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‘IVY’ got a good feeling about this…

With more and more emphasis on ‘urban greening’, towns and cities are becoming eco-friendlier, even down to having ‘green elements’ specified for planning permission and architect’s drawings, in some situations this has created issues, our Cash & Carry facility for Ivy Green Screens, provides an ideal solution to many problems faced by smaller landscapers and domestic clients, holding stock within our nursery now allows customers to buy smaller quantities and for various different projects, from installing an instant green hedge, covering unsightly walls and fences to ‘greening up’ a concrete back garden!

RHS trained with over 30 years’ horticultural experience, with a nationwide service of design, installation and after care for all our products.

As approved suppliers and installers of Ivy screens we are approached by many architects to help complete their larger projects, this provides us with the ideal platform to demonstrate the many different uses that our products can provide, this is very well received and has provided us with new contacts, on which to discuss forthcoming projects and listen to issues they were experiencing for finding ‘urban greening solutions’.

We have worked on many projects from domestic gardens providing an extra bit of privacy from overlook neighbours, to Trinity Square in Gateshead where we installed over 200 Green Screens! Our recent installations include coverage of an unsightly flood defence in Cardiff which is now an attractive aesthetically pleasing, ivy focal point pleasing the local residents.

One of our more unusual products is an attractive floral wall system which creates a living wall made up of cassettes, fitted together suitable for an external or internal wall, and can host a huge range of interesting plant species enhancing any interior or exterior living space – why not have your company logo designed in the plants, it’s all possible with the right plant choice which we will help design.

Various other products we can install such as, soil stabilization matting, sedum roofs and acoustic walling are on our website, www.hederascreens.co.uk.

Please call us on 0845 504 8211 to see how we can help with your project.

Follow us on social media for regular updates, Twitter @HEDERASCREENS / LinkedIn hederascreens.

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Celebs call to make renewables cheaper than fossil fuels

Climate change is arguably the biggest threat to stability and prosperity around the world. Experts agree that by 2035 the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will exceed the critical level consistent with a temperature rise of less than 2˚C.

Did you know that the sun delivers 5000 times more power to the surface of Earth than we could ever need? With the cost of renewables slowly but surely falling, something must be done to improve developmental knowledge of renewable energy, which currently recieves less than 2% of the world’s publicly funded research, development and demonstration.

The Global Apollo Program’s website says that their “aim is to accelerate the decarbonisation of the world economy through more rapid technical progress, achieved through an internationally-coordinated program of research and development over a 10-year period.”

An open letter has now been signed by several high profile scientists, businessmen and public figures urging world leaders and citizens of the Earth alike to back the principles of the Global Apollo Program ahead of the UN climate change conference talks which will take place in Paris at the end of 2015.

The letter reads as follows:

We the undersigned believe that global warming can be addressed without adding significant economic costs or burdening taxpayers with more debt.

A sensible approach to tackling climate change will not only pay for itself but provide economic benefits to the nations of the world.

The aspiration of the Global Apollo Program is to make renewable energy cheaper than coal within 10 years. We urge the leading nations of the world to commit to this positive, practical initiative by the Paris climate conference in December.

The plan requires leading governments to invest a total of $15 billion a year in research, development and demonstration of clean energy.

That compares to the $100 billion currently invested in defence R&D globally each year.

Public investment now will save governments huge sums in the future.

What is more, a coordinated R&D plan can help bring energy bills down for billions of consumers.

Renewable energy gets less than 2% of publicly funded R&D. The private sector spends relatively small sums on clean energy research and development.

Just as with the Apollo space missions of the 1960s, great scientific minds must now be assembled to find a solution to one of the biggest challenges we face.

Please support the Global Apollo Program – the world’s 10 year plan for cheaper, cleaner energy.

Signed:
– Sir David Attenborough
– Professor Brian Cox
– Paul Polman, CEO, Unilever
– Arunabha Ghosh, CEO, Council on Energy Environment and Water
– Ed Davey, Former UK Energy Secretary
– Bill Hare, Founder and CEO, Climate Analytics
– Nilesh Y. Jadhav, Program Director, Energy Research Institute @NTU, Singapore
– Niall Dunne, Chief Sustainability Officer, BT
– Carlo Carraro, Director, International Centre for Climate Governance
– Professor Sir Brian Hoskins, Chair, Grantham Institute
– Mark Kenber, CEO, The Climate Group
– Ben Goldsmith, Founder, Menhaden Capital
– Sabina Ratti, Executive Director, FEEM – Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei
– Lord Browne, Chairman L1 Energy
– Zac Goldsmith MP
– Professor Martin Siegert, Co-Director Grantham Institute
– Professor Joanna Haigh CBE, Co-Director, Grantham Institute and Vice President of Royal Meteorological Society
– Peter Bakker, President, World Business Council for Sustainable Development
– Dr Fatima Denton, African Climate Policy Centre
– Denys Shortt, CEO, DCS Group
– Lord Turner, Former Chairman, Financial Services Authority
– Lord O’Donnell, Former Cabinet Secretary
– Lord Layard, London School of Economics
– Professor John Shepherd CBE FRS
– Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal

