Shops and offices to go eco-friendly
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ministers are launching an urgent drive to make the country's shops and offices ecofriendly to tackle global warming.
Yvette Cooper, the housing and planning minister, is drawing up a series of deadlines by which all new commercial buildings will have to be "zero carbon" - adding no carbon dioxide, the main cause of climate change, to the atmosphere.
The move follows the Government's announcement at the end of last year that all new homes must be "zero carbon" within a decade, and ministers hope that shops and supermarkets, at least, will be able to meet a similar target.
Ms Cooper said: "Buildings account for half of the country's carbon emissions. We have set ambitious targets for housing and are now determined to make rapid progress on commercial buildings too."
She has commissioned a task force, with members drawn from the property industry, retailers and environmental groups, which will issue its first report this summer.
The drive to make both homes and workplaces environmentally friendly was fuelled by a visit she made to Sweden and the Netherlands last autumn, when she visited zero-carbon houses and offices, including one building that was cooled by a lake in its grounds.
Pioneering office buildings in Britain include the CIS Tower in Manchester, which is being clad in 7,244 solar power panels.
Additional research by Daniel Turner
The green office
1. Open plan
2. Big atrium
3. Communal desks for multiple users
4. Floor coverings made from hemp or recycled newspapers
5. Floor tiles made from recycled lightbulbs
6. Large, well-insulated windows, with solar shades
7. Chilled beams carrying cooled water at chest height
8. Clear, white walls
9. Solar panels
10. Windmill
11. Low-energy computers
12. Furniture made from recycled wood
13. Recycling units and bins in the office for paper and other waste
14. Low-energy lighting; automatically dims when the sun comes up and switches off when no one is in the room.
15. Loos and basins made from recycled bottles
16. Waterless urinals
17. Greywater system that collects rainwater and recycles waste water
18. Air conditioning from underground heat exchanger
19. Recyled paper
20. Recyclable photocopiers
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments