News Archive: environment

Page 1 of 24 - Results per page: 50

03, 2012 February:

Farmland investment is the "wise and ethical choice in 2012"

Investing in high performance agricultural land would be a "wise and ethical choice in 2012", according to some real estate agents.

17, 2012 January:

Is 'green’ Bishop of London now a commuter?

The Bishop of London, the Rt Rev Richard Chartres, has bought a house 100 miles outside the capital for almost £500,000.

10, 2012 January:

Floods in Brazil force thousands to flee their homes

Brazilian authorities are trying to evacuate at least 20,000 people after a dam burst in Rio de Janeiro state following days of torrential rain.

05, 2011 December:

Councils better prepared than ever for Winter

Extra salt, new gritters, more salt bins, snow wardens and Gritter Twitter - latest research from highways chiefs shows councils are better prepared than ever to deal with winter weather.

30, 2011 November:

Poor housing leads to 38pc rise in winter deaths

New figures have shown that the number of winter deaths across England and Wales has risen by 38 per cent – with poor housing being stated as one of the reasons.

07, 2011 November:

New super sewer plans raise hopes for King's Stairs Gardens

The Saving King's Stairs Gardens Action Group has welcomed the news that the popular Rotherhithe park is no longer the preferred choice as a major construction site for London's super sewer.

04, 2011 November:

Video: The sustainable future of real estate

Now is the time to consider the sustainable future of real estate, carbon change expert Patrick Dixon declared at the Total Real Estate Training conference this week.

03, 2011 November:

RICS warning of how green energy schemes can affect a property’s saleability

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is warning people to be vigilant when opting to let their roof space for green energy schemes, as doing so could violate mortgage terms and put a property's saleability at risk.

Video: Continued flooding wreaks havoc on Thai economy

The Bank of Thailand (BoT) lowered its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth projection for 2011, significantly owing to the widespread flood in upper part of the country, Mass Communication of Thailand (MCOT) reported.

02, 2011 November:

Blow for home owners as Government halves solar panel payments

Solar panels look set to be a far less lucrative investment for many householders, as a result of new Government proposals unveiled this week.

01, 2011 November:

Milan goes green with vertical forest

Milan is one of the most polluted cities in Europe, but the city is going green with a stunning new development: the world’s first vertical forest. Bosco Verticale is a 27-storey tower development in central Milan featuring 900 trees and thousands of other shrubs and plants. It's a big step in environmental architecture as European cities turn to real estate to reduce pollution.

31, 2011 October:

Brazil bug spreads as interest becomes infectious

Brazil’s property bug spread further this week, as online travel bookings to the country ballooned by 90 per cent in 2011. Expedia announced the growth as property demand, house prices and new developments all caught international investment fever. With tourism up and the housing market strong, interest in Brazilian real estate is infectious.

28, 2011 October:

Bangkok condos will bounce back from flood disaster

Bangkok's condominium market will bounce back despite the Thai capital’s suburbs currently being ravaged by heavy flooding, according to an associate director of Colliers International Thailand

10, 2011 October:

Video: Why Australia: Clean Energy

As environmental issues become an increasing concern for the real estate industry, Australia offers many business and investment opportunities within clean energy and the environment.

05, 2011 October:

One in ten Brits put off by perceived 'green' cost

More than one in ten Brits worry that going 'green' is too expensive and that more energy efficient products are a waste of money.

04, 2011 October:

Tiny Spanish island to be completely powered by solar and wind

If you wanted to be hopeful about renewables, you might look at a project 900 miles off the coast of Spain, on the smallest of the Canary Islands.

30, 2011 September:

Green homes set to generate price premiums, it is suggested

Innovative new properties, such as those built with integrated solar panels to heat water or generate electricity, are beginning to generate a price premium for investors and home owners over conventionally built existing ones, it is claimed.

Allotment boom at risk warns National Trust

An army of would-be grow-your-owners could see their hopes dashed as proposed planning changes threaten to squeeze out community-led initiatives in favour of a default ‘yes’ to building development proposals.

23, 2011 September:

Man builds stunning ‘hobbit house’ for just £3,000

A man has built a hillside home reminiscent of a hobbit house from JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings — on a budget of just £3,000.

16, 2011 September:

A potty idea? UK plans houses made from nappies

The fight for green housing in the UK has taken on a new colour as Britain plans to recycle nappies for building materials. Used nappies will be converted by new recycling factories into roof tiles and other construction parts as Canadian company Knowaste brings its unique form of waste disposal to the UK.

09, 2011 September:

Weather disasters keep costing U.S. billions this year

From the blizzard in Chicago, to killer tornadoes in the south, to wildfires that have burned more than 1,000 homes in Texas,weather disasters keep costing U.S. billions this year.

17, 2011 August:

Eco-town gets go ahead

Cherwell District Council has granted planning permission for the first phase of a Government-backed plan to construct an eco-town.

05, 2011 August:

Consider the needs of old buildings, experts warn

Several leading property experts have jointly written to Energy Secretary Chris Huhne urging him to consider the needs of older buildings when working on the Green Deal initiative.

27, 2011 July:

Historic British homes at risk from climate change rules

Climate change rules are damaging country homes by encouraging owners to fit plastic windows, according to a damning new report on England's "dysfunctional" heritage system to protect important buildings.

