GBRC

Last July, we published Tina’s blog on her eco-refurb project and on some trouble she had with getting planning permission. Now that this is all over, she is back to tell us about her project’s progress.

I recently joined Kevin McCloud and Greg Barker – Minister of State for energy and climate change – for a live webinar in which we were discussing the Green Deal, with the debate fed by questions from you. It was an interesting and stimulating discussion as if the Government gets it right, the Green Deal will not only provide an affordable way to renovate the UK's housing stock and make our homes less energy intensive, but it could also improve their aesthetic appeal, and mitigate sky high energy bills.

When filling out an application form recently I felt somewhat discombobulated when it came to the 'occupation' entry. Property developer or environmental campaigner? Environmental campaigner or property developer? They don't at first glance seem to marry particularly well. But they do, thankfully. Absolutely and utterly.

Aside from wanting to carry out a low energy refurbishment for environmental reasons, we also wanted the benefits of living in a comfortable and healthy house with low heating bills.

As we said before, there is more to sustainability than just energy. In this blog, Nicola Round, WWF's Forests Campaign manager, explains the link between our local authorities and rainforests.

I've long wanted to improve the carbon performance of our family's home, but never had either the money or the expertise to tackle it seriously.

As you must have noticed, we almost always focus on energy efficiency. But a truly sustainable house is about more than insulation or PVs. It is about water use (you can read our water blog) and the materials we choose to use. Read Colin’s blog on why forests matter – from Bourne to Borneo