Every now and again, the content team sees a website which we feel we just HAVE to share with the rest of the world. Only this time, we’ve gone a bit crazy.
Pick of the best: Green websites
Every now and again, the Cimex content team spots a website that they feel just HAS to be shared with the rest of the world. Only, when it came to looking for some ‘green’ websites, they appear to have got a bit enthusiastic.
DIY Planet Repairs
DIY Planet Repairs aims to provide you with practical advice and useful information helping you to reduce emissions via our homes – the quickest and easiest way to make a difference. With the help of the virtual house, you can see what simple changes you can put in place immediately to reduce your carbon footprint.
www.london.gov.uk/diy/
LDA – London Climate Change
These two new websites created by the London Development Agency – Green Homes and Green Organisations – are part of the initiatives and investment planned to support individuals, businesses and public sector organisations to do their bit to tackle climate change. The sites provide London residents and businesses with tools and info to support their green efforts.
http://www.londonclimatechange.co.uk
Edenbee
Nothing to do with the Eden Project, this site is still in ‘beeta’ (get it?). Edenbee is a hive of online activity which aims to help all involved in the community make a big difference to combat climate change. Measure your current carbon footprint and create tailored goals to reduce it. You can even track your goals over time and see the effect in your own personal ‘Carbon Timeline’.
http://www.edenbee.com/
AMEE
Billed as ‘the world’s energy meter,’ this site aims to be a neutral, open platform for measuring the energy consumption of ‘anything and everything’. It hopes to do this by aggregating official energy metrics, conversion factors and CO2 data from over 150 countries. Using Web 2.0, the site allows external ‘researchers and data owners’ to syndicate their data via a common platform.
http://www.amee.cc/
TreeHugger
Partial to a modern aesthetic, TreeHugger is one-stop shop for green news, solutions and product information – an outlet dedicated to driving sustainability mainstream. They have a regularly updated blog, daily and weekly newsletters, video segments and a radio show. TreeHugger also focuses its expertise on organisations, with previous clients including Domino, House & Garden and Sundance Channel.
http://www.treehugger.com/
BBC Green
BBC Green in the new green and sustainable living site from BBC Worldwide, makers of several BBC magazines including Top Gear, Good Homes, Gardeners World and GoodFood. The aim of the site is to cut through the confusion surrounding environmental and ethical issues, and to help you to live a sustainable lifestyle. BBC Green vows to simply want to help you make the right choices for you and your family.
www.BBCGreen.com
Transition Towns
This is a WIKI website designed for use by all the communities that have adopted the Transition Model for responding to the challenges of climate change and Peak Oil. The site provides a focal point for all of these towns, villages, cities and localities around the world as they implement their own Transition Initiative.
http://transitiontowns.org/Main/HomePage
GreenBiz
“Business. The Environment. The Bottom Line” is the tagline of GreenBiz – the information resource on how to align environmental responsibility with business success. GreenBiz, and its sister sites, provides valuable news and resources to large and small businesses through daily news feeds, newsletters, workshops and briefing papers, all of which are free to its users.
http://www.greenbiz.com/
Imperial College
The Energy and Environment Office (EEO), Imperial College London, works to develop partnerships and projects to deliver innovation, insight and next generation technologies in energy and environment. Find out all about the EEO, their research, their news and events and the initiatives of what they do, on their website.
http://www.imperial.ac.uk/energyandenvironmentoffice/index.htm
Power Parties
The basic idea of Power Parties, which started as a blog and a flickr group, is that when we gather together, we share energy and use less at home. As the site explains, a Power Party doesn’t have to be in a house, it could be in a barn, up a tree, in a school; anywhere. Power Parties gives tips and advice on how to save energy through coming together.
http://powerparties.wordpress.com/
Inhabitat
Inhabitat.com, an interesting future design weblog, was started by New York designer and graduate architect student Jill Fehenbacker as a forum in which to investigate emerging trends, interior and architectural design. The site is devoted to the future of design, tracking the innovations in technology, practices and materials that are pushing architecture and home design towards a smarter and more sustainable future.
www.inhabitat.com/
Thinking Sustainable Development
The Thinking Sustainable Development site offers consultancy and evaluation in all areas of sustainable development. As the site’s editor explains, Sustainable development offers challenges and opportunities – the development of renewable energy, sustainable buildings and new technologies; a better quality of life for all people, greater security and an appreciation of the ecosystems and other species, and more.
http://www.thinkingsustainabledevelopment.org.uk/
Sustain Magazine
“Sustainability is the word; the word is our business” – is the slogan of Sustain Magazine’s website. Issues such as micro design for contemporary living, eco self-building, bionic building materials, resource-efficient solutions, and green and ethical shopping are all covered on the sustainability-rooted website.
http://www.sustainmagazine.com/pages/mainframe.html
UNISON
UNISON, with its 1.3 million members across the public services and utilities, believes it has a major role to play in helping to tackle global warming. The website focuses on making the workplace greener, using experience and expertise to contribute to environmental campaigns and providing info and help to its members.
http://www.unison.org.uk/green
Big Green Challenge
The Big Green Challenge is a competition from NESTA – the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts – in which they are offering a whopping £1million prize for the non-profit group that comes up with the best innovation for saving energy. NESTA believes that encouraging people to work together will help find new ways - better ways - to tackle BIG problems, like reducing CO2 emissions.
