, all plants in their native range are kept in-check with the surrounding vegetation by competition between species and by the pressure exerted on them by natural enemies. Almost all of our non-native plant species arrived in the UK without their ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

associated natural enemies, thereby giving them an unfair advantage over our native species. Classical biological control aims at redressing this imbalance by re-associating the plant with some of its co-evolved natural enemies, but only after extensive testing under quarantine conditions, following strict international protocols.

Of all the insect and plant pathogens found attacking and impacting on the plant in the native range, only one or two species may have evolved to feed solely on that particular plant species. In a series of tests, which can take up to five years to complete, biocontrol practitioners screen these potential biocontrol agents against a variety of native, economically important and ornamental plant species to ensure they are host-specific to the target weed. Only once the agent has satisfied all tests would it be recommended to the appropriate governmental department for release consideration.

Until recently biological control received little attention in Europe, even though countries like South Africa, New Zealand and North America use this approach often with spectacular success. UK targets currently being researched by CABI (an international not-for-profit organisation), for their potential to be controlled with natural enemies, include Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam and Floating Pennywort (Hydrocotyle ranunculoides).

Case study: The biological control of Japanese Knotweed Japanese Knotweed is recognised as the most pernicious weed in the UK. Introduced from Japan in the mid nineteenth century Japanese Knotweed has colonised much of the UK, invading riparian systems, roadsides and waste ground. The plant can restrict access to, and degrade land as well as reducing biodiversity by out-competing native plants for space, light and nutrients.

In 2003, a classical biological control programme was initiated against Japanese Knotweed in the UK, funded by

a consortium of sponsors including Defra, the Welsh Development Agency, Network Rail, the Environment Agency, South West Regional Development Agency and British Waterways.

After extensive surveys for natural enemies of Japanese Knotweed in the plant’s native range, and equally intensive research on its host range and safety in CABI’s quarantine facility, a sap sucking psyllid (Aphalara itadori) has been identified as the most promising agent.

After a public consultation, an application is currently being considered by the UK Government, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) and the relevant plant health legislation, for the release of this specialist psyllid into the UK. If approved this will be the first release of a non-native organism to control an invasive weed in the European Union.

Case study: The biological control of Himalayan Balsam Introduced from the Himalayas in 1893, Himalayan Balsam has spread rapidly throughout riparian habitats forming monocultures along river banks, outcompeting native biodiversity and restricting access to rivers. When the

plant dies down in the winter, the dead material can become incorporated into the water body increasing the risk of floods. Controlling Himalayan Balsam is fraught with problems as any control must focus on a catchment scale, since any upstream populations will disperse seed downstream.

Research into the biological control of Himalayan Balsam was initiated in 2006, and has included surveys throughout the plant’s native range (Pakistan and India) As a result of field observations and research conducted in-country, a number of potential agents have been identified for further research into their host specificity. Those species which show promise include two plant pathogens (a Septoria leaf-spot and a stem infecting rust species) and two invertebrate (Coleoptera) stem-boring species.

As with all biological control programmes, any potential agent would need to be highly host specific to the target species, especially when consideration is given to the numerous ornamental Impatiens available in garden centres throughout the UK. 

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Managing environmental data in the Google age

Thierry Gregorius PhD FRGS, Group Data Manager, Landmark Information Group

It is often said that good data makes for good decisions.

If only life was this simple. Today’s world is changing at a rapid pace, becoming ever more complex, interdependent and interactive. This is particularly apparent in environmental decision making, which needs to take into account issues as diverse as land use, natural resources, economic activity, transport, water, geology, climate change, energy supply and many others.

This global complexity is also amplified by the exponential growth of information, and the increasingly real-time nature of communications and data transfer. If you google the question ‘how much data does the internet contain’, the answer will be about 500 billion gigabytes.

Even if 90% of this is garbage, the remaining 10% is still enough to fill a stack of books stretching from Earth to Pluto. And even if you believe that this is one of many made-up internet statistics, you will probably agree that there is a shedload of data out there.

Historical mapping, invaluable for analysis of historical land use and potential ground contamination (used with permission by Landmark Information Group).

This is a great opportunity and challenge alike.

Environmental professionals are expected to take into account all available information in their decision making, so it is important to fully understand the choices on offer. In order to dissect this brave new world of information, let’s start with some examples, using a common environmental technique: waste separation.

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly Having trained as a surveyor and mapmaker myself, I love historical maps. They are works of art, a form of time travel, and incidentally quite useful at identifying potential land contamination. But most of all, historical maps are the perfect example of what good data should be: original, authoritative, and created with great care (dare I say accuracy?). And – historical maps never go out of date. How good is that!

There is a lot of other good data out there, from both public and commercial sources. Issues arise however, as soon as you are having to compile data from various sources into a coherent piece of work, be it an environmental survey or a flood risk assessment for a proposed development. As you hunt for topographic mapping, geology, boreholes, landfill sites, local plans, flood risk data, terrain models, or even something as simple as postal addresses, you will immediately hit the hurdles of

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complexity and inconsistency. You will be bamboozled by different ordering processes, delivery mechanisms, formats, turnaround times, prices and licensing terms for each dataset. How much time do you spend chasing, compiling and integrating data rather than using and interpreting it – which is what you are actually paid to do?

During this process, how much time do you waste disentangling the pile of data you’ve created on your own hard drive? Even with good data, this can be frankly quite bad.

professional use, crowd-sourced data is fascinating, fun, entertaining, and it can even be useful. But it is also very ugly.

And then there is the web. Instant and open communication, offering access to data from a great variety of sources, often at zero cost. Today people no longer just use information, but actively create it as well. This has moved way beyond mere drivel on blogs, nice pictures on Flickr or silly videos on YouTube. The Natural History Museum, for example, runs the Opal initiative (www.OpalExploreNature.org) where members of the public can contribute their own observations of biodiversity, soil or air quality from their backyard. Another example is www.OpenStreetMap.org where anyone with a GPS receiver can contribute to the making of a free, detailed map of the world. There are many more such initiatives. In the world of web buzzwords this is called ‘crowd-sourcing’. Crowdsourcing can be very effective, especially for projects that require input for a particular place or specific period of time. This was powerfully evident during the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake, where OpenStreetMap enthusiasts around the world created, in a matter of hours, an updated map of Haiti for the rescue effort, tracing and interpreting data off imagery donated by satellite companies.

Last November, Prime Minister Gordon Brown and the inventor of the World Wide Web, Sir Tim Berners-Lee, announced that the Government was planning to make 2,500 previously unpublished datasets freely available on the internet.

And sure enough, www.data.gov.uk went live in January. Search for the term “environment” and you’ll come across some interesting nuggets, from air emissions to fly-tipping statistics, and much more. The data still comes in a mixed bag of varying quality, resolution and formats. This is bound to improve over time as the public develops a stronger appetite and makes it worthwhile for Government to invest further in these datasets.

Similarly, mayor Boris Johnson launched the London Datastore, available at www.data.london.gov.uk.

But when it comes to building comprehensive, authoritative and accurate datasets, there are still severe limitations with this approach. Over time the art of crowd-sourcing will no doubt mature but there are still huge issues around data consistency, accuracy, reliability, completeness, and – rather ironically – licensing and copyright issues. From the point of view of

Moving on, what else is out there?

A flood of Government data coming your way It is great to see that the UK Government, driven by the EU INSPIRE directive, and enlightened by open data initiatives in North America, is taking steps to make public sector information more widely accessible.

Considering how expensive it is to collect accurate and reliable data, not every public dataset can or should be provided free of charge. This however should not stop public bodies from publishing it, as in many cases there is a good market for quality, paid-for data – especially in the environment industry. I don’t think, for example, that anybody would expect to get hold of detailed terrain models or flood maps for free.

This debate is also at the heart of the ongoing Government consultation about the future of Ordnance Survey, Britain’s national mapping agency. This is a highly emotive debate that is well covered by the relevant trade media, blogs and websites. Whilst there may be a case for some smaller-scale datasets to be made available 

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A different type of historical map, showing features not always shown on traditional mapping – courtesy of Russia’s KGB (used with permission

by Landmark Information Group).

UKMapTM, a new 1:1000 scale map product (used with permission by The GeoInformation Group).

for free, core national mapping, such as OS MasterMapTM, will never be sustainable unless it is supported by commercial revenue. This is a personal view based on my own experience of mapmaking. Besides I believe that it would be wrong to make all data free, as people would lose the sense of how valuable it actually is – and therefore jeopardise any future investment into the upkeep of the very datasets we have all come to rely on. If you are interested in this consultation and would like to respond, go to the Communities and Local Government website at www.communities.gov.uk.

Many in our industry believe that much could be improved in terms of public data access. Whilst beating ourselves up about things is part of the British sense of humour, I would like to put in a good word for some civil servants in the UK. Many of you may not realise this, but public bodies such as the British Geological Survey, the Environment Agency and Ordnance Survey are world leaders not only in their relevant expertise domains but also in terms of how they make their data accessible for commercial re-use. In my role at Landmark I have met many good people in these organisations and must say how refreshing it is to see how committed they are to unearth fit-for-purpose data from their databases and archives. To be fair this is not always easy, but in my opinion the approach taken so far has been highly commendable, and further improvements will be made as we move forward.

I can safely say that these UK agencies are up there with the best in the world, having worked and lived in many other countries during my time in the oil industry. I know some people would disagree, but just to provide a different perspective… In any case, we should look forward to further datasets emanating from the public sector, and this will create further innovation opportunities for all concerned: data producers, users, and resellers.

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Easing the pain of too much data – or legislation Data resellers have an important role to play in providing easy access to all the data required by environmental professionals, taking away much of the pain described earlier when, for example, trying to pull together a site survey or assessment. This is made easier with services such as www.envirocheck.co.uk, where professionals can order site-specific reports or download data in raw form.

Merely providing data is no longer enough, however. As environmental challenges become more complex, so does the legislation. Environmental bills and acts are literally flooding in at unprecedented speed. From the Climate Change Act to the Flood Bill to the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, there are tens of pieces of legislation to stay up to date with. It is not surprising that many businesses are finding it hard to keep up and are grateful for any type of service that takes this burden off their shoulders.

Take for example the Environmental Liability Directive. As land owners become responsible for all consequential costs of environmental damage arising from their sites – and such damage being largely uninsurable – good data will be needed to argue your case whichever side of the argument you find yourself on.

Another example is carbon legislation. The recently launched www.carboncounter.co.uk helps small to medium businesses through the maze of their own energy accounting as the relevant legislation goes live in April this year. This affects businesses in all industries but many of them aren’t even aware that they are meant to comply, and that there are financial penalties for noncompliance!

As far as legislation is concerned, the environmental sector has an important role to play in educating other industries – which is also a great opportunity for them to make use of the services our industry offers.

The future: 3D Bing Maps, upside-down Google Maps, and alternatives to Ordnance Survey You may, like me, have followed the launch of Apple’s iPad with some bemusement. All that hype, for something that surveyors, engineers and environmental professionals have used in the field for over 10 years? And it’s not even got an USB port? Yes, I was not terribly impressed either.

