The Local Government and Public Sector Building Maintenance and Management Conference 2011 will cover a wide range of topics including in the theme “Water and Energy Efficient Buildings: Towards More Sustainable Buildings”. To achieve more sustainable buildings it is now crucially important to consider the water and energy efficiency of buildings not just in their initial construction, but also in their operation and maintenance. Topics in this theme include:
The European Citizens Climate Cup (ECCC) is an energy saving competition between households throughout 10 European countries. From April 2011 to April 2012, households are invited to join the competition and use the online toolkit (ESA) to monitor their household energy consumption against that of previous years. This website helps provide all participants with information and tips and tricks on how they can save energy in their home and the ESA will calculate and demonstrate the savings they make. At the end of the competition, there will be an ‘Energy Saver of the Year’ – the individual or household that has made the greatest energy savings.
Sustainable House Day is celebrating its 10th year, and the event will continue to showcase some of Australia’s most sustainable homes to the public as millions of Australians continue to embrace renewable energy, recycling, and other practices suitable to their lifestyles.
A double-glazing buyers guide in the latest issue of the Alternative Technology Association (ATA) ReNew: technology for a renewable future magazine takes a look at window and door glass insulating options. Windows often make or break the look of a home, but there’s a lot more to them than aesthetics. The importance of reducing heat flows through windows and doors should not be overlooked. In fact, a single pane plain glass window is not much better than a hole in the wall when it comes to its insulating ability.
How can we transform and future-proof the post-industrial city through strategies of architectural and urban design? The Principles of Green Urbanism advises that the answer is to use an energy-efficient, zero-carbon model based on renewable energy sources and renewable building typologies. The book presents different models for sustainable urban growth, based on the principles of ‘Green Urbanism’.
Want to be an energy and climate change leader in your community? Get involved in the CSIRO Energymark program and help create a sustainable future – reduce your carbon footprint, lower energy usage and save on power bills. The program brings people together in small groups to learn about energy and climate change issues, and discuss what they can do to make a difference. Energymark is currently running in NSW and in the Brisbane and Redlands City Council areas of Queensland.
Earth Hour started in 2007 in Sydney, Australia when 2.2 million individuals and more than 2,000 businesses turned their lights off for one hour to take a stand against climate change. Only a year later and Earth Hour had become a global sustainability movement with more than 50 million people across 35 countries participating. Earth Hour 2011 will take place on Saturday 26 March at 8.30PM (local time). To find out more visit Earth Hour 2011.
The October 2010 Alternative Technology Association (ATA) ebulletin features:
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