http://www.biggreenchallenge.org.uk/
Plan A: Marks & Spencer
Plan A is M&S’s five year, 100-point ‘eco’ plan to tackle some of the biggest challenges facing their business and the world. As part of the plan, the high-street giant will work with consumers and suppliers on combating climate change, reducing waste, safeguarding natural resources, trading ethically, and building a healthier nation. They’ve called it Plan A, as: “we believe it’s now the only way to do business. There is no Plan B.”
http://plana.marksandspencer.com
HSBC: Commit To Change
HSBC’s Commit to Change project showcases the bank’s corporate responsibility focus on education and environment, highlighting the ways they pursue this in their business operations and wider community support.
http://www.hsbccommittochange.com/index.aspx
Do a Good Turn
Do a Good Turn is a sustainability website from Ariel, looking at ways to reduce the carbon footprint in the home and encouraging people to save a large amount of energy by opting to wash clothes at 30 degrees (with Ariel). The website, which has video narration by sustainability experts to guide you through the pages, also contains lots of tips and info.
http://www.doagoodturn.co.uk
Tesco: Greener Living
Greener Living is Tesco’s guide to environmentally friendly living, combining general info and tips on sustainability and reducing carbon emissions, with details of the supermarket’s commitments to the cause, including green Clubcard points, greener packaging, carrier bag plans and recycling.
http://www.tesco.com/greenerliving/default.page?
Act On CO2 Calculator
The colourful, nice-to-look-at Act On CO2 Calculator from DirectGov allows you to calculate your carbon footprint and establish how by making some simple changes to your home and your lifestyle, you can reduce your carbon emissions significantly.
http://actonco2.direct.gov.uk/index.html
The Carbon Trust
The Carbon Trust’s mission is to accelerate the move to a low carbon economy by working with organisations to reduce carbon emissions and develop commercial low carbon technologies. Their website contains insights, solutions, innovations, enterprises and investments, providing help for organisations of all sizes.
http://www.carbontrust.co.uk/default.ct
The Energy Saving Trust
The Energy Saving Trust is a non-profit organisation, funded by government and the private sector. The EST is one of the UK’s leading organisations set up to address the damaging effects of climate change. Their aim is to cut emissions of CO2 by promoting the sustainable and efficient use of energy.
http://www.energysavingtrust.org.uk/
Environment and Greener Living
This is DirectGov’s general guide to greener living, containing articles on environmental issues, tips on greener travel, ideas about improving your local environment, and general tips on making your life greener. There is also information on green incentives, waste and recycling, and greener shopping.
http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Environmentandgreenerliving/index.htm
Forum for the Future
Forum for the Future are a charity committed to sustainable development, who are working with over 120 leading businesses and organisations to bring about change for the planet. The charity wants to see businesses and communities thriving in a future that’s environmentally sustainable and socially just. The website has details of Forum for the Future’s projects and articles of interest on green issues.
http://www.forumforthefuture.org.uk/
Greenpeace
The world famous Greenpeace stands for positive change through action; defending the natural world and promoting peace. They investigate, expose and confront environmental abuse by governments and corporations around the world, as well as championing environmentally responsible and socially just solutions, including scientific and technical innovation. Greenpeace’s goal is to ensure the ability of the earth to nurture life in all its diversity.
http://www.greenpeace.org.uk/
Together
Together have teamed up with household names to offer users quick and easy things they can do today to help fight climate change. And you can track the difference you have made live online. Solutions on Together range from low-cost eco car insurance and budget energy-saving light bulbs to free energy-saving kits and easy household tweaks to help you save energy and money.
www.together.com
The Climate Group
The Climate Group is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing business and government leadership on climate change. Proactive companies, states and cities around the world are demonstrating that cuts in greenhouse gases required to stop climate change can be achieved whilst growing the bottom line. Using the work of these leaders as a catalyst, The Climate Group works to accelerate international action on global warming with a new, strong focus on practical solutions.
http://theclimategroup.org/
WWF UK
WWF-UK works on both global and local environmental issues. As part of the international WWF network, WWF-UK addresses global threats to people and nature such as climate change, the peril to endangered species and habitats, and the unsustainable consumption of the world’s natural resources. WWF uses its practical experience, knowledge and credibility to create long-term solutions for the planet’s environment. The WWF is the world’s largest and most experienced independent conservation organisation, working in over 90 countries.
http://www.wwf.org.uk/core/index.asp
WRAP
WRAP – material change for a better environment - works in partnership to encourage and enable businesses and consumers to be more efficient in their use of materials and recycle more things more often. This helps to minimise landfill, reduce carbon emissions and improve our environment. The site has news, publications and info on events, funding and training.
http://www.wrap.org.uk/wrap_corporate/about_wrap/index.html
Carbon Trust Shrink
The Carbon Trust Shrink site focuses on helping businesses to shrink their carbon footprint in the fight to combat climate change. The site has info about products and services available from the Carbon Trust to help your business shrink its footprint. Among other things, there is info on Enhanced Capital Allowances, employee engagement, energy efficiency loans, and advice from experts.
www.carbontrust.co.uk/shrink
The Ecologist
The Ecologist is a well known environmental affairs magazine, examining the connection between a wide range of subjects. The ecologist challenges conventional thinking and empowers readers to tackle global issues on a local scale. On the website you will find investigations and examinations from leading authors and experts, the latest news and interesting blogs, and no-holds-barred comment and critique on various issues.
http://www.theecologist.org/
To find out more about our credentials in climate change and CSR campaigns, contact Denise Turner on 0207 324 7780.
Is the web helping reduce our need for plastic bags?
Cimex is not responsible for content on any of the external or third-party websites listed above.