"Good Foundations" Project - why analysing well being is important in space design and mangement.

Good Foundations Project - how design and management of communities can be enhanced.

This is a project worthy of some air time. A project based on increasing well-being in communities.

So how do we measure happiness and well being? How do we build a sense of real security and enhanced sense of place in new communities within new building projects?

“The Centre for Well-being at nef recently launched the findings of its Building Well-being project at the Building Centre, London.”

How can we determine value added by happiness and a sense of well being?
If we can do this then we can begin to drive well-being and to plan, design and develop it into our neighbourhoods.
This is an interesting challenge to be met by the management, design & construction professionals of the future. To build these aims into future design and management projects at an early stage.

There is also a new report;
“Good Foundations, proposes that our measure of success should be neighbourhoods that promote two key outcomes:
place Happiness: the personal, social and economic well-being of inhabitants
place Sustainability: which arises from minimising the environmental impact throughout both the construction process and lifetime of a building or place.
The aim of Good Foundations is to stimulate the beginnings of a cultural shift in the built environment sector. Recognition in the sector of the interdependence of well-being and sustainability is critical, not least because the built environment influences all of us when it comes to the choices and decisions we make on a day-to-day basis.”

How can we use these findings in our everyday lives? Well, maybe some of you do already, or you live in areas where these aims have been achieved in the past? In which case, those around you may already be feeling the benefit.

Food for thought - how getting on your bike, and asking your MP to do the same, will help.

Food for thought- if we are heading for a food crisis related to peak Oil, how getting on your bike and asking your local MP to do so, can help.

Ask your local politicians if they own a bicycle? If so, do they ever use it?

Ask the next government to tax bank bonuses 100% and reinvest the billions of pounds in buying bicycles for students and the long term unemployed; Einstein would have approved of this.

Until huge inequalities are addressed by our politicians (pay gaps between bankers' bonuses and tax payers' average salaries are tackled) many people will have little faith in their elected representatives' ability to govern responsibly or for the good of the majority of the population.

Ask the politicians what their policies will be on peak Oil and how they propose to plan for the long term shortage that oil and other fuels will bring?

What would you and your friends like to see happen? Ask for this when they ask for your vote.

What exactly are all the main parties' manifestos on Peak Oil? No one knows...

What are their timescales? No one has any...

China is buying up huge tracts of land reserves in Africa and other parts of the world. This is to ensure that it will have food in the future. What is the UK and US investing in for the long term? No one knows...We suspect that nothing is being done about food reserves/land acquisition. Why not?

China is investing in high speed rail links.. Not so the UK or the US. Why not? It is clear that oil supplies are going to peak in 10-20 years and then we will be reliant on rail and communal transport, or the country will grind to a halt.

China is putting in place long term sustainability policies right now. What are we doing in the UK?...No one knows...

In 10 years time, we will not be able to make up the lost ground on our misplaced investments (nor recoup the lost benefits.) We only have enough food in the supermarkets for 5 days if Peak Oil happens and we run out of oil. Essential food and other resources that we can no longer import will have to be bought locally. So, what can we start doing about this? Build local resilience, local food supply chains now. We should make a start.

Some other things that you might be able to help with. Small is beautiful. Try to consider your own position in this scenario.

Downsize on car numbers and size- 3 is too many.(2 is also too many.)Do you really need a 4 wheel drive if you live in the suburb of a town. Really? If you don't live on a farm you do not need it.
If you live in a city consider using public transport.
Share lifts and rationalise journeys where possible.
If you can be flexible, look at adjusting your life style. You will be freer and healthier as well as having more money to spend on enjoyable things (that cost less and bring quality of life)
At least down size your car(s) next time you have a chance to.( You will also be creating less air/dust pollution as well as using up less fuel!)
Buy/share a bike,walk, take the train/ tram/bus..even occasionally.
Car sharing/car pools. If you haven't got one locally, perhaps look at setting one up?
This will all save you money.

