Give Me an "F" For Failing Government Department

If you are the government department tasked with reducing public buildings' carbon emissions, you would want to make sure when you implemented Display Energy Certificates for all government buildings, that your building was, well efficient.

However, Eland House, the headquarters of the Communities and Local Government, who is tasked to do just that has been handed a quite poor 'F' rating, which was only the second worst rating it could have received.

Eland House was designed by EPR Architects and built by Mowlem for Land Securities, and completed in 1998. The steel and glass structure in London is 59 m (152 ft) high, with 11 floors providing 35,000 m² (376,250 sq ft) of office space housing 2,500 staff. It incorporates a number of environmental features including a cogeneration plant and active solar panels.

Energy assessors visited the building ahead of the October introduction of regulations requiring public buildings to display evidence of their energy performance. Buildings which are frequently visited by the public, whether wholly or only partly publicly owned, and are larger than 1,000 metres squared, must prominently display their energy rating.

"Our rating for Eland House tells us we must clearly do better to make a difference to our energy performance. We are now acting on recommendation from our advisory report to help us improve future ratings."
Communities and Local Government

Officials from the departments excuse was poor heating and ventilation and heating systems, as well as higher occupancy than expected affected the building's energy performance. It's a shame when an organisation that should be taking a lead in reducing its own carbon emissions, doesn't practice what they preach, certainly this will leave some senior civil servants red faced. Lets hope that their next rating will show considerable improvement.

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Scores on the Car Doors

Beginning January 1, 2009 all new cars sold in California will carry a label which clearly informs consumers of the state's assessment of the vehicle's environmental impact.

The new regulation signed into law last month by the Secretary of State, creates a simple ranking system that will provide consumers with practical information that can be used to choose the most environmentally friendly vehicle that meets their transportation needs. Showroom models displaying these labels have already started to appear.

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Picture: Tesco Carbon Labels hit the Shelves

Shoppers can now see the full array of products with carbon labels in store, that Tesco announced earlier this year, and suggestions on which products are greener.

Home Information Packs

The start of August marked the introduction of Home Information Packs (HIP) into the United Kingdom, initially for houses with four or more bedrooms in England & Wales, extending to three-bed houses on September 10, 2007, this will cover over 60% of the housing market. Scotland will introduce their own version of the HIP in 2008. Costing about £400 to compile, a Home Information Pack must include:

• Evidence of title
• Copies of planning, listed building or building regulations consents
• A local search
• Guarantees for any work on the property, and;
• An energy performance certificate

Energy Performance Certificates are created by energy assessors who complete an audit on the property taking into account measures that the owner has implemented to improve the efficiency, such as cavity wall insulation, double glazing and energy saving light bulbs. This data is then fed in most cases to a computer program which then produces a report and rating, displayed like that of energy labels on white goods. The Energy Saving Trust believe following the advice in the EPC report the average household could save £300 per year off their bills.

"Hips and EPCs can help families to save hundreds of pounds off their fuel bills, and cut a million tonnes of carbon a year"
Baroness Andrews, Communities Minister

The introduction of the Home Information Packs has been cited by many as a way to reduce house sales falling through, with the potential buyer receiving in advance basic clear information about the property. They also reduce the need for multiple people compiling the same information on the same property, and the government hopes will empower people to make simple but effective changes to their homes to improve the efficiency. Installing cavity wall insulation and filling your home with LED or energy saving bulbs will only cost a few hundred pounds and can be completed in an afternoon, but could mean the difference between an E or a C grade, and thousands of pounds in fuel costs to prospective buyers. They also ensure the government complies with an EU directive before the 2009 deadline.

"It will give the opportunity for people, for the first time, to understand their energy consumption. It will let them know - possibly for the first time - what level of energy standard a home is currently reaching and could be reaching."
Philip Sellwood, Chief Executive, Energy Saving Trust

My only hope is that they roll out the information packs to smaller properties within a reasonable time scale which suits market conditions, as these properties are most likely per capita producing more emissions than those of larger properties. Also if you are in the property industry, make your packs available electronically and save all that paper.

