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A NEW report shows West Suffolk Council is beating environmental targets in reducing greenhouse gas, recycling and generating energy but plans to do more. West Suffolk Council, which has declared a climate change emergency, has released the figures in its latest Environmental Statement as well as the initial findings of the Environment and Climate Change Task force. Immediate suggestions by the...

A NUMBER of energy-efficient and sustainable housing schemes are being developed in the South Hams in Devon. South Hams District Council is working in close partnership with a number of local community housing schemes around the District to deliver a mix of affordable, rented and discounted purchase, sustainable homes. Councillor Hilary Bastone, Deputy Leader for South Hams District Council, said: "We're...

COMPETITION for new technologies to be used in the UK train travel has opened today. UK rail industry transports 1.7 billion passengers and 110 million tonnes of freight each year and faces challenges from rapid growth and changing customer expectations. The number of trains has increased by 28% since 1997 and demand for rail transport is expected to increase by 58%...

A 'GROUND-BREAKING' Community Heat Scheme which aims to take the homes of East Cambridgeshire village Swaffham Prior off oil has received almost £300k in funding. The Heating Shaffham Prior project has won £232,000 of grant funding from BEIS' Heat Networks Delivery Unit which will be match funded by £66,000 from Cambridgeshire County Council. “Cambridgeshire County Council is committed to tackling the...

A TRIAL dimming of street lights across Peterborough to reduce the council's carbon footprint and save money is set to begin this week. The city council has updated all its street lights (25,000 in total) to LED bulbs over the past four years, which also allows the bulbs to be dimmed. The new bulbs are brighter and run on less electricity...

MAYOR of London, Sadiq Khan, has today launched his 'landmark fair-priced' green energy company available exclusively to Londoners. Just over 1,000 Londoners have already registered their interest with ‘London Power’, a first of its kind initiative for the capital. Mr Khan, who has become one of the company's first customers, commented on the news: “It is a disgrace that many Londoners...

SCOTLAND and Norway can work together to play a major role in tackling climate change, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon told Norwegian business leaders. Addressing the Confederation of Norwegian Enterprise conference in Oslo, the First Minister highlighted offshore wind and carbon capture and storage as sectors where the two countries are at the forefront of developing technologies. She said she hoped the...

VATTENFALL has announced that its wind farm proposals for Clashindarroch II are to go into planning. These will be company’s most powerful onshore turbines in the UK to date - anticipated to produce 2.5 times as much power as the existing turbines on site. The 77MW scheme – to the north east of the existing Clashindarroch wind farm - would consist...

A MAP by the Department for Transport of electric vehicle charging stations shows that Basildon has the best provision in Essex, with Rochford District increasing its offering. The installations have been made in an effort to improve local air quality along the A127 between Basildon and Rochford District, as part of the authorities’ response to the Government’s National Air Quality...

RESEARCHERS from the University of Warwick are seeking to find out how used electric vehicle batteries could be used to power rickshaws in Bangladesh. Motorised rickshaws, also known as easy-bikes, have gained popularity in Bangladesh due to their cost-effectiveness with one million of them all over the country. However, the easy-bike currently uses a lead-acid battery for power, which has a...