Articles in this issue | Forum For The Future

Articles in this issue

Articles in this issue:

Waste heat from computers to warm buildings

Hannah Bullock and Iain Aitch 23 June 2009, Community energy, Telecommunications, Waste to energy

Any laptop user will know that even the most casual of Twittering with a computer resting on your knees can get uncomfortably hot – so imagine the vast amount of heat that a massive IT data centre kicks out. Now telecommunications company Telehouse Europe is planning to capture that and pipe it to nearby homes and businesses.

First UK power plant captures carbon emissions

Roger East 30 June 2009, Carbon sequestration, Fossil fuels

The UK’s second biggest coal-fired power station made headlines in May as the first in the country to start capturing its carbon dioxide emissions, putting ScottishPower at the forefront of a technology widely seen as crucial for the future of coal – and the climate.

Focusing minds: Guy Thompson on the challenge of sustainability

Anna Simpson 29 June 2009, People

Since 1996, Forum For The Future’s Masters in Leadership for Sustainable Development has been training the sustainability leaders of the future. Each issue, we track the career of a Forum alumnus.

Obama drives up fuel efficiency on cars

Polly Ghazi 2 July 2009, Americas, Cars, Regulation

A new uniform federal standard links curbs on greenhouse gas emissions with fuel economy standards for the first time in US history.

Solar farm to transform Welsh city's skyline

Anna Simpson 2 July 2009, Local government, Solar energy/PV

Newport council outshines UK Government on solar power with proposals for a 'solar farm' across the rooftops of all public buildings.

Hydrogen city car hits 300mpg and 30g/km CO2

April Streeter 2 July 2009, Cars, Hydrogen/fuel cells

With politicians and carmakers waxing lyrical about electric vehicles, the squat hydrogen fuel cell car with a top speed of 50mph introduced by start-up Riversimple in June is definitely bucking prevailing trends.

Crouching Tiger?

Sam Geall 7 July 2009, Asia, Awards & grants, Solar energy/PV

Will the recession derail China’s slow train to sustainability? Or could it spur a surge in green innovation which will see the country become the world’s leading cleantech hub? Sam Geall investigates.

The future commute

Anna Simpson 7 July 2009, Commuting, Congestion, Integrated transport, Mass transit/Public transport, Travel plans

Intelligent buses, driverless pods and brief encounters at the skytrain interchange… Could tomorrow’s transport be even sexier than a soft-top convertible? Anna Simpson takes a ride into tomorrow.

Spark plug: can EVs save the climate and the motor industry?

April Streeter 3 August 2009, Cars, Innovation

Electric vehicles (EVs) are the flavour of the year. A hundred years after the petrol revolution swamped the first fragile wave of electric cars, they're back. But are they back for good? And can they really save both the climate and the motor industry? April Streeter peers under the bonnet.

Bird-spotters convert to wind power

Roger East 15 July 2009, Wind power

The new wind turbine at Rainham Marshes could have special significance in the story of UK renewables. It's nothing unusual in technical terms, nor in scale – it's just big enough to help power a visitor centre. The point is that it's a flagship visitor centre of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. As such, it's symbolically signalling that bird protection and wind power don't belong in opposing camps.

More than mere beauty: Cumbria sees surge in renewables

Rebecca Willis 17 August 2009, Employment, Places/demonstration centres, Regeneration

England’s Lake District could become a hub of green industry, reports
Rebecca Willis.

Clean water creates jobs, boosts education

Sadie Ramm 20 July 2009, Africa, Green Futures partners, Water

Happy cows, empowered women, kids who eat their greens...just three of the vast array of benefits which flow from clean water. Sadie Ramm reports from Ethiopia.

Eat the change, says WWF's Dax Lovegrove

Dax Lovegrove 26 August 2009, Consumption, Farming/Horticulture

The food system's big environmental impact comes not from running shops and packaging, but from how food is produced. Changes to this part of the food chain could make a big difference, from cutting water and chemical usage to sourcing with sustainability in mind.

Wanted: cool roofs for hot-and-bothered town

Garry Campbell 28 August 2009, Places/demonstration centres, Urban

With urban green space at a premium, rooftop gardens provide an opportunity to provide a respite from concrete, encourage biodiversity and cool city spaces, as Groundwork's projects attest to.

Green fields, digital divides

Claire Baylis 8 July 2009, Information technology, Regeneration

Can't live without email? For some rural areas broadband access is far from a given. So addressing this could boost business – and sustainability too.

Carbonated water: the hidden emissions behind water use

Chris Alden 8 July 2009, Carbon reduction, Housing, Water

New research reveals the hidden greenhouse gas emissions behind water use – tackling water efficiency and conservation is a step to not only saving money but cutting down on carbon emissions.

Pump primers

Martin Wright 8 July 2009, Awards & grants, Innovation, Places/demonstration centres

From greenhouses in Ladakh to green homes in England, the Ashden Awards celebrate the world's leading breakthroughs in sustainable energy.

Exclusive interview with Ecover's Mick Bremans

Martin Wright 10 August 2009, Eco-products & services, People, Retail

“Make sure it works first – then make it green” – Mick Bremans, CEO Ecover

We have to take environmental issues back to their roots, says Jonathon Porritt

Jonathon Porritt 13 July 2009, People

As The Ecologist prints its final issue, Jonathon Porritt, Founder Director of Forum for the Future and Chairman of the Sustainable Development Commission, talks about the need for deep analysis within the environmental debate.

