The new UK government’s Big Society idea has provided many column inches but most people still wonder what it means. In mid July we found out that we are considered an example of it when Sutton was picked as one of the four Big Society Vanguard projects - the borough includes our partnership project to make Hackbridge a sustainable suburb.

It had all happened quickly with Sutton Council leader Sean Brennan having made his pitch at Downing Street only the week before. Channel 4 and BBC news were on their way down to interview us so we had to think; if we are an example of it then what do we think it means? It is meant to be about taking the power back to local people to shape their communities. BioRegional was home grown in the London Borough of Sutton and the local authority has always taken us seriously and treated us with respect. When we wanted to plant a lavender field or build an eco-village they didn’t tell us why we couldn’t do it, they tried to help us achieve our goal and it has paid dividends for them.

So maybe we do define Big Society, but what next? In September an entourage of civil servants came to see us and said our brief is to listen to what you want and help you clear away any obstacles. Money is tight, what we are giving away is power. At the Lib Dem party conference Ministers Chris Huhne and Andrew Stunnell said Big Society is Community Politics. I read with amazement that this is about bringing out the potential of every citizen. I am starting to feel the power of Big Society...

Sue Riddlestone

Government, architects, engineers and planners gathered last week at The Building Centre in London to discuss the potential for the use of biomass for energy in cities.

BioRegional and the Forestry Commission were partners in the event; with BioRegional’s Alastair McMahon providing guidance on getting started including the Dos and Don’ts of biomass boiler specification and installation through to best practice project management. The hot topic of air quality for urban biomass installations was also discussed.

The event was designed to help organisations involved in specifying, owning or operating biomass projects to understand how the technology can be applied successfully in an urban environment. A greater use of biomass will help to reduce CO2 emissions (up to 90% compared to fossil fuels), create green jobs and stop wood from being landfilled.

For the past 18 months, through the ‘Bio-energy Infrastructure Scheme’ funded by Defra, BioRegional has been working to help stimulate the local supply and demand of woodfuel within London. The event formed a part of this exciting project. We are working within three areas of the biomass supply chain: potential producers of woodfuel feedstock, new woodfuel supply hubs, or TreeStations, for London and organisations with sites suitable for biomass boiler installations.

The North London TreeStation continues to make rapid progress. The site will start supplying high grade chip within London from October. The long-term aim is for the TreeStation to produce 15,000 tonnes of wood chip annually; potential customers include schools, hospitals, care homes, leisure centres, mixed use developments, industrial facilities and government buildings.

If you would like to learn more about this ongoing project, get involved, or find out how our energy team can help bring your biomass plans to fruition then call t. 020 8404 4880, or visit our website.

ReIY (reuse it yourself), our new reused building material centre in Croydon, started its collection service this month. The collections have included internal doors from Pembury hospital, colourful fire doors from CLIC Sargent and a floating floor system from Mansell Construction. These collections equate to 3.5 tonnes and are the first step towards reducing waste that would otherwise be sent to landfill. They will help ReIY reach its target of saving 1,700 tonnes of carbon emissions over the next five years.

The ReIY centre which is based at ARC Croydon is due to open early next year and will re-sell construction waste materials such as bricks, tiles and timber to the public and members of the building trade, giving customers the satisfaction of knowing that they are not only saving money, but are contributing to protecting the environment too. A three-year fund of £500,000 from the London Waste and Recycling Board has provided essential seed funding for the enterprise to go ahead. South London ReIY will be led by BioRegional, working in partnership with ARC, a charity promoting reuse, helping low income families, and providing training for work.

If you are interested in receiving a collection service or buying materials from the centre, please contact Kate McPhee Kate.McPhee@bioregional.com

BioRegional, working with ARC, aims to use this working example to kick start a network of centres across London. If you’re interested in setting up a ReIY Centre you can download the business plan here.

Last month we handed management of our kerb side recycling collection service for 1,300 SMEs in central London, The Laundry, to recycling specialists Paper Round. This arrangement will mean that the newly christened “BPR Laundry” benefits from the support of a larger company while maintaining its bold branding and high standard of customer service, and allowing Paper Round to extend its reach into the central London SME market.

Bill Swan, MD of Paper Round said: "We have been working to improve our reach into the central London SME market for some time and this new partnership allows us to do this with an established, quality service."

The Laundry’s staff will be kept on and will ensure that the enterprise’s values of excellent customer service, convenience and good value are maintained.

Harriet Simpson, Manager of BPR Laundry said: “We couldn’t have partnered with just any company, the beauty of this arrangement is that Paper Round and The Laundry share the same values of providing excellent and convenient, environmentally sound recycling. The partnership will allow us to concentrate on getting more SMEs to join, while Paper Round can provide the back office support and share its experience and expertise to help BPR Laundry grow.”
www.thelaundry.biz

On September 9th BioRegional signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Chongqing Municipal Government at the UN sponsored Annual China Economic Forum. The MoU is for the development of a One Planet Community on a 30 hectare site in the north of Chongqing, within China’s 5th and newest ‘Special Economic Zone’.

We are in the process of preparing a concept plan that will be presented to the Chongqing Municipal Government at the end of October. If they approve it then we will get support from the Government to secure interest from a developer, or the government may choose to develop it themselves. We will then lead a team through the detailed urban design process in partnership with the developer.

We have lots of exciting ideas for the project, including a professional training centre for built environment professionals and academics that will link leading academic research from Chongqing University, UCL and others with professional best practice in China’s real estate sector. More about the project

• £1 spent at the Veg Van creates £2.60 for the local economy, compared to £1.40 if spent in the local supermarket
• 26% of Veg Van customers are eating more fruit and veg due to The Veg Van
• 11% of customers are eating less processed produce
• The Veg Van is saving 41kg CO2eq per month through reducing customers' need to drive out of the area to buy food (we think this is a conservative estimate; if we could only get our hands on supermarket logistics data!)
• 9% of customers are getting more exercise through walking / cycling to The Veg Van
• 9% have increased their social interaction through shopping with us

Since March, The Veg Van has been selling local and regionally sourced affordable fruit and veg to areas in The London Borough Sutton where fresh fruit and veg is hard to buy. The eye catching renovated milk float won second prize at the national community rail awards last month for 'best station retail outlet'. The full MSc report is available here.

The Masdar City project in Abhu Dhabi which is using the 10 One Planet Principles as a sustainability framework is making good progress. The New York Times has recently published a feature...

"It’s only as people arrive at their destination that they will become aware of the degree to which everything has been engineered for high-function, low-consumption performance. The station’s elevators have been tucked discreetly out of sight to encourage use of a concrete staircase that corkscrews to the surface. And on reaching the streets — which were pretty breezy the day I visited — the only way to get around is on foot. (This is not only a matter of sustainability; Mr. Foster’s on-site partner, Austin Relton, told me that obesity has become a significant health issue in this part of the Arab world, largely because almost everyone drives to avoid the heat.)"
Read the full article in the NY Times.