But make no mistake – just as mobile phones and satnavs created a whole new location-based industry, it is only a matter of time until computing goes entirely mobile, whether with tablets or other devices. This will open up a whole new raft of opportunities for environmental professionals, offering – in the field – interactive, rich, real-time map displays, coupled with augmented reality showing what’s below and above ground, all whilst connected to the web and your office network.

If you’re interested in a glimpse of the future it is worth having a look at this 8-minute video from Bing Maps, showing amazing 3D and augmented reality wizardry. It’s a real joy to watch: http://www.ted.com/talks/blaise_aguera.html. As these technological innovations become mainstream they will open up a whole new way of looking at data. This will enable us to discover new patterns and insights, and empower us to take more informed decisions.

To illustrate this point, did you know that you can turn your Google Map upside down, just like those Aussie world maps? Go to http://maps.google.co.uk and click on that green lab icon at the top (marked ‘Google Maps Labs’) and you will find a number of new options, one of

them being rotatable maps. Switch it on and be amazed by what Britain looks like upside down. Suddenly London is the eye in a cartoon character where East Anglia is the nose and Cornwall a big tuft of hair flying in the wind!

As these mainstream mapping tools provide welcome innovation that benefit everyone, there is another interesting trend emerging: there is now commercial competition even to Ordnance Survey’s most detailed mapping, OS MasterMapTM. You may have seen the launch of UKMapTM, published by The GeoInformation Group: www.theukmap.co.uk. Using their own aerial survey planes, supplemented by surveyors on the ground, they have constructed a highly-detailed map product at the 1:1000 scale which satisfies all legal planning requirements and is priced very competitively.

Such developments are important news as they provide greater choice to the end user. Whatever the future holds, one thing is certain: the demand for domain expertise will not go away – quite the contrary. As more and more data is created and accessible, as the public becomes increasingly vocal in its demand for environmental diligence, and as governments enact this through legislation, there will be an unprecedented requirement for environmental expertise, supported by the relevant data. 

Thierry Gregorius is Group Data Manager at Landmark Information Group, and previously spent 10 years in global oil exploration with Shell International. Being relatively new to the environmental industry he would welcome your views at thierry.gregorius@landmark.co.uk

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I WOULDNâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;T EAT VEGETABLES FROM YOUR GARDEN IF I WERE YOU! John Crowther, a Technical Director at Mouchel, has been in charge of a series of investigation and remediation contracts undertaken under the Part 2A regime. These have included areas of contaminated land surrounding, or under residential areas, and this experience has raised awareness of the human dimension in the process of land characterisation and clean up. The lessons learned have been put into practice and the results were recently recognised by the North West region of the Institution of Civil Engineers, which presented Mouchel, along with Wigan Council and Casey Land Reclamation Ltd, with an award for services to the community on one particularly challenging scheme. ď ľ ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

More previously developed land will be needed for housing. Fact.

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One effect of Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 has been to bring the land investigation and remediation industry face to face with the public in circumstances that are potentially extremely stressful. Remediating a large former industrial site while mitigating odours and noise is one thing: working to reinstate someone’s garden between offers of cups of tea quite another! One of the most common Part 2A scenarios is the urban closed landfill, still emitting landfill gases and surrounded by occupied housing. The largest I have experienced, however, is of a 20th century housing estate built upon the site of a former 19th century chemical works. These situations demand new skills on the part of consultants, contractors and regulators and we have to ask whether these social pressures influence decision making in any way and should they be taken in to account?

In July of 2004 a colleague, Tony Brown, and I were invited to a public meeting regarding the discovery of contamination at a housing estate. The local council had concluded that there was a serious problem but had not yet grasped the full implications of the then relatively untested legislation. Its legal officer had described the situation as the most complex she had come across.

Mouchel had just been appointed to carry out an options appraisal at the estate to address the problems at 327 houses with gardens. It was only two weeks into our commission and it was clear that feelings were running high. The local MP, councillors and a succession of angry residents (there were both tenants and owner occupiers on the estate) demanded that a date for delivery of our report be ‘carved in stone’. Not a moment was to be wasted in rectifying this intolerable situation.

We were already prepared for the fact that this was going to be more than a technical challenge. We were well experienced in the delivery of technical brownfield solutions. However, dealing with all of the complexities and pressures of human perceptions, fears, understandable impatience and anger added a new dimension. What had we let ourselves in for?

Only now, almost five years later, has the problem been fully dealt with and residents’ lives returned to normal. From the intervening, sometimes turbulent, period what stood out as the lessons to be learnt?

Individuals react very differently to risk Most people, when told that their garden might be contaminated or exposed to gas migration, are alarmed, demand answers and are impatient for action. If the reason for contamination is historic they feel that the authorities should look after them – and pay for it! However, it is surprising what a wide variety of responses are generated.

Even before anything is proven, some, genuinely frightened individuals try to make a connection with an illness that they or even their pet has had. Reports in the local press about ‘toxic timebombs’ and the like magnify such fears. On the other hand, some point out that they have lived there all their lives and have not experienced any ill effects whatsoever.

They do not know what the fuss is about and regard the whole issue as an unwelcome intrusion that they wish would just go away. Still others, particularly the elderly, are simply confused by it all. 

Inspiring

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It becomes abundantly clear that the stress caused to such people could be more detrimental to their health than the contamination itself. This is important but not recognised in any human health CLEA risk assessment. Caring decisions have to be made that affect all of these people and the decisions have to be informed by a multiprofessional team if they are to be defensible. Processes need to be transparent - any suggestions of secrecy engender suspicion and mistrust which are poisonous in themselves.

Ignorance is not bliss – quite the opposite!

Residents might have been angry during the public meeting but their patience was to be tried during the course of what followed. The legislation required that a significant pollutant linkage be proven on every single plot of land that was to be determined as ‘contaminated’ under the Act. This demanded investigation within everyone’s garden followed by a detailed quantitative risk assessment.

Converting the concept of ‘significance’ into numbers was not easy; it took time and input from various regulators and advisers including DEFRA. This was the period when it would be easy to be invisible in a back room, when people can perceive that you are engaged, like gods, in deciding how ‘significant’ they are! Calls for action got ever stronger, and necessitated several workshops to convey to residents some of the difficulties in establishing unacceptable risk while reassuring them with evidence of progress towards a solution. Constant, regular and honest communication is absolutely crucial during this stage to avoid the generation of mistrust and cynicism.

Remediation options are governed not just by technical considerations As soon as action criteria had been defined it became important to ensure the involvement of residents in the options appraisal and the selection of a preferred solution.

Assessment of options in such a situation involves not just an examination of all of the remediation technologies available, but includes the preference of the residents themselves about their future. In this case all of the residents were strongly of the view that the community had to be kept intact and any suggestion of demolition and redevelopment was met with hostility. The use of further workshops was key to establishing the sustainable solution that was both economic and acceptable to residents.

Remediate the worst first The policy of DEFRA, not surprisingly, is to fund the most severe contamination first. This principle was applied to the estate which was split into phases for the purposes of remediation. As the work progressed through the estate, over several years, a fear emerged that, as each phase was less contaminated than the last, the ‘significance’ test might change and funding dry up, leaving part of the community concerned that they had been treated unfairly.

Such considerations ignore the fact that the estate is a single community and that everyone felt ‘in it together’. I ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

am pleased to say that through the application of economic design and a visit from Secretary of State for the Environment, Hilary Benn, this fear was dispelled.

What now?

One major scheme has been completed successfully but there are still plenty of people on other sites all over the UK who remain anxious about contamination on or under their property and the effect it may have had, or may still be having on their health. The recent announcement by DEFRA that it will be postponing the publication of the proposed best practice guidance on contaminated land decision making will do nothing to alleviate the stress such people are under. In a climate of threatened funding cuts there will be the inevitable suspicion that risk assessment methodologies are being steered to give the answers that our hard up Government can afford rather than those which people actually need. 

Land Quality /UR¬EXPERTS¬IN¬LAND¬QUALITY¬CAN¬TURN¬SITESVIEWED¬AS¬POTENTIAL¬LIABILITIES¬INTO¬COMMERCIALASSETS ¬7E¬SPECIALISE¬IN¬THE¬DESIGN¬ANDMANAGEMENT¬OF¬AFFORDABLE¬REMEDIATIONSOLUTIONS ¬USUALLY¬UNDERTAKEN¬AS¬PART¬OF¬THEREGENERATION¬OF¬BROWNlELD¬LAND 7EæOFFERæANæEXTENSIVEæRANGEæOFæEXPERTISEæIN sæ GROUNDæINVESTIGATION sæ CONTAMINATEDæLANDæASSESSMENT sæ REMEDIATIONæDELIVERY sæ PROJECTæMANAGEMENT sæ HEALTHæ æSAFETYæANDæENVIRONMENTALæMANAGEMENT sæ PARTæ !æASSESSMENTS sæ QUANTITATIVEæASSESSMENTæOFæTHEæRISKæTOæHUMANæHEALTH sæ QUANTITATIVEæASSESSMENTæOFæRISKæTOæCONTROLLEDæWATERS sæ 3I,#æQUALIlEDæSTAFF &ORæMOREæINFORMATIONæABOUTæOURæSERVICES æ PLEASEæCONTACT *OHN¬#ROWTHER ¬3I,# ¬4ECHNICAL¬$IRECTOR ¬'ROUND¬%NGINEERING % ¬JOHN CROWTHER MOUCHEL COM¬¬- ¬ ¬ ¬

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Is sustainability the new regeneration?

Jackie Sadek Head of Regeneration CB Richard Ellis Ltd | Central London Development Chair British Urban Regeneration Association The organisation which I chair, the British Urban Regeneration Association (BURA) is 20 years old this month and we are, naturally, indulging in all sorts of birthday celebrations and events. Regeneration types like a party and, frankly, we need any excuse we can get these days!

play near their homes, and not have to drive miles from residential areas to distant business districts, shopping centres, schools and other facilities. Thus, your agenda and that of the regeneration sector are closely aligned, if not exactly the same!

I was out planning all this with some pals the other evening, all senior regeneration practitioners of one sort or another and (admittedly a glass or two of wine had been taken) we got onto discussing whether “sustainability is the new regeneration” in terms of being the new emerging exciting industry to be part of, for the noughties and the tens, in the same way as regeneration was the party-to-be-at for the eighties and the nineties. And our verdict was: well, yes!

And for many years, BURA has had a huge interest in contaminated land, albeit predominantly as a means to an ends - a way of liberating land for urban regeneration purposes. Increasingly, of course, our members are taking this whole idea further and bolting an energy generation element onto the business case for cleaning up land.

Now companies are looking to take even closed landfill sites and clean those up to create valuable development land whilst generating energy and retrospectively recycling valuable landfill contents in the process. But, throughout all of this, the question remains: how do you properly engage with the communities who live and work in the area?

The parallels are all there. Environmental jobs were created on the fringe and (at least in the general perception) are still not mainstream. Despite a pretty coherent case, environmentalists still seem to be outsiders, banging on the door of the establishment. Those who choose your industry tend to be as messianic and passionate, (as pointy-headed), as we were when we “invented” urban regeneration, in London Docklands (among other places) all those years ago. Environmental projects tend to need the same skills that we deploy in urban regeneration partnership working, building alliances and coalitions, cocktail funding, a forensic understanding of risk management capacity in both the public and private sectors.

