Against the backdrop of uncertainty regarding feed in tariffs, the UK’s largest independently owned business services group Commercial, is this week celebrating the completion of a solar panel installation at its Head Office in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.
The largest roof-top and corporate installation in the county, it is expected the nearly 200 hyper efficient panels will be able to generate 34MWh per year, more electricity than 10 standard houses use (based on figures from OFGEM) and enough to run a significant proportion of the energy required by Commercial IT Services’ data centre. Already energy efficient with evaporative cooling and virtualisation of servers, the data centre is a vital part of the company and the installation will be key to supporting the running of it.

Simone Hindmarch-Bye, Co -founding Director at Commercial Group commented: “This has been a particularly interesting and exciting project for Commercial. In addition to the direct environmental benefits of using renewable energy, we have also viewed this venture as a long-term investment that will support the continuing growth of the company, as well as our community here in Cheltenham. These are just a couple of reasons why we were so determined to go ahead with the project, even amongst all the current uncertainty.”
Local independent specialists Shackleton & Wintle oversaw the five day installation, which is an extra step to help Commercial achieve a further 10% annual carbon reduction target, on top of the 75% reduction the firm has already accomplished.

Robin Heffter, Managing Director at Shackleton & Wintle Ltd, a Government approved contractor said: “As a company we have a specific focus on the renewable and sustainable energy issues associated with our industry. We believe this type of energy is the way forward, so to be able to get involved in such a large scale project with Commercial is particularly rewarding.” To officially mark the installation, Commercial Group is planning to hold a small gathering on Monday 19th March at its head office in Leckhampton, Cheltenham. Joined by Founder Director & Trustee of Forum for the Future, Jonathon Porritt, guests will be able to hear more about the installation from Simone and Simon Graham, Environmental Strategist at the firm.

To see the solar panel installation in progress, please view Commercial’s video here: http://youtu.be/F4YCeRPDfvE

Homeowners are unsure about which tradesmen to employ help from for heating dilemmas according to Boiler Guide, the UK’s leading online resource for homeowners and heating engineers regarding all boiler related issues. Boiler Guide provides homeowners with a single destination to recruit the help of professionals for jobs such as boiler maintenance and to pinpoint the exact engineers needed to repair central heating boilers.

The site has also proven an incredibly popular resource for homeowners to request professional help for a boiler replacement or repair. With many homeowners unsure about which specific tradesmen to seek help from, Boiler Guide provides a user friendly solution, simply by asking users to give job details, which allows the team at Boiler Guide to match their requirement with the most suitable tradesperson.

David Holmes, Founder of Boiler Guide, commented: “It appears many homeowners are a little lost when it comes to recruiting specialist help for jobs that require heating engineers. We aim to eliminate any confusion the user may have by providing a platform to source contractor’s from a geographical area local to them.” With articles providing advice regarding boiler costs, repairs, servicing and the latest new boiler technology, Boiler Guide allows homeowners to make informed and educated decisions when it comes to employing engineers or selecting a new boiler all together.

Boiler Guide also acts as a platform for new business, allowing contractors that are new to the site to post details of their company at no cost, giving engineers access to homeowners who are looking to use their services. Companies also have the option to purchase sales leads, giving them access to potential work within their geographical area on a pay-per-lead basis acting as a powerful, cost effective sales tool.

For more information, please visit www.boilerguide.co.uk

Underfloor heating and renewables specialist, Nu-Heat, has added another floor construction to its already extensive portfolio. LoPro10™ is a cement based floating floor with a height build up of just 15mm and excellent thermal properties that can be fitted on top of the existing floor deck, making it ideal for retrofit projects as well as new-build.

Nu-Heat is committed to ensuring that all of its products have optimum performance. LoPro10′s™ low thermal resistance properties allow a high thermal output compared to floating floors under 18mm chipboard, where the heat output is far lower. LoPro10™ also has one-third less thermal mass than a screed floor, allowing it to heat up rapidly.

The high thermal output also makes it an ideal partner for heat pump installations, especially in retrofit projects where a low-temperature heating system is needed to optimise heat pump performance but good heat transfer is needed to maintain comfortable room temperatures.