You can also join a local Transition Towns group. Look at some on the web. Chichester, Lewes, Stroud and Brixton all have them. We have set one up in Wadhurst recently. Celebrate local food, local diversity and activities that build your local community and make it what it is.
They are about raising awareness of Peak Oil and building resilience locally.
Consider your lifestyle choices.
Take the train/boat once in a while.
Recycle.
Grow your own food- it not only tastes better it also works out cheaper than buying it.
Buy local food and services as much as you can. This should work out cheaper, as food will have travelled less far. It will encourage local markets to expand, building links in your local community- more resilience.
Services – using local staff who travel less far to work saves everyone time and resources.= Better value for money.
Feeling reluctant? Can't see the need to change? Why should you do anything at all?
If you take a look at our landvision blog on Climate change (Sept 2009) and the flooding one (Dec 2009) you will understand where the climate is heading (El Nino effect and other changes) and try to begin to take steps now to redress the balance. Its about buying time for our children to act when they need to.

Look into installing solar panels, rainwater harvesting, insulation. Each year if you invest in these alternative energies and conservation measures, as fuel prices rise, you will be glad that you did. Ask local politicians on funding for these changes- we need encouragement to start these changes now.

Set up local meetings, to raise awareness about peak oil; increased understanding will bring solutions and a better world. Green Drinks anyone?

Discuss Peak Oil and other global issues/ or the latest news. They are not going to disappear; better to face them and find solutions now, rather than wait for the impact later. It will also help to give our children more time and their children more opportunity to do things if we start now.

If your job allows it (not all jobs do) maybe you could home work for part of the week and try to cut down on your working week. It cuts out the commute and is green, as well as saving you more time that would have been spent on travel;increased quality of life is worth a lot in money terms.

Just remember, you do have a choice..and a responsibility. Everyone does.

Some solutions are simpler than they might first seem...They just require a shift in awareness and increased understanding. Lets get everyone back on their bikes, including politicians.

Einstein said that whenever he saw someone riding a bicycle, he felt that there was hope left for humanity.

Email us with any comments or queries;
charmaine@landvision.co.uk

or visit www.landvision.co.uk

What kind of a world are we going to leave for our children and granchildren to live in?

One with fewer and fewer natural resources? Even if we all want electric cars in a few years time, there will not be enough lithium on earth for the batteries...(C Marteson)A sobering thought. So, shall we continue consumption of oil at present rates (in the past 22 years we have used half the world's reserves...) until we are forced to expend 1 barrel of oil for every barrel extracted? If things carry on as they are at the moment, oil wells will need to drill to reserves deeper and deeper, making oil more expensive than ever. If we also fail to reinvest in wind/ solar power technology and other sustainable energy, we will continue running towards the solid wall of low/no oil in 20 years (or less). If however, we reduce our consumption of everything, if we learn to slow down and conserve our resources, we may be able to steer a way out of the present doldrums. Maybe inflation will limit our ability to buy them anyway.
Better to start now to try to control oil use. If we act as responsible Stewards, the world which we hand on to our children and their children will be a better conserved one.

Public and private spending needs to be reduced so that long term debts can be paid off. By building resilience in local communities and economies, food, fuel and energy green links, can be forged.

"we might also imagine that if we diverted money being spent on military expenditures into, say, high speed trains, wind farms, natural gas pipelines and distribution stations, and an upgraded electrical smart grid ...we'd get far more immediate and lasting economic benefit (and improved national security too, I might point out) than we would out of so-called "defense spending....
The cold economic truth is that we are slowly bankrupting our country.. we are spending our money on things that do not contribute to our collective long-term prosperity...” Chris Marteson

The same applies to the UK and many EU countries at the moment.
So, why aren't governments all around the world reacting, cutting defense and other short term spending? The answer is, we don't know...In fact, no one knows why...

The talk on peak oil yesterday in the House of Commons highlights the need for a long term approach.

We need to ask ;
What kind of a world do we want to leave for our children and grandchildren to live in?

You can send us comments or a query at;

charmaine@landvision.co.uk

More tomorrow..!

Tree Surveys. Veteran tree surveys, tree surveys to BS 5837: 2005 plus tree management plans.

At LandVision we are often asked to undertake a tree survey. Our first question to our client is; “what is the purpose of the tree survey?” Here we investigate different types of tree survey available.
First of all, is it just one tree which you would like us to survey? Or, maybe a population of trees such as groups on campuses or business parks? Very often with single trees, a tree inspection is called for. This is an in depth examination of the tree for a hazard assessment or an amenity value tree assessment. This type of tree survey may be required if the client wishes to remove a tree previously protected under a Tree Preservation Order (TPO), if the tree is dead, dying or dangerous.
Another reason for a tree inspection might be that further management of a veteran tree, such as an old yew or an Oak, is required, in order to prolong the tree's life. A Veteran tree inspection will lead to an informed management plan being written for the detailed up keep of the veteran tree. This type of tree inspection is detailed. It not only looks at the structural aspects of the tree, at any pests and diseases found, but it will also look at the wildlife potential and the ultimate longevity of this veteran tree. So, a tree inspection can be for a single or individual trees and this is a detailed tree inspection.

