Circular Ecology
  • Home
  • About
    • Craig Jones
  • Services
  • Training
    • Carbon Footprint Training
    • Embodied Energy and Carbon Training
    • Life Cycle Assessment Training >
      • Life Cycle Assessment Training Module List
    • Organisational Carbon Footprint Training
    • Training Course Prices
  • Knowledge Base
    • Carbon Footprint
    • Carbon footprint calculators for construction
    • Carbon Footprint V Embodied Carbon
    • Glossary of Terms and Definitions
    • Embodied Carbon
    • Environmental Impacts
    • Environmental Sustainability Facts
    • LCA
    • Green Building LCA Credits in BREEAM, LEED, CEEQUAL
    • Sustainability and sustainable development
    • Water Footprint
  • Resources
    • Embodied Energy and Carbon Footprint Database >
      • ICE Database FAQs
    • Introduction to sustainability guide
    • Webinars >
      • Product carbon footprint for manufacturers and suppliers
      • Water Footprint Resources and Video
      • What is 1 tCO2e video
  • News
    • Newsletter
  • Contact

Have a Very Green Christmas

17/12/2018

 
For many people, Christmas is a time of joy and celebration, for sharing gifts and feasting with family and friends. It’s certainly a lavish time of year, so here at Circular Ecology we have put together a few simple tips to help you enjoy a greener Christmas:

Turkey’s a winner: Christmas wouldn't be complete without an elaborate roast dinner. If you eat meat, the modern tradition of turkey is a winner. It has a low water footprint (for a meat) so it's a good option for the centrepiece of your meal. 
Picture

Read More

‘Wonky Fruit and Veg’: The Carbon Footprint of Food

14/2/2018

 
Blog by Craig Jones
Wonky veg carbon footprint
On our recent ‘life admin’ trip to the supermarket, we were pleasantly surprised to find that it now sells a range of ‘wonky veg’ and at a fraction of the price of the ‘non-wonky’ variety. Realising the environmental benefit of using these veg provides some simple satisfaction, but it also poses some important questions. Upon closer inspection of the vegetables, I can’t help scratching my head on how most of these ended up being classified as ‘wonky’ in the first place.

Take a look for yourselves, the picture on this article shows the vegetables (and wonky fruit) themselves. It makes me wonder how things could have become so silly - that perfectly edible fruit and vegetables have been previously discarded because they don’t conform to superficial ‘norms’. What has driven us to such irrational reasoning? Has it been led by supermarkets themselves, or was it driven by consumers? Perhaps, as I suspect, it was a bit of both.

Finger pointing aside, it’s great to now see some parts of the industry selling the ‘wonky’ fruit and vegetables. It feels like bit by bit progress on the long and windy road to sustainability.

In regards to the benefit of using these wonky veg, let’s look at the environmental impacts of fruit and vegetables, starting with their carbon footprint….


Read More

Whole Life Carbon as a Vehicle for Innovation

13/6/2017

 
Blog by Craig Jones
Carbon as a vechicle for innovation
This is Part II of the article, part I revealed how the HM Treasury stated that…

 “Reducing carbon reduces costs” – HM Treasury, 2013

The Infrastructure Carbon Review (2013) made this bold statement. It appears word for word in the report. However, such a bold statement should not be taken out of context and it should not be considered in isolation. Why is this...


Read More

The Business Value of Carbon Footprints: Reducing Carbon Reduces Costs

18/4/2017

 
Blog by Craig Jones
What is the value of carbon footprinting? Why should I carbon footprint our business, products, activities or constructions? Why should I do an embodied carbon assessment?
​
These are the questions we face almost daily. The reply is now:

“Reducing carbon reduces costs”

A bold claim indeed. It’s a claim that would normally be met with scepticism. However, this statement has been taken word for word from...
Carbon footprint

Read More

Low Carbon Energy Reaches Record High

23/3/2017

 
Blog by Stephen Allen
​The contribution of low carbon energy in the UK has risen to an all-time high, while our dependence on fossil fuels has fallen to a record low.  Such good news stories seem rare when it comes to the environment – so how did we get here? 

