Nicola Davis writes on The Guardian website about new research showing that Romans had techniques to give concrete self-healing properties. Would this work now? ‘Self-healing’ Roman concrete could aid modern construction, study suggests They have stood through the fall of an empire, the carnage of great wars and the foundation of a new country. … Continue reading Roman-inspired approaches towards concrete might be a cost-effective way to make our infrastructure last longer
Category: resource efficiency
Blog from Jane Marsh: How to retrofit a building for climate change
Global warming is creating suitable conditions for climate change. In response, worldwide industries have sought ways to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and overall carbon footprint. Retrofitting buildings has proven effective in enhancing energy efficiency and reducing environmental impact. Across the board, green innovations have enabled the optimization of existing structures for the United States … Continue reading Blog from Jane Marsh: How to retrofit a building for climate change
Calling for greater energy efficiency to reduce EU dependence on Russian fossil fuels
Initiatives to improve energy efficiency can reduce the EU’s dependence on Russian fossil fuels. They can also help increase the union’s influence in the global south. Mats Engstrom discusses the issues in an article on the European Council on Foreign Relations website. Efficient influence: Energy initiatives for a geopolitical Europe Russia’s brutal war on … Continue reading Calling for greater energy efficiency to reduce EU dependence on Russian fossil fuels
Building materials have a heavy carbon footprint and present a concrete challenge to the climate
We need to rethink the way we construct our buildings in order to reduce embodied carbon. The strategies to reduce embodied carbon already exist – from building smarter to decarbonising building materials. To shine a light on these solutions, the Programme for Energy Efficiency in Buildings (PEEB) recently published a working paper presenting key facts … Continue reading Building materials have a heavy carbon footprint and present a concrete challenge to the climate
Blog from Jane Marsh: 10 Things to Know About Renewable Energy Recycling
When Russia invaded Ukraine, global gas prices skyrocketed. Individuals search for alternative fuel sources to meet their transportation and energy demands. Rising gas prices and the green revolution influence society’s renewable energy adoption. The solar and wind power industries effectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions. After photovoltaic (PV) panels and turbines reach their expiration dates, they … Continue reading Blog from Jane Marsh: 10 Things to Know About Renewable Energy Recycling
European Green Deal: New proposals to make sustainable products the norm and boost Europe’s resource independence
This week the Commission presented a package of European Green Deal proposals to make sustainable products the norm in the EU, boost circular business models and empower consumers for the green transition. As announced in the Circular Economy Action Plan, the Commission is proposing new rules to make almost all physical goods on the EU market more friendly to the environment, circular, and … Continue reading European Green Deal: New proposals to make sustainable products the norm and boost Europe’s resource independence
Understanding our real water use
Water is a precious resource that we need to preserve, even in countries that they think they have an abundance of it. But cutting down on how much we consume has more to do with the food we eat than the length of our showers. Natalie Muller and Neil King discuss "hidden" or "virtual" water in an … Continue reading Understanding our real water use
The circular economy should be everyone’s business – new report by Anders Wijkman
In the autumn of 2021 Anders Wijkman prepared a paper for the Global Challenges Foundation that was presented in Glasgow at COP 26. It was one of a series of papers with a focus on the need to improve governance in a number of areas. Anders wrote this to EiD: Among quite a number of … Continue reading The circular economy should be everyone’s business – new report by Anders Wijkman
New EEA briefings on impacts of textile consumption in Europe
Textile consumption in Europe has on average the fourth highest impacts on the environment and climate, following consumption of food, housing and mobility. Ahead of the expected EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles, the European Environment Agency (EEA) published this week two briefings that look at measures to reduce those impacts, including on resource … Continue reading New EEA briefings on impacts of textile consumption in Europe
“If we want to use renewable energy to keep the atmosphere cool, then mining processes and our current relationship with metals must change”
Scott Dunbar, Davide Elmo and John Steen of the University of British Columbia argue that a sustainable approach to mining metals needed for our renewable energy expansion is definitely possible in an article on The Conversation website. It’s not necessary to trash the environment to extract metals needed for renewable energy The use of renewable … Continue reading “If we want to use renewable energy to keep the atmosphere cool, then mining processes and our current relationship with metals must change”
Energy in Demand - Sustainable Energy - Rod Janssen 