All this coupled with excellent technical grasp of one’s subject and the patience of a saint! What’s the betting that all this sounds familiar to readers of Environment Industry?

So, as BURA launches itself into the next 20 years, as a “learning organisation” we are naturally looking at what worked and what didn’t, and it may be salutary for the environment industry to pick up any “read across” from our experiences. One of the things we didn’t always get right is routing projects - thoroughly - through our local communities and it is the projects that managed to effect this that have been the most successful (and this was never achieved 100%, although people cite Brindley Place or Paddington or Castleford as having elements of best practice, that are worthy of copying). And in an analogous drive to improve the sustainability of our built environment, there is now a strong focus on communities - especially communities in which people can work, shop, learn and ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

The importance of sustainable communities is recognised

by Government, planning authorities and developers alike, but the devil is in the detail. Delivering development projects - whether on contaminated or clean land - that can deliver true sustainability is a complex business. So hats off to the dear old BRE (an industry organisation with a heart, we need more of these!) for their new BREEAM scheme which helps planners and developers to improve measure and independently certify the sustainability of development proposals at the planning stage. To help local authorities (and their communities) take account of the full range of issues that must be considered from the earliest planning stages, BRE first developed the Regional Sustainability Checklists (working closely with each of the regions and DCLG) and have used it as the basis for this new BREEAM scheme. There is a dirty great manual on offer but essentially there are questions and criteria organised under eight, easy to understand categories - for example, climate change and energy, transport and movement which are tailored to suit the characteristics of the region and local priorities. This therefore chimes completely with localism, supported by all political parties to a greater or lesser extent, no matter who will form the next Government.

BREEAM Communities targets the planning stage of developments, and assesses the eight categories that are used in the Regional Sustainability Checklists and already 

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familiar to many local authorities and developers. These are: • Climate change and energy - flooding, heat island, water efficiency, sustainable energy, site infrastructure • Community - promoting community networks and interaction, involvement in decision making, supporting public services, social economy and community structure, and community management of the development • Place making - efficient use of land, design process, form of development, open space, adaptability, inclusive communities, crime, street lighting/light pollution security lighting • Buildings - EcoHomes / BREEAM or Code for Sustainable Homes • Transport and movement - general policy, public transport, parking, pedestrians and cyclists, proximity of local amenities, traffic management, car club • Ecology - conservation, enhancement of ecology, planting • Resources - appropriate use of land resources, environmental impact, locally reclaimed materials, water resource planning, refuse composting, noise pollution, construction waste • Business - competitive business, business opportunities, employment, business types

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The scheme provides both developers and planners with a dialogue tool, which should assist them to plan, measure and certify the potential sustainability of a developer's proposal at the planning stage of the development management process. At present the scheme is aimed at the statutory planning stage, but going into next year BRE will be developing the next strand of the standard, taking a further look at regeneration and BURA is going to assist with this. The first project to achieve Full Certification was the Media City development in Manchester, a regeneration project that clearly demonstrates that the scheme works, which is the key! The other pilot project is the Athletes’ Village, so we have seen that there are real benefits to the scheme for major developments. BRE are now getting a significant amount of interest in, what I would consider, more 'mainstream' developments, which is greatly encouraging.

This is an amazing offer of support from BRE, both to the environment industry, local government and to my own regeneration sector. BRE is offering nothing short of an 'idiots guide' to a full sustainability scheme, and that certainly works for me! 20 years ago we were, seriously, making it up as we went along and I’d have bitten someone’s hand off to have such an authoritative toolkit at my disposal when I was starting out!  www.breeam.org/communities.

© Thaut Images - Fotolia

Waste Management

Michael Grimes Partner, Eversheds LLP

In the noughties the United Kingdom, and England in particular, became the hottest market in the world for waste services. For decades the United Kingdom had rested on its laurels and relied upon the hundreds of local landfills for a cheap tip, cover and forget route for waste management. But all that had to change due to a variety of converging factors: a perfect storm of EU legislation such as the 1999 Landfill Directive, the fact that landfills near the most populous areas were fast filling and closing, and the reality that landfill is a wasteful solution against increasing commodity and energy prices, combined to bring about major change in UK policy. When combined with the dangers created by methane gassing from old landfills, a gas 20 times more warming for the environment than CO2, something had to change and change it has.

market of £3 billion. By 2007 the top six held 60% of a market worth £5 billion but perhaps more importantly only one of the earlier five remained in the top six. Consolidation in the market and new entrants have transformed the industry into operators of complex and, in some cases, very high value process plants. This transformation has also been encouraged by Government which, through capital contributions to councils in the guise of private finance initiative credits has driven a new wave of high value complex solution to recycle and divert waste from landfills. Waste is now seen as a resource and not just landfill. Government have courted foreign companies to enter this market to increase competition and bring new ideas. This increased competition is helping to offset the potential pricing opportunity presented by the landfill allowance fines and landfill tax.

In 2008 UK waste amounted to around 430 million tonnes.

It can be split down across sectors with quarrying being the largest contributor at 27%, followed by agriculture at 20%, demolition and construction tying with commercial and industrial each at 19%, dredging at 8% and municipal waste coming in lowest at 7%. In recent years it is the municipal waste sector which has received by far the most Government attention and funding in an attempt mainly to meet the requirements of the Landfill Directive.

This Directive, the implementation of which was delayed in the UK, imposes strict requirements on each EU country to reduce levels of biodegradable municipal waste going to landfill.

Government has also tried to encourage new technologies through its new Technology Demonstrator Programme, which aims to convince authorities, funders and insurers that novel solutions are just solutions that are not used for municipal waste in the UK and are deliverable, bankable and insurable.

The Directive allows the EU to impose massive financial penalties on those countries which miss their landfill target.

In the UK, Government created the world’s first tradable waste permit by allocating to each waste disposal authority a certain tonnage of biodegradable waste which may be landfilled. Only tonnes for which an authority holds a permit may be landfilled. If the target is breached a fine of around £150 per tonne is levied. Authorities who are undershooting the target may sell their excess permits to failing authorities in order to generate cash. The market sets the price for the permits. The system is regarded as having some success and some failings. What is certain is that authorities have been willing to pay much more for waste services than previously to avoid paying landfill allowance fines. When combined with massive increases in landfill tax paid on waste sent to landfill, the Government has put in place irresistible economic drivers to make municipal waste be reduced, sorted, recycled, composted, digested, turned into fuel or just incinerated, in fact any solution to avoid the fines and taxes has some attractions. The problem has been that, when faced with all these imperatives, the choice of solutions used to be limited from an even smaller pool of waste companies, many wedded to years of successful landfilling.

Government has also moved on from using a stick to oblige diversion and recycling and has now created new carrots to encourage the greenest solutions. The renewables obligations order pays extra money to those waste projects which are the most energy efficient, such as combined heat and power. It is not just municipal waste which has come under scrutiny from Government.

For years packaging has been subject to recycling obligations and new obligations have been imposed upon the construction industry to recycle on site, and on electrical and electronic equipment manufacturers and sellers through the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive. Government has also encouraged other industries, such as the manufacture and sale of food, clothing, carpets, textiles and batteries, to be ever more sustainable and green.

According to Biffa, a leading contractor in the 1990’s, the top six waste companies held about 16% of the overall

Now many councils, when going out to procure, are faced with a wide variety of options, be it mass burn incineration, gasification, pyrolysis, an anaerobic digestion or fuel manufacture and fuel use in separate solutions sometimes involving combined heat and power. This range of solutions adds complexity to the procurement process and increases costs all-round.

Whilst the big and immediate challenges are being addressed, the convergence of Waste and Energy Policies will inevitably see new challenges and opportunities for district heating, combined heat and power, and a drive for ever higher levels of recycling. Whilst direct comparisons with the best EU performers are always questioned, the UK still has some way to go to approach the standards of the best and it will be interesting to see how the new financial environment and reduced public spending impact on improvements during this decade.  ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Climate Change and the Changing Face of Regulation

UKELA Annual Conference Exeter University 25th â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 27th June 2010 Hear about the work of the Infrastructure Planning Commission, the negotiations at Copenhagen and from the regulators on applying civil penalties. The UKELA 2010 conference will gather leading speakers from the public and private sectors on todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hot topics. Open to non-members.

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ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

7

Environment Agency prosecutions CASE 1: Shropshire farmer fined for slurry pollution

CASE 4: Second offence for rendering plant

Recently, Robert John Henderson, of Much Wenlock, Shropshire pleaded guilty to two charges relating to the pollution of a tributary of the Lakehouse Brook. The 54year-old was fined £4,000 and ordered to pay costs of £4,723.70, along with a victim surcharge of £15. An officer inspected the yard area of Mr Henderson’s farm and saw a pool of brown liquid that smelt of slurry. The liquid was running across the yard and into the brook. Tests showed that the liquid was seven times more polluting than raw sewage.

Waste water from an animal rendering plant grossly polluted the Catchwater Drain in Lincolnshire for 5.5 kilometres resulting in a £13,500 fine for the company responsible.Lincoln Magistrates’ Court heard that it was the second time A Hughes and Son (Skellingthorpe) Ltd had been prosecuted by the Environment Agency for a similar offence. The last time was in September 2007.The company pleaded guilty to polluting the drain in November 2008 and was ordered to pay full Environment Agency costs of £5,000.

CASE 2: Welshpool farmer had a pig of a day in court

CASE 5: Hefty fine for unlicensed waste carrier

On the 16th February, Elwyn Gwyn Lewis of Mount Street, Welshpool pleaded guilty at Welshpool Magistrates Court to one charge relating to polluting the Cyfronydd Brook.

Mr Lewis was fined £8,000 and ordered to pay costs of £6,884.46, along with a £15 victim surcharge. The Environment Agency officers attended Welshpool to inspect a tributary of the Afon Banwy, after a report of pollution by a local resident. A water sample was taken from the brook and showed that the water quality was poor. Investigations continued at Hydan Fawr, Cyfronydd. Slurry and dirty water from a nearby pig farm were seen pooling in a field. A large area of land was heavily contaminated with pig slurry and dirty water which was flowing into the Cyfronydd Brook.

On the 9th February, John Davis of Smite Caravan Site pleaded guilty at Kidderminster Magistrates’ Court to one charge related to carrying scrap metals illegally. The 27year-old could have easily avoided the charge by registering as a waste carrier at a cost of £152 for three years. Anyone that carries controlled waste for profit is required to do so. For the Environment Agency, Kiran Cassini told the court that on 27 May 2009 a police motorcyclist of the West Mercia Force Road Police Unit observed a vehicle carrying an assortment of scrap metals on the A456 Stourbridge Road, Hagley. The scrap included motor vehicle panels, a dish washer and a gas fire. The vehicle was stopped and the driver identified himself as John Davis and confirmed he was not registered as a waste carrier.

Mr Davis also told the police that he was aware of the need to have a waste carrier certificate.