To meet robust acoustic criteria, the new floor construction provides airborne acoustic reduction on timber upper floors by adding mass. The added benefit being that, unlike many lightweight, floating floors, it feels solid underfoot. Nu-Heat has carefully designed the product in order to make it easy to install. 10mm ultra-flexible PEX-c pipework can be easily laid in the grooved panels in lengths of up to 60m. Unique Fastrack™ clips enable pipework to be closely laid up to 10 abreast allowing easy run back to the manifold, something that most floating UFH systems fail to achieve. Tiles can be laid directly on to the dense rigid gypsum board with no requirement for a ply layer, making it quick to install. With a height of just 15mm, LoPro10™ is perfect for retrofitting into existing properties, where most will be able to accommodate the additional build-up with minimal adjustment to fittings.

LoPro10™ can also be overlaid with 4-6mm plywood for direct carpeting and other floor coverings such as laminates, natural timber and engineered floors can be ‘floated’ directly over the panel without the need for battening.

If you would like to find out more about LoPro10™ or any of the 60+ floor constructions available from Nu-Heat please contact us on 0800 731 1976 or visit www.nu-heat/lopro10.

If you live in Burnley there’s a chance that you could be one of the 5,586 houses that’s received free insulation in the last 4 years.

Because of the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target energy businesses within the United Kingdom are obliged to help out households in both England and Wales to reduce their use of electricity and gas and also to try to lower their carbon emissions.

The Carbon Emission Reduction Target is a target that has been imposed on gas and electricity transporters and suppliers. If any gas and electricity supplier has 15,000 or more domestic customers must achieve a combined energy saving of 62 TWh by 2005 by assisting their customers in taking energy-efficient measures in their homes.

The suppliers of the free insulation are instructed to concentrate at least 40% of their activity on vulnerable and low-income households such as elderly people, namely those aged 70 or over and also houses with young children.

Speaking about the plans for the free insulation, Burnley MP Gordon Birtwistle said: “These figures reveal how going green can save people money. Thanks to this duty on energy companies to insulate houses without cost to the homeowner, many households will have lower bills and can keep their houses warmer.

If you would like to look at making your house a warmer place then you should look at paying a visit to RoofCozy. If you have a conservatory and you’ve found that it’s getting to hot in the summer or too cold in the winter then you should pay a visit to RoofCozy and look at getting your conservatory properly insulated.

Sandwell’s improving waste collection service is getting even better – the garden waste service is going all year round.

It has traditionally been suspended during the winter months, but now garden waste will be collected every two-weeks, except for Christmas and the new year.

Residents can use their garden waste bins to recycle grass cuttings, hedge and shrub clippings, plants and weeds, leaves, twigs and bark, cut flowers and even your old pot plant compost.

Cabinet member for neighbourhood services Councillor Derek Rowley said: “We are really pleased to be able to offer this flexibility in the garden waste service to our residents.

“It is just one of the ways the waste partnership is making improvements to the service.

“I encourage residents to take advantage of this service as it is something not many authorities offer.”

As all of the garden waste collected is composted, only green organic waste can be collected so residents are reminded not to put any other materials in their garden waste wheeled bin.

Residents can also subscribe to a free text service that provides up to date information about any disruption to the service due to poor weather, reminders about bank holiday collections and other useful information.

Simply text your postcode to 07860 019 200. Residents can opt out at any time by texting STOP to the same number.

The top ten items that are commonly sent to landfill but could actually be recycled has been issued by an environmentally-friendly specialist collections, clearance and recycling company in a bid to encourage more people to recycle.

Waste King has issued the list and managing director, Glenn Currie, said: “We guarantee to recycle at least 85 per cent of all the waste it collects and, for example, over the last four weeks, we’ve separated 23 tons of wood from mixed loads. If we hadn’t separated this wood, it would have gone to landfill but now it can be recycled, reducing the need to cut down even more trees and allowing 23 tons of materials that aren’t able to be recycled to go to landfill in its place.

“Keeping recycling rates so high means that we expect to hold our prices to customers from April this year, when landfill tax is due to rise,” he revealed.