Watch the video below to find out more about the Global Apollo Program – a 10 year project that aims to coordinate international research and development and discover breakthrough clean technologies to tackle climate change.

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Village School Sets a Standard in Education Buildings

Teachers and pupils at a Northamptonshire school are excited to start the academic year in new and modern classroom facilities thanks to the arrival of a sustainable timber framed building.

Leading joinery manufacturer, Scotts of Thrapston, were approached by the 210-pupil Weldon Church of England Primary School following an enquiry for a new classroom by the headteacher Lynne Wildman who was looking to replace an old inefficient and ineffective mobile classroom building.

She explains: “We had been looking for years for a solution to the problem of an old mobile classroom that was being used for classes of our Key Stage 2 children. I discovered Scotts when I was looking through one of their fliers after it was placed on my desk.

“Scotts’ modern and efficient standalone classroom structures seemed to be the perfect answer to replace our dilapidated building. From the very first contact I made with the company they have been responsive and easy to work with coming up with a bespoke solution to meet our needs and providing a fantastic environment for our children to learn in.”

Scotts, who have been making and distributing timber products since 1920, first started creating education buildings in 2014 and like the rest of the company’s projects, Weldon Primary School’s new classroom was constructed and ready for use in a matter of weeks.

Mrs Wildman was delighted with the completed classroom, commenting: “The old building was small, cramped and had no running water. The end result is amazing, better than we could have imagined. It’s just so airy, bright and the children will love learning in there.”

An education in timber frame

Scotts offers a core range of education buildings but more often than not, provides bespoke solutions to meet its customers’ individual needs. Each of the designs, including the one at Weldon CE Primary School, are ideal learning environments as well as being environmentally friendly.

The buildings are designed with plenty of windows, allowing in lots of natural light, saving on electricity bills and allowing for plenty of ventilation when opened making it more pleasant to be indoors.

Philip Goldstone, Scotts of Thrapston’s business development manager, explains how the company perfectly combines traditional craftsmanship with the latest technology. He said: “Ultimately our education buildings are designed to make the best use of the space available and to provide optimum energy efficiency.

“We believe that the ideal learning environment begins with a building that inspires and motivates by its architectural form. To achieve their full potential, pupils need to feel comfortable in their environment and research has shown that acoustic conditions can have a profound impact on both children’s learning and staff performance. The feedback we have had from the pupils and the teachers who have used the new classroom is that they all enjoy their new environment.

“The Scotts design service takes into account all elements of the building design including light, ventilation, thermal comfort and acoustics. The right amount of light, both artificial and natural, is crucial. We advise on door and window positions based on a building’s orientation – avoiding light from south facing walls which can result in uncomfortable solar gain in summer and western aspects which can lead to unpleasant glare on winter afternoons.

“Space is also a huge consideration and a stand out feature of Scotts’ education buildings is the high ceilings that provide a feeling of spaciousness.

“The beauty of Scotts’ education buildings is that they can be completely tailored to suit the setting and are designed to precisely meet the end user’s specification. As well as the classroom the buildings include a lobby, cloakroom, washroom and store and we can also cater for any special needs requirements, accessibility issues or existing structures that need to be taken into consideration.”

Inspirational structure

As an added benefit, children are able to see the new building take shape. Pupils at Weldon CE Primary School took an interest in the construction of their new building and although there was a fence put up around the site, the structure remained visible so that the children could watch its progress. Some of the children have been so inspired they are considering careers in building and architecture when they grow up.

Offering a range of highly affordable and versatile sizes and shapes, Scotts of Thrapston can provide a multitude of products for any school looking for either a refurbishment or an extension on existing buildings. With affordable pricing and quick-build times, it really is the perfect option for any school looking for a change.

For more information visit www.scottsofthrapston.co.uk

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