CASE 3: Waste offence fine for food supplier Asiana Limited, a supplier and retailer of ethnic food products, based in Nottingham, has been ordered to pay over £8,000 in fines and costs after failing to comply with packaging regulations.The company pleaded guilty to nine charges between 2006 and 2008 that related to not registering with the Environment Agency, failing to meet its recycling obligations and for not producing a certificate of compliance during those years. The charges were brought under the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 2005 and 2007. It was estimated that the company had avoided costs of £4,575 by its non-compliance with the regulations.

CASE 6: Egg producer fined £8,000 Duck egg producer Alan Twell has recently been fined £8,000 and ordered to pay full costs of £4,917 after pleading guilty to grossly polluting the Mallard Hurn Drain, Donington, Spalding with liquid waste and slurry. Spalding Magistrates’ Court also ordered him to pay full compensation of £669 for work to reduce the impact of pollution to the South Forty Foot Drain.The pollution came to light in July 2009 when there had been reports to the Environment Agency of a fish kill in the drain.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Far left: Katrina Pierce Left: Martin Baxter

Katrina Pierce, IEMA The recent economic meltdown has not been kind to much of the UK workforce, or out-of-workforce as the case may be. Even now, when we are apparently emerging from recession, the number of people in the UK claiming Job Seekers’ Allowance has now hit 1.64 million, the highest figure since 1997.

The environmental industry also came under pressure with redundancies in consultancies and some practitioners experienced pay freezes and even cuts.

But as Government is making a move towards a low carbon and resource efficient future, it is becoming more evident that green jobs and skills are key to the stability of the economy as well as the protection of the environment.

Stimulating demand for green skills and mainstreaming them throughout all sectors of the economy and at all levels of decision-making in business is a key recommendation from the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA).

Green jobs and skills But as Government is making a move towards a low carbon and resource efficient future, it is becoming more evident that green jobs and skills are key to the stability of the economy as well as the protection of the environment.

Stimulating demand for green skills and mainstreaming them throughout all sectors of the economy and at all levels of decision-making in business is a key recommendation from the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA) As well as the requirement for a green skills “champion” to fully promote the green jobs agenda, the Environmental Audit Committee’s (EAC) report also stressed the need for action on green jobs to be directly linked to achieving legally binding carbon reduction targets in key sectors.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Highlighting the importance of mainstreaming environmental knowledge, the report states “A body to lead the green skills agenda must be found and low-carbon skills need to be integrated through the whole skills delivery system to encourage behavioural change across the entire economy.” The report also declared that: “...a more general green skills set will be required to provide the entire economy with resource efficiency and leadership skills needed as the economy moves to more sustainable patterns of production and consumption”.

In his evidence to the EAC Martin Baxter, IEMA’s Executive Director – Policy, noted a “failure to recognise and support the mainstreaming of environmental knowledge and skills; a skills delivery framework that is ill-equipped to deal with the cross-cutting nature of environmental knowledge and skills; a business support system that is unlikely to engage companies in resource efficiency and low-carbon activity and therefore misses opportunities to stimulate demand; and a failure to align skills development with new environmental policy and regulatory initiatives”.

Post-inquiry, Martin believes that the future isn’t just focussed on environmental jobs as they currently exist.

“Green jobs and skills will be vital in the transition to a low carbon and resource efficient economy. This agenda isn’t just about creating new green jobs, important though they are, it is about ensuring that all jobs are being undertaken in a much greener way.”

Martin continues, “The current skillset of the UK workforce, as regards the environment, is very fragmented and obviously there needs to be leadership in stimulating demand for new technology to enable a low carbon economy by 2020 – we welcome this. But the biggest part is, of course, in unlocking the awareness and the demand for green skills from businesses themselves. When business gets the bug then this will drive the agenda,” he says. 

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However, before the role of green jobs transforms to accommodate all other areas of work and business and really starts to get an appetite for the environmental agenda, it is perhaps prudent to assess how the profession currently stands.

IEMA’s membership, populated by environmental leaders and practitioners worldwide, has shown definite growth despite the difficult economic circumstances; during 2009 alone IEMA gained more than 2,900 new individual and corporate members, taking its total membership to just over 15,000. Using this growth and the recent economic turmoil as a base, the end of 2009 was an opportune time to ask today’s environmental professionals about their experiences of the profession. IEMA, in association with The ENDS Report, carried out an extensive survey of environmental professionals in November and December 2009. The results were published in mid-February 2010 and demonstrate the challenges, and also the benefits, of a career in this complex yet rewarding field. The information gleaned also provides an overview essential not only to Government and business but also to those individuals who are yet to become part of the green jobs growth. Here we see a sample of the results and how we can define what one can expect from a career as an environmental practitioner.

Happy in their jobs It seems that because of the growing importance of green jobs and despite the pressures of the recession, environENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

mental professionals are largely happy in their jobs according to the survey. When asked about their feelings towards their current job, one third of respondents said “I really enjoy it”, and a further 36% described themselves as “content” in their jobs. Only one in ten said they were ‘not very happy’ and a further 2% said they ‘dislike’ their current role.

That environmental professionals feel largely contented and motivated in their jobs is further evidenced by the finding that four in five have a sense of being able to make an environmental difference within their organisation.

Encouragingly, an even greater proportion (86%) feel they are able to make an environmental difference to society, given their professional skills.

The level of positive feeling towards their jobs perhaps correlates with the median salary for today’s environmental professional. The survey found that 81% of respondents are earning over £25,000, with half of those earning £40,000 or more. The average wage for the UK in 2009 was £25,428, so even environmental professionals at the very bottom of the £25,000-£29,999 band are enjoying a favourable salary.

IEMA members in the Republic of Ireland, North of Scotland and the South East of England regions are earning the most, earning between £35,000 and £39,999. All other areas of the UK and Ireland are typically earning a smaller salary, between £30,000 and £34,999 per year. Those in financial and insurance show the highest earnings on £50,000 to £54,999, over 50% more than those members who work 

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ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

in the international organisation and administrative and support services groups, who are the lowest earners. The survey also shows a clear progression according to pay and age. Environmental practitioners aged 20 to 24 are likely to earn between £20,000 and £24,999 where there highest earnings are aged between 45 and 54, earning up to £44,999.

However, despite these healthy salaries and as a reminder of the recession, more than a third of the respondents had their pay frozen and a further 6% had their pay review deferred. Of the remainder, a fifth received a pay rise of 2% or less in 2009. Almost three quarters (73%) of environmental professionals saw their pay stagnate or fall last year. One in ten enjoyed a pay rise of 3-4%, but only a handful saw their pay rise by more than this.

Knowledge, Skills and Tools Martin Baxter believes that the survey results indicate that environmental practitioners are poised to transform the economy but need the appropriate knowledge, skills and tools to effect change. “Throughout 2009 Government signalled its intent to stabilise the UK economy by shifting to a resource efficient and low carbon future. Environmental professionals are uniquely placed to drive this transformation and support industry to understand, plan and implement the required roadmap.”

provides a snap-shot of the environmental profession as it is today. Overall, a key message coming from the survey is the enduring value, both from a career and salary point of view, of achieving high levels of professional recognition.”

The full report of the survey (available at www.iema.net) shows that the traditional role of the environmental professional is one of operational rigour, ensuring that impact is effectively monitored and managed. While this rigour must remain, our profession’s collective challenge is to ensure that environmental professionals have a meaningful strategic voice, one that is heard at the highest levels and considered in all areas of decision making.

Overall, a key message is one of enduring value, both from a career and salary point of view, and of achieving high levels of professional recognition.

The move towards a low carbon and resource efficient economy needs competent practitioners to make a real difference. This survey shows that those practitioners are out there and the rewards are available to those who wish to progress and make the low carbon transition effective.

But above all we can see that, through the work IEMA is doing, the environment can begin weaving its way into all levels of business and economy once all practitioners are equipped with the correct knowledge, skills and tools for an effective future. 

“The IEMA Environmental Practitioners’ Survey 2010

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Managing resources efficiently has long been a key driver for businesses, and with continually increasing pressure for improving environmental performance combined with the demands of an economic recovery, the need for innovation in environmental technologies and sharing of best practice in sustainability is at an all-time high.

This is echoed by Stephanie Wray, Managing Director of Hyder Environment, speaking about their sponsorship of Sustainabilitylive! 2010:

“Hyder Environment is proud to announce our support for Sustainabilitylive! once again, this year as headline sponsor of the event. As part of a leading advisory and design consultancy with particular specialisation in the environment, water, energy, transport, property, industry and resources sectors, we feel that Sustainabilitylive! provides a highly appropriate forum for the exchange of ideas and an ideal environment to get closer to our clients.

Contracts secured as a direct result of our involvement with last year’s show bear out the fact that legislative, policy and corporate responsibility drivers are resulting in organisations having a greater focus on issues of sustainability and the triple-bottom line as we climb out of recession. It is a differentiator for our clients and sound economic sense.”

Taking place at the NEC Birmingham on 20-22 April 2010, Sustainabilitylive! is the UK’s most comprehensive gathering for the water, environment, energy, land and sustainability sectors. Bringing together decision makers from large multinationals, SMEs and the public sector, along with hundreds of exhibitors, thousands of visitors and a host of insightful seminars, conferences and interactive features. Sustainabilitylive! is home to five leading environment events:

National Energy Management Exhibition (NEMEX) NEMEX is the UK’s largest and longest-running exhibition and networking event for the energy and renewables industries, providing a forum for the latest innovations and solutions in energy management systems and energy efficient technologies.

Alongside a packed exhibition hall featuring 70 of the biggest and best names in energy, NEMEX will also host not one, but two seminar theatres, highlighting the importance of the energy sector in responding to today’s business challenges.

Sessions range from standards and legislation, through energy in buildings to energy management and demand response, renewables and co-generation along with behavioural change.

Environmental Technology (ET) ET is the UK’s largest gathering of suppliers for environmental best practice solutions, offering systems ranging from air pollution control through to waste management. Of the 7,725 people visiting Sustainabilitylive! in 2009, more than 40% were specifically seeking environmental solutions, making ET the best market place for both buyers and suppliers.

Running alongside the exhibition will be three separate days of seminars dedicated to addressing issues challenging the sector. Advantage West Midlands, who along with 11 other industry bodies are supporting ET, will take charge of the seminar programme for one day. Air Pollution Day will take an in-depth look at the latest developments and innovations in abatement and control, and the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership will run another one-day seminar programme, adjacent to the green transport area, a new focus for Sustainabilitylive! 2010.

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

International Water and Effluent Exhibition (IWEX) IWEX continues to stand as the UK’s largest water and effluent gathering, attracting an even larger share of Sustainabilitylive! visitors, with close to 50% looking for water solutions, and buying or specifying products and technology from separation to storage and all stages in between.

British Water, in association with IWEX, will be running a two-day summit – Working in a Changing Water Industry – discussing the challenges facing the industry today. Day One will focus on the UK market, with topics including innovation, procurement strategy, carbon footprinting, and impact on the supply chain, while Day Two will look at the international perspective, with water scarcity, risk management and market selection all on the agenda.