Fellow director Andi Cattigan said: “While Waste King is working hard to reduce the amount it sends to landfill, everyone can do their bit to ensure that only non-recyclable materials go to landfill. A great way to do this is to make a conscious effort to recycle ten types of material that often find their way to landfill sites.”

These ten common materials that are recyclable are:

1: Glass containers can be recycled into new glass containers over and over again. Recycled glass is also energy efficient since the process consumes 40% less energy than new production.

2: Paper – from newspaper to cardboard boxes, junk mail to grocery bags, recycling paper products helps in energy conservation, water efficiency and air quality. Every ton of recycled paper reduces the production of virgin paper and energy use by 4000 kilowatts, water use by 7000 gallons, and pollution by 60 pounds. The extra 17 trees are an added bonus! 3: Plastic bottles comprise over 10% of our landfills. So recycling plastic containers is an important step to helping reducing the waste going to landfill. 4: Aluminium cans take over 500 years to deteriorate – so recycling them is a less polluting option than putting them into landfill.

5: Steel is recycled more than aluminium, paper and glass combined, since thousands of food products are sold in steel cans.

6: Dry cell batteries are used by the million in modern Western society. Each of these contains mercury, which is highly toxic.

7: E-waste. Computers, mobile phones and TVs use non-renewable resources to produce and may release hazardous substances into the environment if they are disposed improperly. 8: Motor oil is another item that can be recycled. A quart of motor oil can contaminate 2m gallons of clean water if not disposed of properly. A truly recyclable product, motor oil can be refined again and again.

9: Leaves, grass clippings and other garden waste – which, of course, Nature designed to be recycled.

10: ‘Packaging’ comprises a third of all landfills. The more ‘things’ we buy, the more packaging we generate. Choosing products with minimal recyclable packaging will help to reduce damaging our environment.

End

When looking to furnish your home with an eco friendly futon bed, consider the following points to establish how environmentally green the product really is.

Futons are constructed of a base, ususally a wood base in solid pine. Consider how a futon can be classed as eco friendly:

* Sustainable sources of timber – Research proves that felling trees without re-planting new trees contributes to the expanding hole in the ozone layer, oxygen levels are reduced around the globe as the number of oxgyen-generating plants and trees decreases. Choose a manufacturer that has a green conscience and plans a regeneration programme when felling trees for timber.

* Natural materials – Man made filling like foam offcuts, a byproduct of manufacturing, are often used to stuff futon mattresses. Research the fillings of the futon you are looking to buy. The most environmentally friendly futon mattress fillings would be natural matierials such as recycled and cleansed fibres such as felt and wool. Twisting this combination of fillings also provides a more stable seating or sleeping experience that retains the shape and support much better than a low grade futon mattress with a foam offcut filling.

* Futon mattress covers – Blends of man made materials such as Nylon and Elastane are another source of carbon monoxide released into the Earth’s atmosphere during manufacturing process. Choose a natural futon mattress cover in cotton, sourced via sustainable procedures.

* Manufactured in the UK – so the transport has a very low carbon footprint. Futons manufactured overseas are shipped in containers across the seas to the UK, belching out C02 into the atmosphere as the boats that are used burn fossil fuel. The majority of these vessels are decades old, and were not built in a time of environmental conscience, they are not efficient and run on the planets precious fossil fuels, which are dwindling at an alarming rate. When the containers arrive in the UK, they are offloaded onto diesel lorries, these futons are then driven the length and the breadth of the country to distribution depots, which then unpack, and reload onto more vans and lorries to distribute to high street stores.

Comfy Living is an online store and a UK based futon manufacturer which uses sustainable timber for the wood base, together with natural materials for the mattress filling with 100% cotton drill covers. The company also offers a standard 24hour overnight delivery service across all mainland UK. Visit the website to view the range of colours of futons available to buy today at www.comfy-living.co.uk

The Carbon Trust has launched a new scheme to encourage business owners to use their employees as a “secret weapon” in reducing their carbon emissions.

Two million tonnes of CO₂ could be saved by businesses in the UK by encouraging staff to make changes to their behaviour and day to day activities according to the Carbon Trust. These could be simple measures such as turning off lights in rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms when not in use, turning off PCs and monitors properly at night and turning the heating turn by 1°C.