25, 2011 July:

UK government to give money off green heaters

Householders across the country could get up to £1,250 of government funding to help towards the cost of installing renewable heating systems such as biomass boilers, air and ground source heat pumps and solar thermal panels.

06, 2011 July:

Swiss Re warns Europe of ‘soil subsidence’ from climate change

According to a new study from Swiss Re, “Europe is witnessing a dramatic increase in property damage as a result of soil subsidence.”

17, 2011 June:

Rocky road for Austria peaks sale

Austria has been forced into a climbdown over plans to sell off two alpine summits.

09, 2011 June:

Volcanic ash cloud disrupts S. America flights

Flights in and out of Buenos Aires were cancelled for most of Tuesday as the ash cloud drifted over Argentina, Uruguay and into Brazil.

08, 2011 June:

Spain's beaches designated the cleanest in Europe

Despite considerable commercial development along its coastline, it appears that Spain has managed to keep its waters amazingly pristine - 511 of its beaches have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag eco label this year, proving the nation is still a prized tourist destination for natural attractions.

06, 2011 June:

UN's green economy cost: $40 bln

Investing $40 billion annually in the forest sector is needed for the world to transition into a low carbon, resource-efficient green economy, according to a UN report released here Sunday.

25, 2011 May:

Brazil considers reducing protection for forests

Brazil's lower house passed legislation Tuesday night that would loosen restrictions on how small farmers use their land in the Amazon forest, but lawmakers dropped a change that most worried environmentalists.

Australia needs to act against climate change

The Minister for Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, Greg Combet, today welcomed the release of the Climate Commission’s report The Critical Decade: Climate science, risks and responses.

20, 2011 May:

$500 million floating golf course planned for Maldives

You've just finished a round of golf on a floating course in the middle of the Indian Ocean. An underwater tunnel leads you to the clubhouse, where a glass elevator drops down to a main bar that doubles as a spectacular natural aquarium.

Government unveils Zero Carbon Homes standard

Housing Minister Grant Shapps has announced a tough but realistic definition for zero carbon homes that the Government said struck the right balance between delivering the zero carbon homes for the future and creating the right conditions to get the homes the country needs built.

13, 2011 May:

Earthquakes rock Spain

Two earthquakes struck the Spanish town of Lorca yesterday evening, leaving at least nine people dead and 130 injured in the most deadly tremors to hit the country in more than 50 years. Seismologists described the quakes, measuring 4.4 and 5.2 on the Richter scale, as ‘moderate’ but they still seem to have damages more than 20,000 buildings and resulted in the majority of the 90,000 residents of Lorca spending the night outdoors.

28, 2011 March:

Green homes could create jobs and savings in UK

A recent study by the UK's Energy Saving Trust has indicated that the British economy could stand to gain £6.6 billion from refurbishing its homes to a green standard.

23, 2011 March:

UK solar scheme cuts could affect green property owners

Cuts to the government's incentive scheme for those implementing solar panels on their property will force many owners to reconsider the affordability of going green.

14, 2011 March:

Manchester to lead UK green housing revolution

The UK Housing Minister has announced a ground-breaking new green housing plan for the northern city, the largest national scheme of its kind to date.

23, 2011 February:

Canadian, Australian cities 'the most liveable'

The Economist Intelligence Unit has published its annual list of 10 'most liveable cities', with Vancouver, Toronto and Melbourne ranked top in terms of health care, financial stability, environment and culture.

31, 2011 January:

Australia under threat from further storms

With the flood clean-up bill already set to increase inflation and causing the mining giants to postpone deliveries, a further severe tropical storm is expected to hit the Queensland coast.

22, 2010 December:

Zero carbon target welcomed by GBC

The UK Green Building Council (UK-GBC) has welcomed an announcement by the Government that it is working on an approach to finalising the definition of zero carbon homes...

21, 2010 December:

Mystery over hush-hush 'consultation' on EPCs

Blink and you'll miss it: that's the only way we can describe the Department of Energy and Climate Change's lightning-quick consultation on Energy Performance Certificates...

20, 2010 December:

Coping with snow and ice in your garden

With wintry weather returning to many parts of the UK the Royal Horticultural Society has received a marked increase in calls from gardeners concerned about the affect the heavy snow and ice is having on their plants...

15, 2010 December:

Freezing temps bring home misery

A leading insurer has seen a dramatic increase in home insurance claims due to the recent snow and cold weather...

12, 2010 December:

Landlords, tenants 'should collaborate' on green ethos

When it comes to the issue of property sustainability, landlords and tenants may need to work more closely together, one commentator has suggested...

08, 2010 December:

Uninsured flood risk threatens UK property market

Millions of homes and small businesses could find it harder to buy insurance because of cuts in funding for flood defences contained in the Government's Comprehensive Spending Review...

07, 2010 December:

Big thaw leads to flood worries

The National Flood School is gearing up for a surge in calls as the weather turns and the heavy snow blanket across the country starts to thaw out...

06, 2010 December:

'Warm Home Discount' provides cheaper energy

The Warm Home Discount, confirmed as part of the recent Spending Review, will require energy companies by law to give a discount on energy bills to more of their most vulnerable customers...

03, 2010 December:

Snow causing transport chaos across Europe

Heavy snowfalls forced some of Europe's busiest airports to close and wreaked havoc on roads and railways as an unseasonable cold snap swept the continent, claiming at least 15 lives...