Brownfield Expo (BEX) BEX is the UK’s national event for contractors, land users, environmental consultants and influencers from both public and private sectors, and a meeting place for specifiers and providers of contaminated land solutions and remediation technologies.

BEX also hosts a seminar programme covering all the latest developments in legislation and innovation affecting the sector, featuring hot topics such as in-situ land remediation, rapid testing, soil washing and flood management, along with a session dedicated to skills and training.

Sustainable Business – The Event (SB) This high level snapshot of the response of business leaders to the climate change agenda, organised in partnership with Sustainable Business (SB) magazine, will feature topical panel sessions and speakers from well-known end users, providing experience reports. Themes include lessons from Copenhagen, corporate strategy, reporting sustainability, travel and transport, effective communications, environmental footprints and climate change regulation – threat or opportunity?

The Environment and Energy Awards - With 11 categories covering key areas in the environment, land, energy and sustainability sectors, the Environment and Energy Awards are a real showcase for the best in sustainable business practice. Highlights include the ESTA-sponsored Energy Manager of the Year, and the NEMEX Renewables Innovation Award, sponsored by British Gas Business.  Sign up today To register for free attendance and get up-to-the-minute news on exhibitors and the features programme, or to exhibit, visit www.sustainabilitylive.com or call +44 (0) 20 8651 7106.

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EXHIBITOR INDEX Visit PMP on stand C1

Visit us at stand N48

Visit us at Stand B26 in the IWEX area

Tel: 0161 232 7465

FreePhone: 08000 937 936

Email: info@ground-gassolutions.co.uk

E-Mail: Info@clearwater.eu.com

Walter Meier will feature its ‘Concept to Care’ programme at this years Sustainabilitylive! on stand Q25 T: 0871 663 0664 E: uk.climate@waltermeier.com W: www.waltermeier.com

Come and visit us at stand N15

www.pmp-ltd.co.uk

t: 0845 601 4723 f: 0845 601 4724 www.powerperfector.com

The world’s leading provider of industrial ecology solutions to business.

Stand: K65, Sustainable Business – The Event www.greenstonecarbon.com E: info@greenstonecarbon.com T: 020 3031 4000

Visit Optima at stand T20

Visit us at stand AWM40 Tel: +44 (0) 1756 702 488 Fax: +44 (0) 1756 702 489 E-mail: info@optimaenergy.net

T: 0121 433 2660 F: 0121 433 2661 E: info@international-synergies.com

Visit us at Stand: AWM13

Visit Pera at stand F60

www.auralight.com

www.pera.com

Come and visit us at Hall 3, stand AWM 114

Visit us at stand number P25

“For Pipeline Commissioning Equipment and Services”

See us at stand number P65 www.lighthouse.uk.com

See us at stand Q33 www.hydrohire.com www.excelpipelines.com

Cognoscenti Compliance T: 0161 928 6663 E: info@cognoscenti.biz W: www.cognoscenti.biz

Stand C26

Tel: 0113 237 8400 www.co2sense.org.uk

Aquabio provides water and wastewater treatment and reuse for industrial and municipal applications and is the UK’s leading supplier of industrial membrane bioreactors and leader in industrial wastewater reuse.

Independent Supplier and Manufacturer of Standard and Bespoke AC or DC UPS Power Solutions

Boart Longyear offer innovative drilling solutions in the form of Rota-Sonic drilling to achieve, amongst other advantages, at or 100% core recovery in the majority of soil and rock formations.

Stand number H45

Stand Number: K17 T. 01908 565656 E. enquiries@hsups.co.uk W. harlandsimonups.com

Stand No. K50 Visit us at stand B27

+44 (0) 1276 697 999 +44 (0) 1276 697 696 uk.nowisthetime@sgs.com www.uk.sgs.com/ssc

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

t +44 (0)1462 450591 e enquiries@bqms.co.uk w www.bqms.co.uk

Asset International Ltd is a water management solutions provider that manufactures Weholite structured wall pipes in diameters up to 3500mm for the construction industry.

You can visit Asset in Hall 3B at stand G5 at Iwex.

Visit us at stand AWM45 Visit Kirk Environmental at

Stand H20 in the IWEX section www.boartlongyear.com sonicdrilling@boartlongyear.com Northern Office: 01259 727780 +44 (0)1282 677966 Southern Office: 01376 585917 www.kirk-environmental.com

Stand No K35 T: F: E: W:

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Stand No: F38 E: info@greenshootsinc.co.uk T: 07703657886 www.greenshootsinc.co.uk

Email: info@stl-ltd.com Tel: +44 (0)24 7642 1213 Fax: +44 (0)24 7685 6575 www.stl-ltd.com

Environment Industry Magazine’s show previews are free to exhibitiors. Call Claire on 0161 3410158 to find out how you can be part of our All-Energy 2010 preview.

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P40 4

M3 3

DETS

GRS

N42 BEX Seminar Theatre

2

N37

3

Adventus

103.5

12

4

3

Landmark Information 4 Group

12

M3

3

ERG

14

4

9

M3

M3

3

10.5

N36

N35

Q33

10.5

Group

6

Cognoscenti Exova Compliance 3

3

3.5 22.5 9

E

5

N38 Mc Ardle

3

3 12

3.5

Ground Gas Solutions 7

12

4

3 12

Q34 4

3.5 Q32

20.25

4.5

6

12

3.5 17.5

Q38 4

M4

Shawcity 4

N48

OHES

27

4.5

ENTRANCE

14

6.75

1.5

N47 3

13.5

4.5

12

R35

Britton Electronics

Cornelsen 6

3

N50 12

Q35

7.5

3.5

N49 3

Regenesis

10.5

3.5

Chemtest 3

3

12

3

R37 R38 7.5

8

P49 3

4

3

P48

13.5

Boart 3 Longyear

5

30

Science 4 City

S36

9

S35

Uni of Birmingham

9

3

6

R40

4.5

P50

3 Essex County Council

Q49

British Geological Survey 12

4

Organic Food 5 Waste Digesters 5 (Europe) Ltd

12

Renewable Energy Supply Chain Opportunities (RESCO)