When tree surveys are of populations of trees, they tend to be less detailed and can vary from the basic naming or “stock take” of trees to the more detailed survey for BS; 5837:2005. Finally, the tree survey might be a tree safety survey.

Areas which may require a tree survey are public open space, street trees, campuses, parks and gardens. The survey might be for bringing a local authority's TPO register up-to-date, or for investigating the planting potential within an area where mature trees already exist. BS: 5837: 2005 (Trees in relation to construction) and trees in relation to other planning related law to do with trees and wildlife, are also some areas of tree survey work that LandVision undertake.

If you have an inquiry about a tree, why not give us a ring? It is useful if you can send us plans of the existing site and of the proposed development if these are available. We will then be able to assess the extent of the survey and special engineering solutions where these are required. You can take a look at our tree page on;
www.landvision.co.uk or ring 01892 782200.

BREEAM - how to begin gaining Eco Credits

BREEAM - how to begin gaining Eco Credits for more biodiversity in your local community; part of moving towards zero carbon rated new housing, from 1 May 2008, all new homes in UK are now required to be rated on their green credentials, as part of the Code for Sustainable Homes.
There are generally no less than seven credits available within BREEAM assessments with respect to Ecology / Biodiversity. Eco Homes, Eco1 to Eco4 comprise 9.23% of the total score, which can make the difference between a Pass and a Good and significantly contribute to achieving Very Good and Excellent ratings.

Landvision works with clients and can provide specialist ecological input, thus assisting BREEAM Assessors to successfully gain such scores. You can maximise your credits by asking us to look at and consider ecological opportunities within your site in the early stages. This is preferable to waiting until the planning application has been made - when retrospective action is harder to achieve in layout design and can cause planning delays and higher long term project costs.
To avoid these costly delays, using an IEEM qualified assessor like Landvision will help you to gain valuable eco points for your new house.

The most effective ways of achieving eco credits are:
Employing an IEEM qualified ecologist to undertake survey pre-design
Protection and retention of areas of established habitat, particularly high quality habitats
Landscape plans with planting of native species and wildlife friendly species
Addition of ecological enhancement measures, for example, adding bird and bat boxes
Ecological Management Plan to manage the area after the development is complete
You can have a look at some of our past work; www.landvison.co.uk
Alternatively, do click on breeam page for more details.

How to attract wildbirds into your garden by creating suitable habitat.

How to attract lots of wild birds into your garden; bullfinch, goldfinch, greenfinch, wren, chaffinch, Long-tailed tit, tree sparrow, house sparrow, dunnock, robin, serin, great tit, coal tit, collared dove, wood pigeon, pied wagtail, to name but a few wild birds which can be attracted to gardens by creating suitable habitat.

If you have hedges on your site, protect, retain and manage them for maximum width at the bottom and trim into an A shape over time; this is wildlife friendly. Hedges make excellent cover for birds, especially if they are berry bearing and consist of native species. If you only have a fence, consider planting a native hedge, double row if possible, along your boundary; the more different species you plant, the greater the variety of birds you will attract. Plant hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna) for berries for birds, flowers for insects, wild Privet (Ligustrum vulgare) which bees love, with dogwood (Cornus sanguinea), flowers and berries, Holly (Ilex aquifolium) for all year round cover and berries in winter months. Including as many different species as possible, means that they will flower at different times; this will attract a wider variety of insects, which in turn attracts more varied birds.

Try to plant a few native trees where space allows; trees with berries are best.
Sorbus aucuparia is a good small tree with lots of wildlife interest; it has sprays of white flowers in Spring and red berries in the autumn. If you have enough space, why not try planting native shrubs too, such as Hazel (Corylus avellana), catkins and nuts, Elder (Sambucus nigra), flowers and berries or some Guelder Rose (Viburnum opulus) for flowers and berries.