Green Labels

When out shopping its often difficult to differentiate products on their environmental merits. With the addition of green labels manufactures are trying to help us understand how their product meets environmental standards, but whilst some labels and logos are self explanatory some labels are not so easy for us to decipher. Included on the posts below are some logos you may have come across in the past or will in the future with explainations and links.

• Product-Specific Labels
• World Labels
• Fuel Economy Label
• Energy Labels
• Timber Products
• Ecolabels
• Organic Produce
• Food
• Recycling and Packaging

If there are some you think we should list on these pages please feel free to email us and we will add them to the appropriate category.

Green Labels: Product-Specific Labels

As well as the more general ecolabels, there are green labels which apply only to specific types of products, for example paint or textiles.

Volatile Organic Compounds Label
These labels indicate the relative content of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) in paints and associated products. VOCs cause air pollution and may be harmful to human health.

The industry and retailers have agreed wording and standards for the use of this voluntary label. More information is available from the British Coatings Federation. There is no standard logo, but many retailers use the form of logo shown here, which was developed by B&Q.


Oeko-Tex Standard 100 Label
The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 is an international certification system for textiles and clothing, covering all stages of production. Labelled products are tested by independent institutes for an extensive range of harmful substances based on the latest scientific findings and legal regulations. All parts of labelled articles must meet the defined requirements.

Green Labels: World Labels

There are a number of schemes which focus on providing good livelihoods for people and protecting ecosystems and biodiversity in the places where the products come from. Here are two examples that you are likely to come across.

The Fairtrade Mark
The Fairtrade Foundation awards the Fairtrade Mark to products that meet international Fairtrade standards. These include long-term trading contracts and a price that covers the cost of sustainable production and living. Farmers and workers' organisations receive a premium to invest in social and environmental projects benefiting their communities.

The Mark appears on a wide range of certified products, including coffee, tea, fruit, cotton and footballs, and composite products like biscuits which include a minimum percentage of Fairtrade ingredients.

The Rainforest Alliance
The Rainforest Alliance has worked for over twenty years with foresters, farmers and tour operators to ensure that their goods and services are environmentally and socially responsible.

Its certified seal of approval appears on products including timber, paper, bananas and coffee which have been grown or made sustainably.

Green Labels: Fuel Economy Label

The UK Fuel Economy Label for all new cars can help you choose a vehicle which is fuel efficient and gives out fewer carbon emissions. It is similar to the European Energy label. By choosing a fuel efficient car, you can help tackle climate change.

The label shows how much carbon dioxide a car emits. Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change.

The label also gives estimated fuel costs for 12,000 miles and the Vehicle Tax for 12 months so you can see how much these will cost before you buy. Lower carbon dioxide emissions mean lower Vehicle Tax and lower running costs. You can also find out more about vehicle emissions and petrol costs for the majority of cars available in the UK at VCA Car Fuel Data.

The label has been introduced voluntarily by the car industry under the auspices of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership which was set up with Government funding. Members include car companies and environmental groups.

Green Labels: Energy Labels

The energy labels shown here focus on products which make the best use of energy, and so perform well while saving on running costs and helping the environment. Reducing your energy use helps tackle climate change. I have just installed a new freezer to replace my two old ones, this will save me about £75 a year and 365kg in CO2 emissions.

All European manufacturers and retailers must tell you about the energy efficiency of household electrical fridges, freezers, washing machines, tumble dryers, washer-dryers, dishwashers, air conditioners, ovens and light bulbs. Products are generally rated from ‘A’ to ’G’, with ‘A’ being the most efficient (‘A+’ and ‘A++’ for the most efficient fridges and freezers). In addition many labels will also include the annual energy consumption of the product based on normal usage. An example of an energy label found throughout Europe is shown above, for a more detailed explaination on each of the sections contained on an energy label visit the Energy Saving Trust.

Energy Saving Recommended logo
The Energy Saving Recommended logo endorses products that are amongst the most energy efficient available. The scheme is managed by the Energy Saving Trust. The wide range of products covered includes appliances like washing machines and refrigeration, light fittings, gas and oil boilers, insulation, hot water cylinders and glazing.



