Archived articles from 2004
Green Oscars for Asia
29 Dec 2004
Under the blazing sun of Southern India, Hemant Lamba and his team at the international township of Auroville have been working to bring affordable solar panels to 80,000 people across the region. This summer they were awarded the Ashden Award', known globally as the Green Oscars' for their pioneering enterprise in helping this vast country unlock its huge potential...
Starting to Live Differently
29 Dec 2004
Addressing climate change is vital for the future of the planet. Concern is no longer limited to environmentalists. Economists, politicians and mainstream scientists now accept the urgent need to develop more sustainable solutions. Meeting the environmental challenges will require innovation on a scale never implemented before.
One Million Sustainable Homes
29 Dec 2004
Two thousand zero-waste, zero-carbon homes could be built at Thames Gate-way if an ambitious design concept for a One Planet Living Community gets the go ahead. The Z-Squared project builds on the success of the award winning BedZED eco-village, near Sutton, pictured, and is being developed by the BioRegional Group and WWF UK in partnership with world renowned architects...
Eco Transport in the Austrian Alps
29 Dec 2004
Imagine going on your holidays to the Austrian Alps and only needing one key to guarantee unlimited mobility and the use of over twenty different modes of transport: electric cars, E-scooters, E-fun-riders, bicycles and horse carriages, mostly running on sustainable wind and solar energy. With its Sanfte Mobilitat scheme, the town of Werfenweng has become a model for car-free...
UK Tides and Waves
29 Dec 2004
Britain hopes to lead the way in the development of wave and tidal power. Two key players are Scotland's Ocean Power Delivery, with the Pelamis wave energy converter and Marine Current Turbines with the Seaflow underwater turbine
Beyond Oil
29 Dec 2004
Climate change can be slowed and the conflict over oil avoided, according to Beyond Oil, a booklet by Rising Tide, Platform Research and Friends of the Earth, which suggests that individual countries become energy independent by investing in renewable resources.
Terra Madre
29 Dec 2004
Last October, a magnificent gathering of 5,000 small farmers and food artisans took place in Turin. Organised by the Slow Food Movement and the Government of Italy, Terra Madre was an historic meeting to honour the oldest and most important of societies' activities: growing and preparing food.
Solar Laptops for Rwanda
29 Dec 2004
Solar-powered laptops have been given to 800 schools in Rwanda. Digital Links has, so far, distributed over 10,000 computers in 15 developing countries. In Rwanda, the charity has teamed up with solarcentury who provided the photovoltaic systems.
Architect Launches Green Matrix
29 Dec 2004
Hetreed Ross, the Bath based practice of environmentally conscious architects, has developed the Green Matrix, designed to make life easier for people who want to see buildings constructed or developed using a more sustain-able approach. Launching the new guide Jonathan Hetreed explained: "We produced the Green Matrix as a tool to inspire, provoke and stimulate clients thinking about options...
World Council for the Future
28 Dec 2004
An unprecedented initiative to set up a Council to speak for the future of the world has been launched in London. Supported by influential individuals, organisations and parliamentarians from around the globe, the World Future Council is designed to act as a voice for our shared global values and for future generations.
Sustainable Schools
29 Sep 2004
A brand new project launched by the Alternative Technology Centre (ATC), in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, is helping whole school communities learn about sustainability and environmental issues.
Victory at Bear Butte
29 Sep 2004
After a year of prayers, collaboration and hard work, one of the most sacred places on the North American continent has been saved from developers.
Eco-building for Everyone
29 Sep 2004
This spring, craftspeople from Orkney to Oregon came together in a community meadow in Presteigne, mid Wales, for a weekend of eco-building organised by Alison Parry and Anne Belgrave of Double Take who stage arts, crafts and sustainability events. It was intended to boost people's confidence in trying sustainable techniques by giving them hands on experience.
Unlimited New Energy from Sun and Water
29 Sep 2004
A revolutionary new way of harnessing the power of the sun to extract almost unlimited energy from water will be a reality within seven years.
First European Conference on Complementary Currencies
29 Sep 2004
The town of Bad Honnef, in Germany, hosted 155 people from all over Europe, New Zealand, Argentina, Japan and Canada spending five days talking about EKOs, Time Dollars, E-cards, Bartercards, LETS and voucher systems ñ in some 22 different complementary currency schemes.