9

2

Q48 3

9

3

3

S40 Retsch 4

12

3

9

Ribble 3

4

4.5

2.5

Q50

Nott' Uni

7.5

R42 R45 Ashtead LESNI Technology 3

AWM180

AWM23 AWM25 3 92

32.5

6.5

3 AWM170 3 Geotech 9

3

3

3

3

2 Q52

Q45 3

3 12

9

6

21

Networking

S52

3 3

Clean

6

3

AWM30 OIL Skimmers Ltd

4

Environmental Water Times

3 9

12

3

3

14.5

3

Turnkey 3 Instruments

3

6

AWM125 AWM130 Excel Redwing Environmental Waste Services 9 9

AWM114

Keele University 9

2

2 R50 R46

EIC

S53

9

AWM135

AWM85

3

S55 S50

9

6

6

3 3 3 AWM145 AWM150 2.5 2 SAL Ltd TGC Pro 3 6 Recycling Enviro

11.5

ET Seminar Theatre

11.5

3 9

2.5 3

AWM80

AWM27 AWM35

X40 5

3

9

3

AWM40 International 3 Synergies19.5

X46 Peugeot

AWM75 2 Ecoteric

Wedge Galveranizing

Midland Assembly Network

10.5

AWM55

6.5

ENTRANCE

12

Peugeot

9

Systems / Brofind 7 Spa

3.5

3 3 AWM70 AWM100 Odour Services International

11.5

AWM53 Multi Fan

2

4

11.5

X44

3 15

5

W40

Peugot 14

3

STL

3

9

2.5

3

X50

Peugeot

2

12

3

2.5

Birmingham Chmaber of Commerce

10.5

4.5

3.5

X48 4

AWM45

EIS

4

6.5

2.5

3 AWM60

3 RE: Think2

6

W50

19.5

Luhrfilter Ltd

2.5

Ltd

3

Cabled Group

3.5

3

W55 AWM50 AWM49 2.5 AWM57

2 LowCVP LED UK 6 6

3

X60 3

3

3

Hydrogen Fuel Cell Vehicles 19.5

4.5

6.5

X65 3

3.5

3

9

X28 Riva Global

15

2

7

3

V19

STC 4 4 ENER-G Energy

31.5

12

3.5

4

8

3.5

3

3.5

V20

T-Mac 4 SenseLogix Technologies 18

14

3

4.5

5

4

U24 Thermozone Ltd

14

4

4

European Lamp Group

3

ENTRANCE

3

3

4

3.5

Q30

MW Zander

S25

20

13.5

Danlers

3

3 18

6

4

5

P30

2.5

5

5 7.5

1.44 m²

Optipro Ltd

12.5

2

15

37.5

Claude Lyons

4

11

BIU

6

eSightenergy

31.5

10

30

2.5

9

5

25

N31 N28 N27

P25

6

5

5

30

30

2.5

6

M3

ASL Holdings

Eco Cooling

17.5

Summit Skills

5

N29 N30

P27

Enigin 5

Q25 Q23 Walter Meier 6 Air Con

R25

16.5

2 Invisible Systems Ltd 2 12

24

6

3.5

3.5

3.5

16.5

4

Q27

R27 R28

13.5

12

3

21

T25

Waterscan 15

3.5

Kamstrup

5

4

12

4

R29

1.44 m² 10.5

S26 S27

Ambirad Group

8

NCS Cumbria

10.5

AWM22

Talbotts Biomass Generators Ltd

6

3

12

AWM19

6

S30 S28

EJ Bowman

7.5

Aura 3 Lamps 3 ISO Covers 3 9 Ltd 9 U26

U25

4

AWM5

GMC Instrumentation

6

AWM17

56

W25 W26

3

3.5

ENERGY BAR

Emu 3 Systems

2 AWM10

2

3.5

12

7

Apex

Wardell Engineers6 Armstrong 9 AWM13

4.5

7

W28

3 10.5

Intelligent Sines

3 1.44 m²

4.5

W27

Buderus 9

9

5

Haven 4 Power

14

Tenmat

X27

3 3 AWM20 AWM15

8

V15

W30

Galliford Try

5.5

X26 3

3

W29 4 Renewables

3.5

3.5

3.5

9

5.5

3

X29 X30 Panorama

3 Antennas

5

3

V30

12

NEMEX SEMINAR THEATRE

12

3

3

10.5

3

4 18

W17 Progressive Media

6

78

12 14

NEMEX SEMINAR 12 THEATRE

W18

20

2.5

4

T19 T20

Metering Technology

4

U18 Fluke UK

PRI

6

96

2.5

8

3 Agri-Pellets

18

U15

21

2.5

3.5

TEAM Optima Energy (EMM Management 4 Ltd)12 12

S19 S20 6 12

15

2.5

EIBI

3

13.5

3

4 Holophane

9

Steinel 4 3 Ltd 12

3

Schneider Electrics

3

18

18

3

12

12

2.5

6

R16 R14

S15 S16

Sabien

15

2.5

Q20 Q17

Green Green Energy Energy 6 Options (eu) Ltd 18

4 12

6

3

P21

Marshall Tufflex 6 Energy

R15

Wind Direct

2

6

Spirotech 6

9

3

18

3

7.5

P20

45

3

P17

6

45

N15

npower

7

6

M1

powerPerfector

6

Watford Control 38.5

12.25

2.5

7.5

M2

Monodraught

15

McDermott Publishing 12.25

6

N20 6

P15

P19

27

Q15 Llumarlite / Beba Energy UK

7.5

Food Industry 5 Tech

Bglobal

5

30

4

10.5

T15 T16 5

12

S17 S18

EECO2

9

R20 R18

4 TRUREAD Enercom 4

T17 T18

9

U16

Siemens Sinergy 6 Metering 6 Ltd Services

Morgan 5 Hope

15

3

U19 U20 Energy 9

W21

4.5

3

6.5

EBM Papst

3

3

5.5

W19 W20 Senergy 6

3

3.5

X19

Savawatt

3

3

3.5

3.01

Econnect

6

3

3.5

Y11

ENTRANCE

4.5

2

3.5

5.5

4

5

45

3

7.5

3

3 4

Y1

ESA 7.5

3

X3

5

W7

Abbey Publishing

10

3.5

W5

Energy Institute

7.5

12.5

4.5

W3

5.5

W1

Plexus

8.75

11.25

2.5

V1

V5

EEL 13.75

6.25

4

4

U5

4

U1

ESTA 10

T5 10

NEMEX

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

4

4

T1

Minimise

10

10

S5 Save It Easy (Energys) 10

3

2.5

R5

S1

ABE 7.5

2.5

R6 R1

5

4

Q5

Sheilds Pilot RadioTech EcotranslateEnvironmental Metering 6.25 6.25 12.5 7.5

Q1Carlo Gavazzi 10

3 2.5

2.5

3

P7 3

P5

P1

Aeolus Cummins 9

4

12

Excalibur 3 LPA 15

N5 3

G.W.E

3 12

UKT & I Networking Office

VISIT ENTR

ustainabilitylive!

20th - 22nd April 2010 NEC, Birmingham, Halls 3 & 3a

HALL 3A

1.44 m²

K60

M65

Colour Studios

Media4Change

BRE Training

3

3

3

3

9

12

6

4

K65 1.44 m²

9

2.5

2

11.25

3.5

ENDS 26.99

K51 Groundwork

K48

K50

BSI

M37

3.5

Green House 3 Hotel 13.5 13.5

M41 3

M35

ERG Air Pollution Control

M36

4 Kingdom Ltd

3

NQA

5

6

25.5

H47

G37

25.5

H454.25

emapsite

EPS Group / Conder Solutions

12

3

3

3

C65 C67 B60 B65 A60

C60 Marsh

Pollution Solutions

Industries

1.44 m²

12

4

BPMA SBWWI

9

4

3

9

9

3

4

6

2

2.5

D50

6

9

3

3

6

6

5

6

12

3

Parsons Brinckerhoff 24

Reserved

4

3

2

4

Environmental Sustainability 4 KTN

12

4

4

Hyder Consulting

20

8

6.5

C40

FHG / Press Office

A50 6

6 8

6

3 9

3

3

3

3

36

6

2.5

6

B38 B40

IWEX SEMINAR 12 12 THEATRE

A40

Cable Detection

6

18

18

Haigh

12

B35

12

48

D40 4

6

Nomenca Ltd 6

Balmoral Tanks 4

84

8

9

9

6.5

6

4 32

5

9

19.5

D45

FHG / VIP 12 Speakers 12 Lounge

3

Technik 4

3

6

2 3

B47 B48

6

4

3

5

20

F37 CSo

F35

24.5

3.5

4.5

4

F38

Green Shoots Inc Ltd

4

CA G35

27

24

16

4

7

CO2 Sense 6 Yorkshire

3

E40

3

C45

36

24

3

B49 B50

3 19.5

6

Crossover to IWEX 7 4

4

G36

18

3

3

3

F40 Scott Wilson Ltd

6.5

C50

3

3

2

F39

15

Envac

6

14

3.5

4.5

E49 E50

9

6

4

3

G40

40.84

13.5

4.5

3

3 12

42.5

K37

SGS United

VCA

13.5

4.5

3

8.5

3

H51

6

5.25

D63 D65

Water Water Active 13.5 Aid 9

9

3

3

WRAP

9

8

1.5

Team Logic

4.25

H50

8.66

K35

13.5

13.5

K39

4

F50

Geomatics Group

3 4.25

3

BSI

Ten Alps

12

4

3

4

F49

4.5

16

1.44 m²

M34

M38

3

3

4.5

13.5

13.5

3

3

E65 D60

3

F47 F46 F45

2.5

5.77

IEMA

E60 3

9

3

3 Eurocarb SocEnv CEDREC 3 184

4 7.5

University 9

12

K40

M40

Enablon

2

12

3.5

3

3

8

10.5

4.5

4.5

M39

SB CONFERENCE THEATRE

5.5

3 Cranfield Blackmores 3 Uni

15.75

Pera

3

4

K49

Environmental Innovations 7

F60 F65 The Open

3

3

4 3.5

3

M45

6

1.44 m²

4.5

4

4.5

M50

3

12

3 4.5

M49

16

H63

Greenstone Carbon Management

11.5

n bility

11.5

66 M68

Roller Shutters

SB

78

24

36

ENTRANCE

6

7

72

6

6

3

4.5

15

British Gas

11

Trant Electrical

99

5

E-Tech Group Ltd

6

4.5

3

4.5

27

1.44 m²

16

F27

5

4

7

6

Bluewater Bio

GE Analytical

C30

E25

28

5

British Water

4

Envirolink North West

6

42

9

5 42.5

20

32

5

C25

MSE Hiller

5

15

4

Water Fischer Technology List 12.25 10.5

5

24

3

14

6

Oxford Hydrotechnics

4

6

12

3

9

A25 A26

Clearwater Technology

Cobra

12

3

Aeon

9

B25 B26

3

3.5

4 12

A28

A27

VAAS 3 3 Eco

9

C26

30

3

Reserved

RCF 4 4 Bolt & Nut Ltd 12

B27 B28

Syddal Aquabio 4 4 Engineering 4 Limited Ltd

3

A31 A30

22.75

C28

C27

D30

Pruftechnik Ltd

3

B30

Ecosse Global Ltd / Aquatel (UK) Ltd 1.44 m²

6

36

E26

Krohne Ltd

8

8.5

6

D31

Envirolink North West

6

6.5

6

E31

F25

Cla-val UK Ltd

36

2.5

3

24

G25

WEG Electric Motors (UK) 6 LTD

15

27

3

4

F31

Ashbrook Simon 6 Hartly

6

H25 H26

18

9

4

F30

42.5

Steelway 6

6 Systems

Atlas Copco

5

15

K25 K26

11

G30

3.5

Bosta 5 UK

Wireless 55 Innovation 1.44 m²

4

G27

4.5

H30

3.5

5

8.5

3

K30

3.5

3

K29

3.5

9

M30

12

Reid 4 4 Lifting Ltd 12

3

3

4 12

3

3

K23 1.44 m² 4

3 13.5

9

22.5

12

21

SITORS TRANCE

4.5

5.5 49.5

9

Power CLYDEUNION 6 Plastics 13.5

3

27

3

Technolog / Utilitec Services Limited

6

F15

H&S Utilities

7

51

8.5

18

10.5

14

Speedy

3

59.5

8.5

56

3

8

C18 IoW

Amazon Filters 10

C15 6

3

4

5

2

2

7

36

2

6

2.5

12.5

4

FPZ

2

A19 Aquarius

24

Marine 6

3

3.22

3

16

28

2.5

3

6

Hydro Hire

6

B10

Sarco 7 Stopper

Weidmuller Ltd

A20

6

A17

Hyram Engineering Co 4 4 Ltd 24

C16

3 21

3

Stonbury Ltd

C17

18

Reserved

6

E15

6

B15 19.5

D15

4

3 Canadian Clear

7

3

4

E18

18

E17

T- T Pumps

7

6.5

C19

20

40

20

3

3

4.5

7

6

3

D20 D22

Castings Amiantit Services 5 Global Saxlund 6 International Marine 6 6 Service Group Systems GmbH

ABB

5

G15

30

H15

K15

K10 UKTI

5

6

Munters 4

K17

3 Harland Simon

58.5

Kirk

6 Environmental

3

E20 E19

F20

SEW Eurodrive 5 Ltd

W7TER Limited

4

3

8

G17

G20

H17

2.7

SeSys Ltd9

Katronic Technologies

4

4.5

5

H20

2

3

4

8.5

4.5 6.5

6.5

Powerstar

M15 5.5

3.5

K19 K20

8.5

9

M20

DRILLING & TAPPING

3 6

6

K5 3

4.5

H5 Statiflo

3

3

G1

3 Future Water Ltd

AMT Systems 3

18

6

5

18

13.5

F5 3 Forward Industrial

Products Group Ltd 15

3

3

F1 ITS Europe

9

3

3

E7 E5 Biogas Products 9

Automated Water & Effluent Ltd

9

Envirolink: Arvia Technology atg UV Technology Peak 42 Nijhuis Water Treatment Aeolus Technology Flotech Nivus Perceptive Engineering

D1

Waterco SURVEY 2 CAD 9

British Water: Northey Technologies Ltd Gas Data Ltd Orica Water Care

8

6

E1

E3 3

6

4

12

Water Industry Forum 15

C1

3

PMP

3

1.39

136

16

2.65

24 1.44 m²

Water Industry Forum: Powerun Project Management Limited water@leeds - University of Leeds Uk Pipelines.com Limited

2.98

1.44 m²

IWEX

VISITORS ENTRANCE

floorplan is correct as of 15 February 2010 ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

NOTES

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

THE RENEWABLES SHOW IN THE ENERGY CITY

10th year

All-Energy 2010 – the UK’s largest renewable energy exhibition and conference – looks forward to welcoming you as an exhibitor or visitor. 5,500 people from 60 countries attended All-Energy ’09 with its 380+ exhibiting companies from 14 countries and more than 250 conference speakers.

The major exhibition features technology across the full range of renewable energy devices; and the free-to-attend conference looks at issues and challenges facing the industry and at renewable energy sources from multi-million pound offshore projects to microgeneration.

Networking opportunities abound.

Be there!

Regularly updated information on all aspects of the show at

www.all-energy.co.uk ABERDEEN 19/20 MAY 2010

Has the plethora of green-building requirements become detrimental to a construction industry in recession? Perhaps, but with the right technology, it is possible to be creative, cut costs and comply with EU regulations, says Pete Baxter of Autodesk Oh what a tangled web we weave, when trying to conform to changing building regulations – and simultaneously to win business, cut costs, design sustainably and still give free reign to creativity. Today’s architects – and indeed the entire construction industry – face unprecedented and often conflicting challenges, with many undoubtedly wishing that the big reality checks on global warming and the global economy had not coincided.

Eighteen months ago, sustainability was an issue fondled warmly by architectural opinion leaders; over the last year, it has been surpassed by the economic woes that have caused much of the construction industry to recalibrate into survival mode. But that hasn’t made the sustainability imperative go away and new regulations proliferate.