Energy Star logo
The Energy Star logo means that the energy consumption of an appliance is below an agreed level in ‘stand-by’ mode. The logo appears on some types of office equipment, such as computers, monitors, printers and fax machines. Within the EU, the Energy Star is a voluntary labelling scheme and its use is controlled by an agreement between the USA and European Community.

Green Labels: Timber Products

A number of labelling schemes cover timber products. Examples of two of the schemes you are most likely to come across are shown below.

The Forest Stewardship Council
The Trademark of the Forest Stewardship Council indicates that the wood used to make a product comes from a forest which is well managed according to strict environmental, social and economic standards. The forest of origin has been independently inspected and evaluated according to the principles and criteria for forest management agreed and approved by the FSC.




Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification Schemes
The PEFC Council (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) is an independent organisation whose logo provides an assurance that its certified wood and paper products have been independently audited as coming from sustainably managed forests.

Green Labels: Ecolabels

Ecolabels usually cover a wide range of environmental impacts, across the lifetime of a product, from production and use through to disposal. Some, like the European Ecolabel, shown below, apply to many different types of product.

European Ecolabel
This is an official Europe-wide award for non-food products that minimise impacts on the environment. Products must be independently certified, and have to meet strict criteria for all the main environmental impacts across their whole life cycle. In the UK products with the Flower label include kitchen rolls, toilet tissue, paints and clothing.




Some countries or areas also have national ecolabel schemes. For more information on Ecolabels in your country or region visit the Global Ecolabelling Network. Two examples of country specific and regional labels are shown below.


Nordic Ecolabel
Nordic Swan in Scandinavia








German Ecolabel
Blue Angel in Germany

Green Labels: Organic Produce

Organic farming requires farmers to operate to a system based on ecological principles and imposes strict limits on the inputs like artificial chemical fertilisers and pesticides that can be used.

The use of the word “organic” is controlled by law and can be used on food products only if they are produced according to regulations, and farmers and processors must be certified by an approved organisation. In the UK the following are approved organisations capable of certifying produce as organic; (For Addresses & Telephone Numbers)

Organic Farmers and Growers Ltd
Scottish Organic Producers Association
Organic Food Federation
Soil Association Certification Ltd
Bio-Dynamic Agricultural Association
Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association
Organic Trust Limited
CMi Certification
Quality Welsh Food Certification Ltd
Ascisco Ltd

As well as the standards set out in regulations for organic food there are private standards used by authorised bodies for other products like textiles, cosmetics, wood products and composts. Compliance with these standards is dealt with under general consumer protection law.

There is no requirement to display a logo, but the certification number must be used in the labelling of certified organic products (eg “Organic Certification: UK 1”). The main picture includes two logos used by the Soil Association and Organic Farmers & Growers certification organisations.

Green Labels: Food

These are examples of food labels that focus on environmental aspects of food production.

Linking Environment and Farming (LEAF)
The LEAF Marque is about Linking Environment and Farming. It is one of the approaches to farm management that gives you the choice to buy affordable food produced by farmers who are committed to improving the environment for the benefit of wildlife and the countryside.





The Marine Stewardship Council
The Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) has set an internationally recognised environmental standard for sustainable and well-managed fisheries. It is based on healthy fish stocks, a thriving marine environment and effective management. The MSC logo appears on over 80 products in the UK retail and foodservice sector.

Green Labels: Recycling and Packaging

There are symbols which show you that an item is made from recycled material or that it can be recycled when you have finished with it. Buying recycled products, and recycling your waste helps to save vital resources and energy.

Plastics
Plastics often carry a number inside a Mobius Loop. View our post "What do the Numbers on Plastic Mean?" for more information on plastic logos.

The Recycling Symbol
This symbol, called the Mobius Loop, simply means that a product or part of it can be recycled where facilities are available. The inclusion of a number shows the percentage of recycled material that has been used to make the product.





The Green Dot
The Green Dot is a registered trademark. It means that a financial contribution has been paid to an authorised packaging recovery scheme. The UK is not a participating Green Dot system country, but you will see it on things which have been imported.