The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the launch of the Green Building Information Gateway. Coined GBIG, the web-based tool is designed to help accelerate market transformation by providing greater transparency and understanding of the green dimensions of the built environment.

GBIG provides a transparent view of places, projects, collections and credits, detailing the actions and activities of LEED building owners and project teams over time. The tool provides maps, analytics and insights that reveal trends, patterns and processes in green building practice.

The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) announced winners of the 8th Annual Design & Build with FSC Awards at a special reception connected to Greenbuild 2012.

The winners include a “Living Building” that is the first heavy timber commercial building in Seattle since the 1920s, a traditional West Indian cottage in the U.S. Virgin Islands and wood tables manufactured for Cisco Systems’ telecommunications products. The winning projects were chosen based on extensive use of FSC-certified wood, impact on the marketplace, broader contributions to sustainability, and aesthetics.

Retrofitting can cut carbon emissions by at least half in homes, but the costs of retrofitting at this level are still significantly more than the likely limits on expenditure under the Green Deal, the first independent analysis of the UK ’s leading domestic retrofit programme has found.

The findings, published today, are the first to come out of the Technology Strategy Board ’s (TSB) £17 million Retrofit for the Future (R4tF) demonstration programme, which was set up to to find innovative green technologies to dramatically improve the energy efficiency of homes. The study also concludes that the supply chain is currently too underdeveloped to support large-scale retrofit.

The Environment Agency works with government, industry and other organisations to improve resource efficiency.

Improved site management can reduce environmental impacts both on and off site. Understanding the risks posed by construction activities and taking steps to reduce incidents can help reduce costs and improve business reputation.

Inconsistent central and local government policies, low investment and lack of support have been blamed for holding back development of the sustainable construction sector.

Research on green entrepreneurs by the University of Hull has found that the UK's sustainable construction sector is in danger of missing out on opportunities facing the larger building sector.

While output in Britain’s mainstream construction sector continues to fall, green builders are bucking the trend as homeowners take action to reduce the costs of heating their homes, creating a huge opportunity for entrepreneurs and faster growth in the sector.

Construction Industry Publications has updated its Environmental Manual.

This includes an expanded and updated glossary and a new and improved set of Toolbox Talks. The new set of Environmental Toolbox Talks has been revised and updated by a working party comprising of CECA and UKCG members and CIP and CIRIA representatives. They build on the success of the previous set, providing concise guidance and best practice on Environmental Risks for those working on construction sites.

It includes updates on the changes that came into force on 28th September 2011 to the written information that must accompany a transfer of waste. The Producer/ Holder/ Consignee must now sign a declaration confirming they have fulfilled their duty to apply the waste hierarchy. For non-hazardous waste there is also now a requirement to give their SIC Code.  In the case of hazardous waste there is now only one type of Consignment Note used for both single and multiple collections.

Small businesses in the UK’s sustainable construction sector are lacking vital support to enable the transition to greener building practices, according to a new survey of green entrepreneurs by the University of Hull.
The survey of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) operating in the green construction sector found they were being hampered by inconsistent policies and lack of access to funding. Poor planning rules and a shortage of skilled labour in sustainable building practices were also cited as hindrances.

All new buildings will have to be zero carbon by the end of the decade and to help meet the UK’s target to reduce carbon emissions by 80 per cent on 1990 levels by 2050, a mass retrofit of the UK’s existing housing stock is urgently required. Estimated to be worth £500 billion, this represents one of the biggest opportunities for jobs and growth in the UK.

Hanson Structherm has been awarded the international environmental standard ISO 14001.

Certification followed auditing by CPC (Construction Products Certification) and confirms that the company’s environmental management system meets the requirements of the standard. This includes maintaining and improving the system and on-going environmental performance as well as ensuring compliance with environmental laws and regulations.

The company has been providing innovative building solutions to the construction industry for almost 30 years including external wall insulation and the Fastbrick insulated brick slip cladding system.