Avoid Nasty Chemicals Natural building materials, locally and ethically sourced, are beneficial from a health and sustainability perspective. Using reclaimed material, wherever possible, will also lower the project's carbon footprint. Increase Ventilation While an airtight building can help to prevent hot/cool air from escaping from a building and therefore reducing energy costs, it...
Turn your outdoor space into a sensory garden to awaken your senses and soothe your mind. A sensory garden stimulates and engages your senses. It allows you to connect to nature, increases your awareness of your surroundings and encourages mindfulness, leaving you a sense of wellbeing. Garden Layout - The design of...
What is a Green Roof? A green roof is a layer of plants over a layer of waterproof material, also called eco-roofs. Green roofs use a growing medium which is different from that used for garden or house plants. Regular soils are too heavy and hold water, making them unsuitable for...
How to create a herb garden A herb garden is a great addition to any outdoor space. It provides a constant supply of fresh ingredients for cooking, while also attract bees and butterflies to your garden. You don’t need to have a lot of space. A herb garden can easily be grown...
Did you know that in the UK we check our phones about 55 times per day? Half of us check our phones in the middle of the night. Why not try a phone break in the mornings for a few hours after you get up? Why, Excess Phone Use Can Cause...
During a thermal imaging survey an infrared thermal imaging camera is used to detect even subtle differences in temperature. These surveys can be done on both commercial and residential buildings and help to detect areas of energy loss within the buildings structure. With these areas of heat loss detected, measures can...
Current science textbooks and government documents about climate change are promoting relatively ineffective strategies for individuals to reduce their personal carbon footprint, according to an analysis published last week in Environmental Research Letters. Moreover, these sources mostly avoid discussion of the changes that would really make a difference in reducing...
Your home is a personal extension of yourself. It's been compared to a sanctuary. For most of us, the place where we live has great meaning. It should be somewhere you enjoy being, where you feel at peace. You may find your life is so busy and hectic that you...
The idea that achieving a low carbon, sustainable building requires additional spend is very last decade. The wish to meet BREEAM standards used to lead to the design of expensive bolt-ons, like additional photovoltaic panels or biomass, just to get those precious credits. But the construction industry has changed. Sustainable, low...
A collaboration between Oxford Brookes and the construction industry has resulted in an environmental profiling system that enables designers and constructors to select materials and components with the lowest environmental impact. Construction has long been recognised as one of the most resource-hungry and therefore least sustainable industries in the world. However...