The Carbon Trust also recommends that businesses should use the phone or videoconferencing software instead of driving to meetings with associates and clients to make more significant carbon reduction.

More companies are now recognising the importance of cutting their business carbon footprint, especially those that are required to report under the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme, and the environmental experts at Apollo Enviro can help you make the required changes to reduce your emissions.

Apollo Enviro run tailored Environmental Awareness Workshops to improve employee awareness and demonstrate changes that could be made within your business by your staff, to make real advances towards energy efficiency.

As well as helping you reduce your emissions, Apollo Enviro also offer a number of other services, including helping your business work towards ISO14001 accreditation by implementing an Environmental Management System to show your clients and customers that you are dedicated towards energy efficiency and installing voltage optimisation units to automatically reduce the energy your workplace uses.

If you’re serious about reducing the CO₂ emissions produced by your business practices, contact Apollo Enviro today to find out what they can do for you.

(UPM Tilhill, North Hertfordshire, 19 December 2011) – UPM Tilhill staff joined Letchworth residents, councillors and other special guests to celebrate the official opening of part of the historic Howard Park and Gardens in Letchworth, North Hertfordshire. The event marked a major step forward for North Herts District Council’s (NHDC) scheme to restore and improve both the Park and the Gardens in Letchworth’s town centre. (You can watch a video of the event here.)

Taking centre stage at the opening was a new statue of Greek poet, Sappho, replacing one which stood in the Gardens until it was stolen in the 1990s. Helping Cllr Michael Weeks, chairman of NHDC, unveil the statue was Margaret Harkness, longstanding Letchworth resident who attended the original opening of the Memorial Gardens in 1936. Mrs Harkness said: “I’m delighted to be part of this special occasion. It all brings back childhood memories, I’ve spent many a happy hour dabbling in Pix Brook, and swinging from a particular tree in the Gardens. I’m glad Sappho is back in her rightful place, she was always a special part of my childhood.”
As part of the ceremony, a time capsule was buried in the grounds of the new-look Gardens to provide a snapshot of Letchworth in 2011. It included various memories of the Gardens and nearby Mrs Howard Hall, a summary of the work that has been carried out by UPM Tilhill and laminated front pages of the week’s local newspapers. Musical entertainment was provided by drumming groups Garden City Samba and the Slapskins Djembe Workshop, the Letchworth Town Band and NHDC’s Play Rangers kept children entertained Cllr Ian Knighton, NHDC’s portfolio holder for leisure, said: “It was great to see so many people coming along to celebrate the opening of the Gardens, and we were very lucky that the forecast rain didn’t materialise. “Saturday’s event marked a significant milestone in the project to redevelop Howard Park and Gardens, important features of Letchworth Garden City. This was made possible thanks to money from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund and the work of contractors UPM Tilhill. We are grateful too for the patience of people who live and work in Letchworth while work continues in the adjacent Park, scheduled for completion in Spring next year. I am sure that residents and visitors to Letchworth will enjoy the new facilities for generations to come.”

Peter Middleton, UPM Tilhill’s Commercial Director, added: “We are delighted and proud to have been involved in this extremely important project which will be a wonderful asset to the local community and one that they will be able to enjoy for many years to come. Everyone involved has worked extremely hard and to a very high standard. We are very pleased with the outcome and now working hard to complete the work to the park area.” Howard Park and Gardens was created more than 100 years ago as a central part of a pioneering urban experiment to create the world’s first garden city. LDA Design has been working as lead designer, landscape architect and contract administrator on the project since 2006. Stephanie Bassford, Project Landscape Architect at LDA Design, said: “Howard Park and Gardens is an important civic and community space in Letchworth Garden City which needed new life breathing into it to see it through the next 100 years.”