Non native shrubs that are great for providing berries for birds include;
Pyracantha “Orange Glow”, Cotoneaster horizontalis and Cotoneaster lacteus.

Adding a bird feeder with wild bird seed will also help to attract birds in initially.

I will write more next time about how to attract wildlife to your garden. If you have a working farm and would like to apply for ESA or HSA countryside Stewardship grant, we can prepare your Farm Environment plans or FEPs. For more details, contact; charmaine@landvision.co.uk

Or, if you would like to have a look at past landscapes we have created, take a look at our website;
www.landvision.co.uk

Discovery of 3 new Sorbus spp; Sorbus cheddarensis, Sorbus eminentoides & Sorbus rupicoloides aid Biodiversity argument.

Conservation & managing for increasing biodiversity,managing natural resources responsibly and increasing sustainability are key issues; habitats are under pressure and rainforests are being destroyed, so discovery of 3 new Whitebeam (Sorbus cheddarensis, Sorbus eminentoides and Sorbus rupicoloides) in the UK Whitebeam hot spot of Cheddar Gorge, (where 8 species of Whitebeam now grow), is heartening news indeed. We should really be encouraged by this; biodiversity and enhancing and safeguarding our natural resources is vital, if they are to be there for future generations to enjoy.

The 3 exciting new species show that evolutionary processes are operating effectively in these habitats; with the result, confirmed by DNA testing, of these 3 new species, Cheddar Whitebeam, Sorbus cheddarensis, Twin cliffs whitebeam, Sorbus eminentoides and Gough's Rock whitebeam, Sorbus rupicoloides, reinforcing the importance of continuing to preserve our biodiversity.

Mark Courtiour, NT Countryside Manager; "We always wondered what whitebeam rarities might be lurking in the gorge as it's such a stunning place for wildlife. This important survey work will help with our management of the site now we know what we have and where they can be found."

So, what more might we be able to do to continue to help biodiversity and evolving species like the UK Whitebeam (Sorbus species), so that they are safeguarded for future generations to see and enjoy?

One way of helping is by managing your land for enhanced biodiversity and protecting any endangered sites or species near you. Conserving mature habitats, such as native hedges, woodland and species diverse natural wild grassland will help to ensure that species are allowed to evolve and develop in their natural environment. If you would like to know more take a look at some of our work on www.landvision.co.uk

The new discovery illustrates that sensitive habitat management and botanical survey work pays off. This was the first time this site had been surveyed for Whitebeams. The Gorge is steep, making survey work hazardous, in parts the ledges of the gorge are 120 metres high, (same as a 40-storey high rise block of flats/appartment) and so parts are almost inaccessible. This gorge is the largest in the UK.

So, what do the new species discovered look like?

Whitebeams belong to the Sorbus family. There are now over 30 known species in the UK. From old English ‘beam' meaning tree, the underside of its leaves are covered in fine white hairs, hence named Whitebeam. They also have red fruits that resemble tiny apples.

8 whitebeam species occur in this part of England, including the 3 new species which are;
Cheddar whitebeam (Sorbus cheddarensis) – oval shaped leaves; tree can grow to seven metres high,at least 19 trees found.
Twin cliffs whitebeam (Sorbus eminentoides) - has roundish leaves, grows up to 9 metres, greyish brown bark. 15 trees recorded.
Gough's rock whitebeam (Sorbus rupicoloides) - long narrow leaves, tree grows up to seven metres. 13 trees found in Cheddar gorge.

Hugh Cornwell, Director of Cheddar Caves and Gorge; "This discovery demonstrates the rich biodiversity in the Gorge." Other UK locations which whitebeam favour are; the Avon Gorge, Bristol, Wye Valley, Craig-y-Cilau in Brecon Beacons and the northern parts of the Devon-Somerset coast. 2 other National Trust sites,Watersmeet in N Devon and Leigh Woods in Bristol also contain species unique to their sites.

At a time when the earth's natural resources are under increasing pressure,conserving biodiversity has not always had the air space it deserves. This discovery Dr Tim Rich, Head of Vascular Plants, Welsh National Herbarium says;
" (shows) that we're still learning about the natural world and finding new species of plants in the UK. Cheddar is a very special place."
It is clear that we should be encouraging processes of evolution, through sensitive management of biodiversity as this brings rewards in the form of evolving species like Whitebeam (Sorbus spp.)for future generations to enjoy.