Wind power “could provide total US electricity needs”

Roger East 14 July 2009, Americas, Wind power

Federal renewables rules look set to drive fresh surge in wind power on- and offshore

US Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is decidedly bullish about the potential for wind power. His department’s latest assessment of the scope for oil, gas and renewables on the outer continental shelf reckons the potential in the wind off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts is more than enough to meet the whole country’s current electricity demand.

Wales to be "self-sustaining" in energy

Sophie Blakemore 23 July 2009, Budget/Taxation, Energy sources, Visions & futures

A commitment to become energy self-sufficient within a generation is at the heart of an ambitious new sustainability strategy announced by the Welsh government.

Weak signals from the future

9 September 2009, Biotechnology, Innovation, Visions & futures

A cornucopia of climate solutions, or a tangle of unproven techno-fixes? As part of a series of visions for the future, ‘Weak signals’ tunes in to the debate over geo-engineering.

Eden Project plans to tap 'hot rock' technology

Alex Johnson 24 July 2009, Energy sources, Places/demonstration centres

The Eden Project, Cornwall’s acclaimed eco-centre, has teamed up with EGS Energy to create the country’s first geothermal power plant. Planned for the vast former clay pit near St Austell, the plant would draw heat from the granite rock strata, via deep boreholes.

Paint it white: what role should geo-engineering play in tackling climate change?

Peter Madden 8 September 2009

Peter Madden asks how much we should manipulate our future.

Renewables “could save UK £12.6 billion a year”

Sophie Blakemore 14 July 2009, Energy conservation & efficiency, Fossil fuels

Investment in green power and energy efficiency to reduce spend on imported fossil fuels

The UK could save itself up to £12.6 billion each year by 2020 if it invests heavily now in energy efficiency and renewable sources of power, according to a new study from the Renewable Energy Association.

‘Bacteria batteries’ for energy storage

Ed Gould 24 September 2009, Biofuels, Eco-products & services

Methane technology mimics chemical process found in marshes

Airlines “want global cap and trade”

Roger East 10 August 2009, Aviation, Carbon reduction

The aviation industry proposes a worldwide carbon emissions trading system in the approach to 2013, when aviation is to be included in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Students, prisoners flush with pride

Howard Sharman 20 July 2009, Consumption, Water

Rooftop harvesting systems save money at a London jail and an art college

Slimming good for the environment, says study

Sophie Blakemore 20 July 2009, Carbon reduction, Consumption, Walking

Countries with low body mass index emit fewer greenhouse gases. Staying slim is as important for the planet’s health as for our own, a new report reveals.

All UK homes to get smart meters by 2020

Roger East 20 July 2009, Behaviour change, Carbon reduction, Metering

How best to replace the nation’s 48 million electricity and gas meters currently lurking in hallways and dusty cupboards with something more prominent in our daily lives? That’s what the Government’s smart metering is looking to answer, fulfilling a promise it made back in October 2008.

West of England pledges to cut carbon by 10%

Hannah Bullock 24 July 2009, Places/demonstration centres, Urban

What have Capgemini, Bristol Zoo and the University of the West of England (UWE) got in common? Along with ten other pioneering organisations in the region, all three have publicly committed to slash their carbon emissions by at least 10% by 2012, as part of the West of England Carbon Challenge.

Wind, woodchip and farm waste to power universities

Hannah Bullock 30 September 2009, Biofuels, Wind power

Higher education switches on to renewable power

German Army mounts offensive on carbon emissions

Rebecca Schischa 21 September 2009, Biofuels, Carbon reduction, Europe

Biomass to power barracks

Robotic fish to detect shipping pollution

Alex Johnson 20 August 2009, Marine/coastal, Pollution, Water

A new breed of sniffer fish: carp-like machines are to be released into the waters of the Spanish port of Gijon to help detect pollutants from shipping and leaks from local pipelines.

Fair trade boosts sales, widens horizons

Anna Simpson 20 July 2009, Fair Trade

Rubber gloves and face cream among new wave of ethical products

Solar into space

Anna Simpson 15 July 2009, Innovation, Solar energy/PV

California buys energy generated in space

Californians could be catching the rays come rain or shine if the world’s first space-based solar power project gets off the ground. Plans to send a solar farm into orbit are awaiting final approval after a major power provider signed an agreement to buy solar energy generated in space.

Pedalling the wares

26 August 2009, Eco-products & services, Retail

Is the old-fashioned delivery bike back? Almost.

The future's smart

Dan Crossley 15 July 2009, Business services, Entrepreneurship

New tool puts business innovation under the microscope.

Cider industry blooms again

Hannah Bullock 15 July 2009, Carbon reduction, Farming/Horticulture, Visions & futures

Ancient industry reinvents itself as green pioneer

A recipe for sustainable retail

Sally Uren 30 September 2009, Behaviour change, Carbon reduction, Retail

Carbon is most definitely king. That’s the message coming loud and clear from European retailers.

Green fields, digital divides

20 August 2009

Can't live without email? For some rural areas broadband access is far from a given. So addressing this could boost business – and sustainability too.

post