She commended UPM Tilhill’s high quality of workmanship and was confident that the overall vision would be achieved which was to: rediscover the Garden City ideals for Howard Park and Gardens placing it, once again, at the heart of the community; make it a vibrant place valued for its history, with its own special identity, where people find beauty and a sense of pride; make it an accessible place where people feel welcome, can come together, be involved or just find something to enjoy and a place managed by the community for the community. Stephanie was delighted to see people enjoying the opening event, using Howard Gardens as intended, and to receive positive feedback from the public on the day.
UPM Tilhill’s work involves hard and soft landscaping to preserve the historic importance of the site, as well as new elements that will broaden the use of the park. The team is responsible for all construction, mechanical and electrical elements of the project while refurbishing a paddling pool, creating improved play areas and building new routes through and around the park. Pix Brook, a stream running alongside the park, is having a new bridge built and new facilities will be introduced for visitors, including a new building housing a kiosk for refreshments, modern toilets and pump room as well as a striking amphitheatre. Ecological work has also been an important part of the project with UPM Tilhill supplying timber to make 30 bat and bird boxes with local children. The company’s Ecologist Andrea Gannon is working closely with the council, community group Groundwork Hertfordshire and local school children to improve the habitat for bats and birds and provide homes where they can breed safely. As well as bats and birds, Andrea is making sure that the population of rare black squirrels living in the park is looked after and that any tree work takes their needs into account.

Funding for the £2.7 million scheme has come largely from the Parks for People programme funded by Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund. The project will conserve the historic importance of the park and gardens and aims to increase the range of people using the park. ENDS

For further information contact: Suzi Christie PR Consultant for UPM Tilhill on 01435 830031 or at suzi@blueberry-pr.co.uk LDA Design Media Contacts
Sophie Eastwood, Holistic T 07709 359 529 E Sophie@holisticgroup.co.uk Carol Walsh, LDA Design T: 01865 887050 E: carol.walsh@lda-design.co.uk Notes to Editors:

UPM Tilhill

UPM Tilhill is the UK’s largest timber harvesting and forest management company. It harvests and markets over 2.0 million tonnes out of a UK market in excess of 8 million tonnes per year. The company provides a full range of consultancy and contracting services to the forest owner and forestry investor. It also provides market leading services in utility arboriculture and commercial landscaping throughout the UK. Further information is available on the company’s website at www.upm-tilhill.com

LDA Design

Founded in 1979, LDA Design is an independent design, environment and energy consultancy business. By taking a holistic approach, it helps clients to regenerate communities, create special places, realise development and commercial goals, and manage resources. LDA Design has specialist expertise in:
• Masterplanning
• Urban design
• Regeneration
• Landscape architecture
• Green infrastructure
• Energy consultancy
• Environmental planning
• Renewable Energy
• Ecology
• Environmental impact assessment
• Architecture
• Development planning
• Strategic land promotion
• Community asset management

With experience on urban, rural and historic projects, its clients include developers, land-owners, regeneration agencies, government departments, local authorities, renewable energy firms and educational establishments. For more information visit the website: www.lda-design.co.uk.

The Green Flag Awards celebrate the best green spaces in England and Wales and are a barometer for all parks and green spaces, raising environmental standards and excellence in recreational green spaces.

Appointed by Scott Wilson, UPM Tilhill was the main contractor for the site which is spread over 190 hectares. Work began to restore the parkland in 2009 and has taken over 15 months to complete. Important views of Windsor Castle have been reintroduced through the removal of scrub and trees and the lake, which was heavily stilted with much of it consumed by reeds, has been fully restored with a timber edge marking its original alignment. The park has a rich and varied history. Originally a mediaeval and Tudor deer park, it was substantially redesigned by Lancelot ‘Capability’ Brown in the 1760s. His focus was on creating the impression of natural parkland and much of his vision has been recreated as part of the restoration work. The park was used as a training ground by the Polish army during World War II, which led to an unusual discovery during construction. Jon Rooney, Project manager of lead design consultants Scott Wilson, explains: “We unearthed a large quantity of unexploded ordnance in the lake during the de-stilting process and this had to be removed and safely destroyed before work could progress. This challenging restoration project has brought Langley Park back to life, restoring features and views and improving access to its hidden treasures. This builds upon our work on another high-profile restoration with UPM Tilhill at Chiswick House and Gardens in west London which also opened recently to much acclaim.”

