SKA standard for sustainable commercial fit-outs

The Royal Institute of Charterered Surveyors has established a benchmark and rating system for sustainable fitting out of office buildings. Complementary to the BREEAM standard, which includes to the building shell, the SKA standard considers the finishes, fixtures and fittings and comprises 99 good practice measures that can be applied to both new build and refurbishments.

A good practice guidance document is available for download - please don't print it as it is 206 pages long! There is also a free online self-assessment tool. Projects can also be certified by an accredited SKA assessor, subject to payment of a variable fee that takes into account the scale and complexity of the project.

CRC revenue recycling axed

Although the chancellor made no mention of it in his speech on the Public Spending Review, the revenue recycling element of the CRC has been dropped. In a press release issued by the Department of Energy and Climate Change, it was announced that the revenue would instead be used to support the public finances. The statement suggests that it will be invested in projects including "spending on the environment", although the £1bn it is predicted to raise would be a welcome contribution to the budget deficit.

This effectively converts the CRC to a stealth carbon tax and throws into doubt the validity of the early action metrics designed to earn a higher place in the league tables and a higher incentive payment.

The future of motoring?

A video report from the BBC today showcases the first hydrogen-powered car to be made commercially available - although not, so far, in the UK. The Honda Clarity is powered by an electric motor, which is charged by a fuel cell stack that converts the hydrogen to electricity and water. Its range is over 200 miles.

The catch, of course, is the lack of a hydrogen filling station network, but Honda has addressed this by developing a solar-powered hydrogen generation station suitable for domestic installation. It is designed to use grid electricity overnight to create 0.5kg of hydrogen, then return the energy to the grid from its solar panels during the day. The hydrogen generated in 8 hours is only sufficient for 30-35 miles, however.

Green Curtains

The simplest ideas are often the best, and this one is beautifully simple. Kyocera Group has planted "green curtains" around 20 of its facilities on three continents. Fruit-bearing plants are grown up temporary nets or trellises to shade walls and windows from the sun, reducing direct solar gain through the windows and thermal transfer through the walls. The green, leafy shade is attractive for its workers to look out on - plus they get the enjoy the fruit and vegetables grown by the curtains in the staff canteen.

The company even publishes a "how to" guide on its website for other businesses that want to emulate it.

The green curtains are comprised of cucumbers, peas and a bitter gourd called goya, and cover 32,750 square feet (3,043 square metres). Kyocera has calculated that they decrease the temperature of walls by as much as 15 degrees C (27 degrees F). At the same time, the green curtains absorb an estimated 23,481 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to the effect of 761 cedar trees.

Kyocera has a longstanding reputation for environmentally-responsible business and also operates a "cool biz" dress code in the summer to help staff stay comfortable without resorting to air conditioning. And it's also in the process of installing the solar PV panels it manufactures on more of its premises. By March 2011, the company expects to have solar power installed at all of its 10 manufacturing sites in Japan plus 20 sites globally. These include a 214-kW solar power generating system at its global headquarters in Kyoto, and a solar grove in the car park of Kyocera’s San Diego facility, which also shades cars from the sun.

The new projects will boost Kyocera's total solar output from its own installations to 1,815kW, which combined with the offset provided by its green curtain, will help to reduce the company's CO2 emissions.

(Declaration of interest - writer is employed by a Kyocera Group company in the UK)

Proof that Feed-In Tariffs make solar viable

I was alerted by the excellent Money Saving Expert to an offer whereby companies are offering to install solar PV panels for free in return for collecting the Feed In Tariff payments on behalf of the property owner - who still gets to benefit from the resulting energy savings. If companies are prepared to make this kind of offer, they must be pretty sure that they can recover their investment within a reasonable period, AND make a profit. Therefore, it looks like solar PV has finally become a financially viable option for UK homeowners.

I don't know enough about either of these companies to recommend them, but you can find out more from Isis Solar or A Shade Greener. There's a useful summary of the Feed in Tariffs on the Ofgem website, and you should only use a supplier certified by the Microgeneration Certification Scheme.

Unlike the previous green energy grants scheme, the Feed-In Tariffs provide a guaranteed index-linked income for 25 years, as long as they remain the owner of the property. Companies and individuals that install microgeneration systems receive payment for all electricity generated, even that which they use themselves, although energy exported to the national grid earns a much higher rate. Full details of all energy saving grants available can be found at the Energy Saving Trust.

Tea-conomics

I've just bought 80 fairtrade teabags for 28p - Sainsbury's Basics range. So, how does that work then? If you can sell fairtrade tea for 28p - including the cost of processing, packaging, shipping etc. - just how much does the grower get for fairtrade tea? It doesn't seem like nearly enough. Do all fairtrade brands pay their growers the same, or is some fairtrade fairer than others? And if they all pay the same, how do some brands justify charging 10 times as much or even more?

Rotten to the core?

Despite ranking a creditable 5th in Greenpeace's Greener Electronics guide, Apple fares less well on ethical use of labour. Those paying premium prices for the new iPad might be dismayed to learn that it is built by workers in a military-style factory in China, which is now in the spotlight for its high suicide rate among workers.

300,000 people work at the Foxconn factory, where they are forbidden to talk on the production line, even during breaks; many have complained of feeling lonely and alienated. These conditions, combined with massive demand for products like the 2M-selling iPad, appears to have placed an intolerable strain on workers, who are quitting the Longhua factory at the rate of 15,000 a month.

Workers have routinely worked more than 70 hours a week to fulfill orders. However, Apple maintains that Foxconn, which is one of Apple's primary suppliers, is not a sweatshop. Nevertheless, Foxconn has just agreed to immediately raise the basic salaries of its workers by a third, from £90 per month to £120.

You can read more on this story here, and from a marketing viewpoint here.