Read more...
Picture

Read More

EU Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Emission Targets: The Brexit Effect

17/8/2016

0 Comments

 
Blog by Craig Jones
The referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU sent shock waves around the world. The decision to leave the EU has strong implications, but these implications are yet to be understood. It could impact the economy, society and of course, the environment. In regards to the environment, we can at least ask - what are the implications for the EU’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets? Does it hinder or help the EU's route to sustainability?
​
To provide some background, the European Union, which composed of 28 members at the time of writing, has committed itself to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 20%, below 1990 levels, by 2020. There is an additional target for 2030, which is a more stringent 40% reduction. The uncertainty around the UK’s future role in the EU has led us to ask, what is the Brexit effect upon these targets?
EU GHG Emission Reduction

Read More
0 Comments

Defra 2016 Emissions Factors Released

20/7/2016

 
The UK government has released the 2016 conversion factors for calculating your greenhouse gas emissions. They are co-produced by the environment department, Defra.

The factors cover emissions from key activities, including the use of energy, water, transport and materials, as well as the production of waste.

Read on to find a summary from Circular Ecology's Dr Stephen Allen of what's new this year...
Picture

Read More

5 Top Tips for Reducing the Environmental Impact & Carbon Footprint of your Work

12/5/2016

 
Blog by Dr Craig Jones
Reduce carbon footprint of work
​Many businesses are now working hard to reduce the impacts of their operations, their services and/or their products. As part of this, every employee has an important role to play. Even if your company isn't taking action to reduce their environmental impacts, to cut their carbon footprints or to improve their resource efficiency there are still many things that you can do yourself.
​
Here is a list of our top 5 tips for reducing the impact of your daily office work: 


Read More

3rd Sustainable Clothing Workshop: Update

20/10/2015

 
​​The environmental footprint of our clothing is significant. It takes around 2,700 litres of water, for example, to make a single cotton-t-shirt.

To help leading brands and retailers improve their sustainability, Circular Ecology and partners are running a third Business Leaders' workshop on Thursday 5 November at M&S's London office. Dr Stephen Allen of Circular Ecology will chair the event. ​
Picture

Read More

Are We Really Reducing the UK's Carbon Footprint?

27/8/2015

 
Blog by Dr Stephen Allen
In the UK, we appear to have significantly reduced our impact on the climate since 1990, with our reported annual greenhouse gas emissions falling by 25% (2012).

But this isn't a complete picture of our contribution to climate change, because it ignores the embodied carbon of all the stuff we import.  When this is considered, are we really reducing the UK's carbon footprint, and what are the implications for communities and businesses looking to lower their climate impact?

Read more below...
Embodied-carbon-imports

Read More
<<Previous

    News & Insights

    Read our latest news, opinions and insights here.

    Follow

    Categories

    All
    Blog
    Carbon Footprint
    Circular Economy
    Embodied Carbon
    Energy
    Events
    Food
    Guest Blog
    Life Cycle Assessment
    News
    Waste
    Water

    RSS Feed

    Trending Articles

    Wider Content

    You may also be interested in:
    • Blog: Are We Really Reducing the UK's Carbon Footprint?
    • Blog: To refurbish or to replace?
    • Blog: Kyoto Protocol - Climate change success or global warming failure?
    • Blog: Sustainable Clothing Supply Chains
    • Blog: IPCC - Energy demand in the building sector to double 
    • Blog: Recycling is Not a Benefit
    • Blog: Double versus triple glazed windows
    • Sustainability versus sustainable development
    • Video: What is 1 tonne CO2e?
    • Inspirational environmental facts
    • Glossary of Terms
Home
About
​
Services
​
Privacy
Resources
​
News
Newsletter
© 2018 Circular Ecology Ltd     |     Circular Ecology Ltd is registered in England and Wales with company number 08573120
Photos used under Creative Commons from Darren Flinders, dé.wé., Enlightment Photography, Klingspohn Kommunikation, etcname, Eric K Gross, peasap, katerha, Vassilis Online, kostett, Mara 1, ghalfacree, amardhari, at8eqeq3, fdecomite, ljcybergal, marenhfs, Harald Groven, d.loop