Scott Wilson has been involved with the £1.9m restoration of Langley Park since 2006 and led a multi-disciplinary design team of landscape architects, architects, structural engineers, contaminated land specialists and quantity surveyors for client Buckinghamshire County Council. Jonathan Windle, Project Manager for UPM Tilhill, said: “We were delighted to be involved in such an important project and use our extensive landscaping expertise. The highlights for us were the restoration of the lake and building the visitors’ centre and we are thrilled that Langley Park has now won an award.” In addition to the restoration work, a new visitor centre, designed by Cotterell, Thomas and Thomas, provides toilets and a kiosk for visitors and a new office and workshop for the park’s staff. Refurbishment to the car park improves access and increases capacity for holding events at the park. For further information contact: Suzi Christie PR Consultant on 01435 830031 or at suzi@blueberry-pr.co.uk For further information regarding Scott Wilson’s role as lead designers of Langley Park and Chiswick Gardens, please contact Julia Ryan on 020 7798 5248 or at julia.ryan@scottwilson.com

Notes to Editors:

Scott Wilson Group plc

Scott Wilson Group plc is a global integrated design and engineering consultancy for the built and natural environments. With its headquarters in the UK, the Group has a worldwide network of 80 offices and over 5,500 employees. Scott Wilson offers Strategic Consultancy and multi-disciplinary professional services in the Railways, Buildings & Infrastructure, Environment & Natural Resources and Roads Sectors.

The key Regions are the UK, Asia-Pacific, Europe, India and the Middle East, with regional centres in London, Hong Kong, Warsaw, New Delhi and Bahrain/Dubai.

Current high profile contracts include Manchester Waste PFI, Brent Civic Centre, London Crossrail and the A46 design in the UK and Nam Thuen 2 Hydroelectric project Laos, Erbil International Airport Iraq, Delhi Mumbai Industrial Corridor India, Diyar Al Muharraq Bahrain, Florida I-595 Corridor Roadway Improvements USA, Wuxi Integrated Transportation Hub China, Colombo Port Expansion Sri Lanka and the S69 Expressway Poland.

www.scottwilson.com UPM Tilhill

UPM Tilhill is the UK’s largest timber harvesting and forest management company. It harvests and markets over 2.0 million tonnes out of a UK market in excess of 8 million tonnes per year. The company provides a full range of consultancy and contracting services to the forest owner and forestry investor. It also provides market leading services in utility arboriculture and commercial landscaping throughout the UK. Further information is available on the company’s website at www.upm-tilhill.com

Monday, 5 December 2011
There was a time when hotels were just a place to rest your head, everything else was done for you and all there was left to do was relax. Yet many of us feel unfulfilled, that something is missing – a need to satisfy our souls. Travel makes us feel good and relaxed but is there more beyond that fence? The Ecoteer House, run by Ecoteer Responsible Travel, seeks to provide that missing element. Based on the Perhentian Islands in Malaysia, they run altruistic holidays in Asia which aim to feed your soul as much as give you a great night’s sleep. Ecoteer Responsible Travel offer their guests a new experience to their holidays and actively encourage them to ‘get involved’ in community conservation efforts run by the Ecoteer House ‘Village People’. Their voluntourism programme for 2012 allows you to learn about turtle and coral conservation through their awareness activities – patrolling the beach to look for nesting green sea turtles, learn to decipher their tracks, collect coral bleaching data and help with coral replanting. And what better way to learn about conservation than to share the knowledge with the local villagers. Spend a few nights in the village, immerse yourself in the local culture, teach the local school kids about the marine life at their doorsteps, join in their village composting and recycling community efforts and then wind up the busy day with a traditional Malay dinner cooked for you especially by the villagers. All this… and still have time to put your feet up, watch the waves, laze on the beach and read a book! Prices
RM220 all inclusive per person per night
RM250 per person, if single Includes
Air con twin room- sharing, three meals per day and donation to Ecoteer House community
efforts). 1 week = RM664 per person Includes
Return boat transfer, mixed dorm inside Ecoteer House, three meals per day, weekly snorkel

tour, weekly Malay dinner and donation to the Ecoteer House Community efforts).