Are You in the Building Trade?
The Green Register trains people in the construction industry like you. We would like your views on what training builders need to understand green building issues and what customers want.
Please take a couple minutes to fill out this important questionnaire and you’ll get the chance to win a year’s free membership with The Green Register - go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QW6GM2S
I am a carpenter/general contractor who frequently works with Architects on small scale domestic and commercial refurbishment jobs. Last year I looked into green issues with my work and discovered that in fact I was already doing many things right- recycling, reusing materials, local suppliers- however there were big gaps in my knowledge which is where the green Register comes in. Read the rest of this entry »
Book Review by TGR member Anne Hanrahan
Published by Green Books (2009)
In the past I have attempted to make compost in a somewhat haphazard fashion and I have often been frustrated by the results, so I jumped at the chance to review this book in the hopes that it might improve my output. Read the rest of this entry »
There was cause for a small celebration on Friday 7th May when Caroline Lucas became the first Green Party MP in the UK. Lucas is not new to politics having been a Green MEP for the last ten years but she does not sound hopeful that the Lib Dem/Conservative Coalition will produce the changes necessary to seriously address the environmental problems we face, saying of the Coalition ‘We could have had a new politics. This is isn’t it’. Read the rest of this entry »
Our architectural practice, archipeleco, had been designing eco-refurbishment projects for our residential clients for five years when we decided to up sticks and move from London to Bristol. One of the reasons for moving was to be able to carry out an extreme eco-refurbishment on a 1930’s house we had just bought in central Bristol and see how much we could reduce our carbon emissions and general environmental impact as a family. We had proposed some of the more substantial eco-refurbishment measures for our clients but often they did not end up being realised due to various constraints (time, money, planning restrictions) and we wanted to test out these ideas ourselves. Read the rest of this entry »
All is Explained by TGR Trainer David O’Rorke
What is the Code for Sustainable Homes?
It’s an environmental assessment for the design and construction process of new homes, including both apartments and houses. It looks at a range of issues, split into the following categories: energy, water, materials, surface water run off, waste, pollution, health & wellbeing, management and land use & ecology. Credits are awarded for meeting the criteria of each issue and the total credit score is translated to an overall percentage. Depending on the percentage achieved, a rating is achieved, ranging from Code for Sustainable Homes levels 1 to 6. Though be warned that there are mandatory requirements that must be met to achieve each level of the Code. Read the rest of this entry »
Guest Blog by Simon Reid of Building-engineering and maintenance ltd.
I have recently attended an “Eco-refurbishment” day-seminar created by The Green Register and felt that I’d like to put “pen to paper”, as it were.
The content of the day was varied, covering many aspects of this rapidly evolving field of construction. I was particularly impressed by the calibre of the speakers – each of them being “fresh from the front-line” and enthusiastically sharing their recent experiences and thoughts of this valuable work.
Read the rest of this entry »
Guest blog by Mark Tinker
I really enjoyed last Friday’s Green Register ‘Becoming an Eco-refurbisher’ course. I think all of The Green Register events I have attended have been really good and useful, and this was no exception. All of the speakers gave very good presentations, and were really focussed. They complemented each other very well, with very little overlap, and covered a broad range of approaches and topics. So very impressed, thank you. Read the rest of this entry »
Denovo Design team said: “ We joined the Green Register originally to enhance our commitment to environmental construction, and also to open opportunities with regards to networking, and learning from like-minded individuals.
Green shoots: I am delighted (and relieved) to say that The Green Register has had a very positive start to 2010.
Firstly, we are celebrating surviving 2009-a year when many small businesses and organisations like us did not survive the credit crunch. TGR has done so and this is despite numbers at our 2009 events dropping due to tightened budgets. Read the rest of this entry »
Lucy is an architect with 25 years of professional experience and has particular expertise in the sustainable issues relevant to architecture. Lucy worked as a Product Specialist for five years where she researched the environmental impact of sustainable building materials and systems and advised architects and other professionals on the selection of building materials.
In 1999, Lucy started her own sustainable architecture practice, archipeleco and created The Green Register of Construction Professionals in 2000, now a nationwide educational and networking organisation promoting sustainable building practices to all disciplines of the construction industry.