Legislative changes throughout Europe are attempting to reduce the pollution generated – and energy consumed – by the construction industry. With its goal of 20% energy reduction by 2020, the EU’s Energy Performance of Buildings Directive will have a major impact on the architects who must design to meet its requirements. The EPBD was modified last year to include building renovations – a kind of green makeover – and it is thought that from 2019, all new buildings must be zero carbon. In the UK alone, the Code for Sustainable Homes has stipulated a code of sustainability ratings for domestic buildings and changes to ‘Part L’ of the building regulations make further stipulations about the performance of certain construction materials – and these changes are unlikely to be the last.

Because the goalposts keep moving, governments are struggling to put in place timeframes for compliance and many in the construction community – even those who are keen to go green – are finding it hard knowing where to start. But it is now, more than ever, that the construction industry should look to technology as their saviour, given the ability of the latest 3D design tools to help cut costs and incorporate sustainability from the very concept stage of a project.

The power of BIM Although many architects are aware of the efficiencies made possible by using building information modelling (BIM) technology, fewer will know about the significant role it plays in helping to drive sustainable design. The ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

foundation of BIM is a single model dataset, where all data relating to the project is stored and used from the earliest stages of design. It’s a concept that came out of the architectural and construction communities some time ago and has been widely used to good effect in enhancing collaboration in large multidisciplinary projects.

But there is more to it than that.

An integrated BIM workflow – the cornerstone of software like the Autodesk Revit® platform – enables architects to use digital information to design, simulate, visualise and manage projects, all before they are built, and – critically – to monitor their performance, improve their usefulness, and extend their useable life. The consequence for architects is that they can reach more informed decisions much earlier in the design process, helping to deliver projects that are green and lean.

Holistic approach Of course, sustainability is not a tangible concept – you don’t feed in a completed design and then press the ‘green’ button. Rather, sustainability begins when a project is first conceived because a green building is one where the consequences of energy, water, materials and land – among others – all contribute to the sustainable end goal, the building must be considered holistically from the start. This helps decision making from the earliest stages.

In the context of the ever-morphing EU regulations, the ability to test out every variable within a design and run infinite ‘what if’ scenarios in the BIM environment means the designer can be totally flexible to regulatory change.

An intelligent BIM-based design allows – even encourages – experimentation without risk. Bold ideas can be tested and tweaked, or abandoned, before any resources are committed.

The Sainsbury’s advantage One early champion of BIM and its contribution to sustainable design are architects Stride Treglown, who last year created Sainsbury’s pioneering Dartmouth store.

Built largely with recycled or recyclable materials and incorporating its own biomass boiler, interactive sensored lighting, rainwater lavatories and wind-turbine powered checkouts, this prototype sustainable Sainsbury’s store is

Stride Treglown images thanks to Graham Gaunt – Photowork

Sustainability decluttered a triumph of eco achievement. And what started as an experiment may well become a template.

As a result of incorporating sustainability into every aspect of the design, construction and operation of their inaugural low-carbon store, Sainsbury’s will reduce its C02 emissions by 40% and will cut the amount of energy it consumes from the national grid by 50%. It is hoped that this extraordinary retail project will be the forerunner of lowcarbon Sainsbury’s stores throughout the country.

Intuitive technology As Stride Treglown found, armed with BIM technology, designers can also simulate and analyse the performance of a building over time, allowing lifetime costs to be estimated and changes made to, for example, materials and components, ventilation or lighting systems, construction methods or timings, any of which can be reanalysed until the optimum design is achieved. These intelligent 3D tools give architects and engineers the data to make fundamental decisions about a building’s sustainable characteristics because they can test and evaluate every option that may affect the outcome – not just energy usage but water efficiency, use of daylight or air quality and construction processes, including prefabrication – that can significantly reduce energy wastage and pollution on site.

Because BIM is intuitive, it can be used to help designers understand how a building fits together. By working in a single model environment, designers can quickly produce any number of concepts, arrive at the optimum building and then product a full set of co-ordinated documentation, including a schedule of quantities. This can include, of course, the percentage of recycled materials to be used or the embodied energy in a project. Or they can take it a step further and export it out to analysis to measure the building’s operational performance.

Performance analysis

potential for reducing reliance on powered light.

There will also be implications for heating and cooling the building by changing the materials used, for example, the implications of using photovoltaic panels that take advantage of solar energy. They could assess how much solar radiation is falling onto a building and work out how to mitigate the effects of heat gain. Other tools, like The Autodesk Green Building Studio® web based service, enable fast and accurate whole-building analysis of energy, water and carbon emissions that let users evaluate their own carbon footprint, rather than outsourcing the task.

All of this means that designers will start to get feedback very early in a project, allowing them to adopt the most appropriate façade design or the best orientation on site – all and any of which will contribute to the building’s eventual sustainability. It will also help avoid the contemporary predicament where the architect creates the design and gives it to the M&E engineer, who then has to make it perform better by applying expensive systems to it. In a few years’ time, we’ll be laughing that we ever did it that way.

Sustainability as mainstream Whilst legislation remains in flux, some designers may skip around the sustainability issues, but the time will soon come when they have no option but to work the new way. Today, sustainable construction has evolved from a niche concept to a business reality and soon it will be totally mainstream. All of the major corporations have sustainability strategies which are in the public domain and many well known brands have mandated carbon neutrality throughout their operations within just a few years.

Many forward thinkers in the architectural community are totally focused on sustainability, even using it as a business differentiator and driver – tapping into the issues of biodiversity and ecology in addition to that of energy saving – and before long these will be a given. But those who are nimble enough to combine sustainability with flexibility and efficiency will take some beating. 

Running a performance analysis through software like Ecotect Analysis®, for example, will give the designer an indication of performance at the concept stage. This might include luminance – the daylight levels – that would inform the lighting requirements in a space or the ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Case Study 1

UK’s biggest hydrogen fuel cell to generate greener energy for TfL and LDA

Transport for London and the London Development Agency sign up to 10:10 campaign to cut carbon emissions from head office buildings and save £400,000 off energy bills

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Transport for London (TfL) today launched the UK’s biggest hydrogen fuel cell housed in a building. Based at the Palestra building in Southwark, it will generate cleaner, low carbon energy on site, saving thousands off energy bills.

TfL also jointly announced with the London Development Agency (LDA) that all their head office buildings will participate in the 10:10 campaign, with the aim to reduce carbon emissions by 10% providing an estimated £400,000 in cash savings.

TfL has installed a £2.4 million Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, including the hydrogen fuel cell, at the Palestra building to generate energy locally, cut carbon emissions and save money off energy bills. The building is shared by 2,800 TfL and LDA staff. It is estimated that the fuel cell and power plant will cut carbon emissions by up to 40% and generate £90,000 cost savings per annum. To communicate the benefits of hydrogen and the fuel cell to people passing and visiting the building, a permanent multi-media exhibition display has been created - this will be fuelled by the energy generated on site.

The state of the art hydrogen fuel cell, funded by the £25m TfL Climate Change fund, will provide electricity, heat and cooling to the building. In addition, the building’s hot water supply will be heated by the fuel cell. At times of peak energy use, the building will generate a quarter of its own power, rising to 100% off-peak. The waste heat from power generation will be pumped into a unit on the roof, which will work to keep the building cool and supplement the building’s six electric chillers.

Officially opening the fuel cell and the public exhibition, Kit Malthouse, Chair of the London Hydrogen Partnership and Deputy Mayor of London for policing, said: 'Zero polluting hydrogen fuel has the potential to radically transform the way we power our city to create a more pleasant environment. This isn't a fuel of the future but available right now. To catalyse its use more widely, we are showcasing the technology so others will be inspired to follow our lead.'

TfL and the London Development Agency has also joined City Hall in signing up to the 10:10 campaign, making the pledge to reduce carbon emissions by 10%. TfL’s and the LDA's commitment will apply from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011. An estimated £400,000 will be sliced from head office energy bills in the next financial year as a result of these energy efficiencies, which will be reinvested to fund more energy saving projects.

The 10% reduction in CO2 emissions from Palestra and other TfL’s head office buildings is expected to be delivered through a range of initiatives, which will include: • Solar panels to heat water from cleaner, renewable energy; • Green roofs to boost insulation, help absorb rainwater and boost local ecology; • The replacement of 2,500 lights with more energy efficient parts including high efficiency lamps; • Motion and daylight sensors on lights so lighting will only come on when needed;

• A staff engagement programme from April 2010 to encourage TfL and LDA staff to reduce their energy usage; and • Replacement of around 1,000 halogen lamps with low energy LED lamps that will cut energy by 90% and improve lamp life by 25 times.

The launch of the fuel cell and the 10:10 commitment are just two of a raft of measures that TfL and the LDA has undertaken in order to cut carbon emissions and improve their organisation’s impact on the environment. Improvements in building energy efficiency over the past four years have saved nearly £2m to date.

Andrew Stanton, TfL Head of Sustainable Buildings, said: “Installing the UK’s biggest in-house hydrogen fuel cell and signing up to the 10:10 commitment reinforces TfL’s commitment to cutting carbon and improving our energy efficiency. TfL will continue to drive forward programmes that will result in CO2 reductions and increased fuel efficiency.”

TfL is committed to become more energy efficient, cutting carbon and pollution across its operations. Key measures include the introduction of 56 hybrid buses, with all new buses entering the fleet being hybrid by 2012, and the use of regenerative braking on the Tube which can reduce energy consumption by up to 25%. TfL is also investing millions into programmes and technologies that will deliver a cleaner, greener capital such as a public cycle hire scheme launched later this year, encouraging the uptake of electric vehicles, promoting the benefits of walking and designing a new green bus for the capital. Improvements to London’s public transport services have helped deliver a 6% shift away from the private car since 2000, one of the major contributors to transport related carbon emissions in London.

Emma Strain, Head of Energy Efficiency at the London Development Agency, said: 'The London Development Agency is pleased to sign up to the 10:10 campaign. We are spending £23 million on climate change programmes over the next year to cut London’s carbon pollution and to help put London on track to meet the Mayor’s target of a 60% cut by 2025.

'The pledge to introduce carbon-cutting measures, including solar panels on the roof and a hydrogen fuel cell, was an important part of our decision to move to Palestra. We will be introducing other environmental measures to ensure we cut our carbon pollution by 10% including a focus on cutting waste and paper consumption and cutting energy use.'

Eugenie Harvey, Director of 10:10, said: "London’s transport system is iconic around the world. To keep the trains and buses running on time Transport for London and the London Development Agency employ tens of thousands of people across over thirty offices. Their commitment to reduce their offices emissions by 10% will make a major difference."

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Case Study 2

Ideas in Transit Harnessing the knowledge of crowds is key to a sustainable future Doing more with less is something that most of us are going to have to get used to. Whether that’s in the public purse or our own pockets, the chances are that money is going to get that much scarcer over the coming years. But before that begins to sound too despairing, there is cause for hope. The rise of the professional consumer – or ‘prosumer’ – over the last few years means we’ve also never had a greater opportunity to take hold of our own futures.

