Using cork to clad an extension – inside and out – was a speedy, sustainable and affordable choice for this family home
When Dan Barber and Hat Margolies bought a two-bed Victorian terrace house in 2013, the entire building needed an overhaul. It had leaky pipes, asbestos and rattling windows; and it needed rewiring, new radiators and a new boiler. Wind whistled through the front room floorboards. “The light and proportions made it really special but there were no original features – the fireplaces had long gone,” says Margolies, a photographic agent with an eye for vintage furniture.
But the couple saw it as a chance to make their new home, in south London, as eco-friendly as they could: to conserve energy, and recycle and reuse as much as possible. They lived with the house as it was for five years, during which time their second daughter was born, and then employed NimTim architects to transform it on a tight budget.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
10/24/2020 - 05:00
10/24/2020 - 03:15
Barrett previously recused herself from cases because her father worked for Shell but has failed to commit to doing so in future
Amy Coney Barrett is poised to make critical rulings on whether oil and gas companies will be held accountable for the effects of the climate crisis once she is confirmed to the supreme court, even though she has acknowledged in the past that she has a conflict of interest in cases involving Royal Dutch Shell.
Related: Trump and Barrett's threat to abortion and LGBTQ rights is simply un-American | Robert Reich
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10/23/2020 - 14:36
Experts warn of more encounters as animals forced into populated areas to find food
A spate of bear attacks in Japan has prompted calls to improve their natural habitat, as experts warned of more potentially dangerous encounters with the animals as they venture into populated areas in search of food.
Japanese media have reported several incidents of “ursine terror” in recent weeks, including an attack in Ishikawa prefecture last weekend that left four people injured, including a man in his 90s and two hunters called to confront the bear.
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10/23/2020 - 14:21
Climate scientists warn that strong winds, coinciding with low humidity and record-dry vegetation, make for a dangerous mix
Residents of northern California are bracing for another weekend of high wildfire risk, as fierce winds expected for Sunday afternoon increase the danger of fresh fires in the bone-dry region.
Authorities issued a high wind watch starting Sunday evening until Monday morning for parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, the Santa Clara Valley and Santa Cruz county. The strong winds, coinciding with low humidity and record-dry vegetation, make for a dangerous mix, warned climate scientist Daniel Swain.
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10/23/2020 - 12:54
State agriculture department posts video of Asian giant hornet
Officials had hoped to find nest before hornets’ ‘murder phase’
The first nest containing Asian giant hornets, also known as murder hornets, on US soil has been discovered in Washington state.
State officials have been searching for the nest following half a dozen sightings of the hornets in and around the city of Blaine, which is close to the border with Canada. Officials hoped to find the nest before the hornets entered what is known as a “slaughter phase” where they decimate nearby honeybee colonies.
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10/23/2020 - 12:05
Fikile Ntshangase was involved in legal dispute over extension of coalmine in KwaZulu-Natal
A South African environmental activist who opposed the extension of a coalmine near her home has been shot dead in her home.
Fikile Ntshangase, 65, was involved in a legal dispute over the extension of an opencast mine operated by Tendele Coal near Somkhele, close to Hluhluwe–Imfolozi park, the oldest nature reserve in Africa.
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10/23/2020 - 11:27
Conservatives say Biden’s comments likely to lose support from Democratic supporters in oil-producing areas
Joe Biden’s promise to “transition” away from the oil industry during Thursday’s presidential debate has caused uproar among conservatives while being praised by environmentalists as being a candid acknowledgment of the scale of the climate crisis.
Related: Mitch McConnell says he has no health concerns after photos show bruising
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10/23/2020 - 11:25
Meat-related words can be used to describe plant-based foods, decides European parliament
Plant-based products that do not contain meat can continue to be labelled “sausages” or “burgers”, European politicians have said, after they rejected a proposal backed by the meat industry to ban the terms.
In votes on issues relating to agricultural products, the European parliament said that so-called veggie burgers, soy steaks and vegan sausages can continue to be sold as such in restaurants and shops across the union.
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10/23/2020 - 05:01
The closing moments of the final presidential debate focused on climate change. Joe Biden stressed the need to expand sources of renewable energy while again disputing Donald Trump’s claim that he intended to ban fracking, which he does not. 'I know more about wind than you do,' Trump retorted, drawing an exasperated laugh from Biden. 'It’s extremely expensive. Kills all the birds'
Humanity has eight years to get climate crisis under control – and Trump's plan won't fix it
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10/23/2020 - 04:39
Government issues exemption to alien species ban in attempt to control destructive plant
Five thousand Japanese leaf fleas have been released in Amsterdam to combat Japanese knotweed, a once celebrated plant the concrete-breaking roots of which now threaten local biodiversity, impinge on water quality and increase the risk of flooding.
The Dutch government made the unprecedented decision to issue an exemption on a ban on the introduction of alien species in the face of spiralling costs related to the invasive species.
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WORLD OCEAN EXPLORER 2020
With a game capable of reaching a global audience, WORLD OCEAN EXPLORER can expand interest in ocean issues and habitats, and excite students about the infinite possibilities associated with ocean exploration. LEARN MORE.
