adapting to a low-carbon world

A new report from the Management Consultancies Association (MCA) in the UK, A Growing Concern: How should business adapt to a low-carbon world? points out that while environmnental concerns have become more prominent, there is still a long way for many businesses to go in reducing their carbon emissions. The full report is available online.

And stepping up to the plate is a new partnership between Barratt, a well-known homebuilder in the UK, and E.ON, one of the UK's leading integrated power and gas companies. E.ON is also a leading green generators in the UK, with 21 wind farms located from Cornwall to Northern Ireland and one of the largest dedicated biomass power stations. Combined, their renewable portfolio generates enough green energy to power the homes in a city the size of Manchester.

According to the publicity blurb, they aim to deliver low cost and reliable solutions to meet the UK Government’s zero carbon homes agenda. One of the initial sites is the 200-unit Hanham Hall development near Bristol, to be the first zero carbon community to be built in the UK. It is the first of English Partnerships’ Carbon Challenge sites and will utilise a biomass CHP plant coupled with some of the most environmentally friendly homes ever to be built in the UK. Families living in the units will be able to cut their entire carbon footprint by an average of 60 per cent.