3rd “Policy Meets Research” Workshop on Sustainable Housing. Helsinki, 7-8 June 2012

Posted on: 18 June 2012
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The overriding objective of the project “CORPUS – Enhancing the Connectivity Between Research and Policy-Making in Sustainable Consumption” is to experiment with and develop new integrative modalities of knowledge brokerage at the policy-science interface. This third “Policy meets research” Workshop on sustainable housing focused on scenario building. Presentations are available online.

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Sustainable Events Guide

Posted on: 18 June 2012
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This online publication is an informative and useful tool aimed at providing valuable information on how to keep large scale meetings as green as possible. It is addressed at those responsible for the planning and conduct of large-scale conferences and other events. The main purpose of the guide is to provide a tool to help event planners maximise the positive impacts and minimise the potential negative ones in the course of planning and delivering meetings. It can also add relevant value, criteria and guidance to event planning in the governmental, NGO, public and private sectors.

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Figures for the future: 20 years of sustainable development in Europe? A guide for citizens

Posted on: 15 June 2012
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Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, has released a publication in connection with the Rio+20 summit2, the United Nations conference on sustainable development which will take place on 20-22 June 2012. This publication of 160 pages presents 70 of the EU Sustainable Development Indicators which are used to measure and monitor the EU Sustainable Development Strategy, in a new and easy-to-understand style. The publication is complemented by four videos about green growth, green economy and poverty.

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BREEAM Domestic Refurbishment Assessment

Posted on: 15 June 2012
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BREEAM Refurbishment for domestic buildings has been launched following a pilot scheme involving more than 200 homes. The assessment method is suitable for use on projects from home improvements, such as replacing windows and fitting new insulation, to developments, whether multiple to single dwellings. It has also been developed to align with the government’s green deal, the incentive scheme for energy efficiency improvements. It pinpoints those elements of the refurbishment that will bring the greatest returns and provides a methodology, software tool and certification for those responsible for the delivery of sustainable domestic refurbishment projects. As well as addressing overall sustainability issues, the scheme can help specific initiatives to tackle fuel poverty, reduce flooding and security risks, and enhance the health and wellbeing of tenants and householders. The BREEAM Domestic Refurbishment technical manual is now available on the BREEAM website, along with case studies from some of the pilot projects.

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Perceptions of Britain in European markets

Posted on: 15 June 2012
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FORESIGHT is a monthly commentary, published by Visit Britain, on significant issues within the tourism sector. The June 2012 issue presents the findings of a study into the perceptions of Britain in seven of the UK’s European target markets, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Switzerland.

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Metropolisation of river basins, between threats and opportunities. Vienna, 15 May 2012

Posted on: 15 June 2012
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The International Urban Development Association (INTA), together with Central European Institute of Technology (CEIT), organised a one-day round-table hosted at the 17th Real Corp International Conference in Austria. This international event represents the occasion to explore the new dimensions of urban development along river basins. Several fascinating cases have been identified that provide solutions to the questions raised by the metropolisation process. Policy makers, urban stakeholders and practitioners were there to inspire an imaginative and critic approach to future policy development. Thematic issue that were explored included: How such corridor can foster regional interactions; How sharing a river basin can be leverage for a coherent and cohesive development; How to maintain a balanced urban growth together with the protection of natural corridors; Which integrated governance mechanism allows sharing large infrastructural equipments along a river basin; How to develop different scales of connection fostering urban and regional interactions along the river and within the territories around. Presentations, a final report, and background documentation are available online.

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On the Pulse: housing routes to better health outcomes for older people

Posted on: 15 June 2012
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This is a new report launched by the National Housing Federation and supported by the Housing Learning and Improvement Network. The report features analysis of current health and care priorities and explores how housing associations can work with health and social care commissioners to: enable older people to manage changes in their health; help people live as independently as possible; and reduce the need for more costly care. The report features six case studies which describe some innovative solutions our members have developed.

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The case for Centres of Excellence in sustainable building design

Posted on: 15 June 2012
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This report published by the Royal Academy of Engineering is the result of an exercise to establish the costs and benefits for the UK economy in creating a network of centres of excellence in integrated sustainable design and construction. It also evaluates the need for new skills and approaches in sustainable design in order for the construction industry to deliver low carbon buildings at the lowest cost for society. It is argued that the establishment of such centres, to help the construction industry meet UK climate change policy targets, could create over £1 billion of savings by 2030 and cut carbon emissions by 3.5 million tonnes a year.

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UK-GBC’s Industry Business Plan

Posted on: 15 June 2012
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This report represents the culmination of a six-month project run by the UK Green Building Council to highlight potential areas for commercial opportunity in a future resource-constrained world. The ‘Industry Business Plan’ project brought together a cross-section of business leaders to develop scenarios for future operating environments, and conduct an analysis to determine a range of strategic options for the industry. The project aimed to give organisations the space to rethink ‘business as usual’ and take some time to model some innovative ideas that responded to the likely future operating environment to deliver high value, low-carbon and sustainable growth opportunities.

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Implementing the Aarhus Convention today: Paving the way for a better environment and governance tomorrow, Almaty, Kazakhstan, 22-23 May 2012

Posted on: 15 June 2012
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This subregional meeting for Central Asian countries was organised jointly by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). This subregional meeting comprised two parallel workshops with several joint sessions: The first workshop “Greening Justice and the role of the Judiciary in this process” brought together senior judges and representatives from judicial training institutions, as well as environmental law experts, to discuss the legal aspects of access to justice and the role of the judiciary in implementing and enforcing the Convention; The second workshop “How to implement the Aarhus Convention: learning practical experiences” provided a platform for dialogue between representatives from Aarhus Centres and governmental, non-governmental and international organisations to discuss challenges in the practical implementation of the three pillars of the Aarhus Convention and to learn good practices. Presentations are available online.

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