Thanks to the Web, especially peer reviews, Wikis, blogs and price comparison sites, we can now dig up every last morsel of detail about a new product or service before handing over our hard-earned cash. But what’s even more interesting about this phenomenon is the fact that

we can now get involved in product and service development in a way that was never possible before: think software, leisure, public services, journalism and transport.

It’s this kind of ‘bottom-up’ or ‘user-innovation’ approach to transport that the ‘Ideas in Transit’ project has been focusing on as part of a five-year initiative. The project, made up of organisations in Government, academia and the business world, aims to influence intelligent transport decisions at policy, social, personal and business levels. It believes that there is a real chance for these often unique transport ideas to make a real difference to how we think and behave, helping to create a more sustainable future whilst at the same time freeing up public and private money from expensive, ‘top-down’ initiatives.

The project has five goals:

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To study the creativity and innovation of users and understand how this may be harnessed to advance intelligent transport systems, like satnavs.

To work out how user innovation can be found, understood and harnessed.

To develop a Wiki portal to catalogue these innovations and enable cross comparison of case studies.

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To focus upon and work with a selected number of innovations.

To promote the findings.

And it is the third of these goals that will be the focus of this regular column in upcoming issues; showcasing one ‘Idea In Transit’, highlighting what is happening at the grass roots and giving these ideas the chance to reach a larger audience.

CycleStreets Created by developers and keen cyclists Simon Nuttall and Martin Lucas-Smith, CycleStreets is a UK wide cycle journey planner ‘designed for cyclists, by cyclists’. It began life as the Cambridge cycle journey planner in 2006 before launching at a national level in March 2009, and has since gone from strength to strength, arguably already offering a better service than similar sites like the TFL’s journey planner.

You can ask for a route by giving postcodes or by simply clicking two points on the map. The site will then offer you a choice of either the fastest, quietest or shortest routes whilst taking into account your confidence as a cyclist on the road. These routes are displayed on the crowd sourced OpenStreetMap map base, with distance, time taken, elevation and route directions calculated. The route is also exportable, which means you can view it as a very impressive looking 'fly-through' in Google® Earth or even add it to your own GPS device.

the ability to plan a clear, safe route, especially those who might be nervous cycling through busy traffic.

CycleStreets is a not-for-profit limited company, believing that it should maintain its roots as a community venture whilst offering a good service to cyclists, and is always looking for funding for further improvements. You can find out more about CycleStreets at www.cyclestreets.net.

To read about many other great transport initiatives, visit the Ideas in Transit Innovations portal at www.ideasintransit.org/wiki/Ideas_in_Transit

CycleStreets also allows you to upload your own photos in order to visualise the route, although Google StreetView probably now does a better job where available. But where these images really come into their own is when pointing out problems or obstructions that need attention. If you spot a pothole, road closure or a rather nasty example of unfriendly car parking (and there are some real howlers already contributed), then you are invited to upload a photo to inform other cyclists or the relevant authority. With over 19,000 photographs now available, it’s an example of the responsiveness and currency that is really only possible through a ‘bottom up’ approach.

With some local authorities now using CycleStreets instead of investing hundreds of thousands of pounds in a commercial service, it’s clear that the site is already having a positive impact and is a great example of a user innovation showing the way. While it might be difficult to tell exactly how many people have been persuaded to leave the car at home thanks to CycleStreets, it is not hard to imagine someone being more inclined thanks to ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

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Clipper Windpower to build the world’s largest turbine blade in Newcastle, initially creating 500 jobs

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Government pledges a further £8 million for offshore wind

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Number of UK companies entering supply chain set to grow

BWEA (RenewableUK), the UK’s leading trade association, welcomed the announcement from US company Clipper Windpower on plans to build the world’s largest turbine blade in Newcastle, for its proprietary 10 megawatt (MW) Britannia wind turbine. Each Britannia turbine will be able to satisfy the annual electricity consumption of over 6,500 households. The factory building the blades will be based on Tyneside, creating 500 jobs by 2020.

BWEA (RenewableUK) also pointed out that Clipper’s factory joins a growing number of UK businesses capitalising on the economic opportunities presented by the onshore and offshore wind supply chain.

Recently, companies such as Mabey Bridge and JDR Cable Systems have announced a significant increase in manufacturing capacity to service the burgeoning wind sector, with further interest from other potential entrants.

Maria McCaffery, BWEA Chief Executive, said: “Wind energy presents a significant opportunity for the UK economy, leading to between 60,000 and 70,000 new jobs by 2020. The potential 40+ gigawatts (GW) of offshore wind alone could supply over a third of our country’s electricity. Clipper’s pioneering example demonstrates that it is possible to attract investment on the back of a world-class research institution, and co-ordinated action by a number of regional and central Government agencies.”

In 2008 Clipper Windpower established a research and development facility at the New and Renewable Energy Centre (NaREC) in Blyth, 15 miles from Newcastle. In January 2010 the UK Government announced a potential to develop 40GW+ of offshore wind energy in UK waters. The industry is confident that the UK, which already holds the worldwide lead in terms of offshore installed wind capacity, could have at least 20GW installed by 2020.

“We have a once in a lifetime opportunity to seize the lead in an exciting and lucrative emerging sector. Various agencies are estimating the short-term potential of European offshore wind at 150GW. If the industry and Government act in concert now, we could be securing both the future of our energy independence and our manufacturing”, concluded McCaffery.

The Prime Minister Gordon Brown also announced today a further £8 million in funding for offshore wind energy which will be “invested in projects to support the development of a new generation of turbines (and) in addition to the £18 million already awarded.”

ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

Case Study 3

REBIRTH OF UK MANUFACTURING: NORTH EAST ON BOARD

A University of Brighton scientist has been appointed Chief Investigator in a £607,000 research project aimed at understanding what happens when rivers meet tides in the world’s largest estuaries.

Phil Ashworth, Professor of Physical Geography, said: “All rivers across the globe that exit to the ocean contain zones which can be hundreds of kilometres long and are transitional between river and tidal environments.

They are one of the most complex environments on the surface of the earth.”

“They are home to some of the highest population densities in the world and are often the centre of competing demands from shipping, land reclamation, aquaculture, conservation and leisure activities. Thus in order to better maintain, manage and protect these fragile zones, we must understand how and why these regions change and what factors control such change. Additionally, the sediments of ancient tidal-fluvial zones may contain significant volumes of hydrocarbons which are increasingly the target for many energy companies.

Case Study 4

“For example, the Athabasca oil sands form the largest petroleum deposit on Earth and these bitumen tars are locked up with ancient tidal-fluvial sediments. Understanding the internal nature of such tidal-fluvial sediments is thus of paramount importance when attempting to extract the maximum quantity of oil (or gas) from such ancient hydrocarbon reservoirs - we need to know what controls the geometry and internal characteristics of these reservoirs, and thus better plan efficient and maximal hydrocarbon extraction strategies.”

“Thus all of these interests in both modern and ancient tidal-fluvial environments depend on a detailed knowledge of the fluid flows in these areas, how such flows transport their sediment and critically how the form (or morphology) of these environments changes through time.

However, due to the extraordinary challenges of working in such a complex and dynamic environment, few high-resolution, spatially-representative, field datasets exist and remarkably little work has been undertaken on the diagnostic internal sedimentary structure of such tidal-fluvial deposits.

Additionally, whilst there has been progress on the mathematical modelling of estuarine flow and sediment transport, these models remain largely untested. There is therefore a pressing need to link the processes and deposits of the tidal-fluvial zone through an integrated study of their flow, morphology and sediment movement to quantify the key processes and how these are represented within the subsurface sedimentary record. This project on the Columbia River Estuary (NW USA) will adopt an integrated field and mathematical modelling approach using the very latest techniques in field survey and mathematical modelling. These techniques will yield unrivalled high-resolution datasets of bathymetry, flow, sediment transport and sedimentary structure that will then be used to construct and validate new numerical models of the tidal-fluvial zone. This will ultimately allow evaluation of key unknowns with respect to the tidal-fluvial zone, such as how such environments evolve under changing scenarios of tidal and fluvial contributions associated with sea-level change, and whether it is possible to differentiate between 'fluvial' and 'tidally' influenced deposits.”

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Case Study 5

Land Contamination Identified Contaminated land is a constant battle for developers looking to build houses / industrial sites or purpose built facilities. Contamination simply means an unacceptable risk to human health or the environment and, therefore, remediation or site clean up is required.

Identifying contamination requires assessment, measurement and remediation. The primary contaminants are typically VOC’s (volatile organic compounds).

The London Stratford Olympic site committee recently discovered one of its proposed sites required inspection and a simple cost effective screening instrument was required. Samples across the complete site were taken and needed to be tested quickly and easily onsite.

Environmental Consultants used PID (Photo Ionisation Detector) technology to determine these contamination levels.

Soil samples were collected into clean sample containers and, using industry standard head space analysis principles, the PhoCheck Tiger PID was used to determine the VOC levels found in the head space. Only when pre-determined VOC levels were detected in a particular area on the site was additional investigation required.

Historically the methodology involved for proving the specific breakdown of each contaminant found meant many samples being taken and analysed off site in a laboratory. The cost for off-site analysis compared to the investment of a PID instrument makes the decision relatively easy for the environmental consultants. The production of a valid VOC measurement using the PhoCheck Tiger enabled the site committee to only send the high VOC samples to the lab for further analysis. The PhoCheck Tiger has already paid for itself with these cost savings from the lab analysis.

VOC’s can have multiple toxicity levels and, even though low levels of overall VOC’s may be recorded, the risk can still be great if high toxicity VOC’s are discovered. The PhoCheck Tiger PID offers a broad band volatile organic ENVIRONMENT INDUSTRY MAGAZINE

compound concentration and therefore further investigation still may be required to determine specific contaminants found.

To this end the PID is non-destructive in its measurement technique. The sample is drawn into the instrument, analysed and then exhausted from the instrument in its original condition. The exhaust gases from the PhoCheck Tiger are easily captured in a tedlar bag for off-site analysis as well.

When contaminated land is required for development, traditionally expensive and technically challenging instruments were required. PhoCheck Tiger ensures costs are kept to a minimum while enabling the environmental consultants the opportunity to decide what level of remediation is required.

PID technology can also be used during the land remediation process itself. Many remediation systems utilise SVE (Soil Vapour Extraction), also known as soil venting or vacuum extraction, which is an in-situ remedial method that reduces concentrations of volatile constituents in hydrocarbon products adsorbed to soils in the unsaturated (vadose) zone.

In this technology, a vacuum is applied to the soil matrix to create a negative pressure gradient that causes movement of vapours toward extraction wells. Volatile constituents are readily removed from the subsurface through these pre-drilled extraction wells. The extracted vapours are then treated in carbon filter beds prior to discharge of treated air to the atmosphere.

The final exhaust gases which are vented to outside air have strict controls on emissions. A TVOC (Fixed Total VOC Monitor) PID constantly records a reading and if any emissions are measured above 1.0ppm, the control unit alarm is triggered and the system shuts down by closing the exhaust fan. Whilst the carbon filter is functioning efficiently, emissions from the system should be 0.0ppm.

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