ImaginAIR - vote for your favourite photostory

The ImaginAIR competition - launched in September 2012 - asked Europeans to tell their story of air through three photographs and a short paragraph. Here are the finalists from the competition. Our external jury will select five thematic winners, but you get to choose the public vote winner. Vote for your favourites before 14 November 2012 to determine which photo story should win the ImaginAIR Public Choice Award. The photostory that receives the most votes will win the award. Become a member of our public jury. The decision is in your hands.
Vote for your favourites now

Jim Longhurst to Chair the Environment and Global Change Panel as part of the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) 2012 evaluation process

The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) is the public research-funding agency which selects and distributes research funds for a wide range of scientific fields of research. FCT places high importance on the international peer-review evaluation process as a critical element to ensure credibility and quality in all its activities.   FCT has established six high-level panels of leading field scientists to take part in the 2012 evaluation process and selection of the best applications.

The Board of Directors of FCT have invited Professor Jim Longhurst to chair the Environment and Global Change panel in the 2012 evaluation process. The Environment and Global Change panel will consider some 335 proposals in four sub themes:

• Global Environmental Change

• Sustainable Management of Resources
• Environmental Technologies
• Environmental Modelling and Assessment
 

For further information on the work of FCT see http://www.fct.pt/

AQMRC Port Talbot Report providing advice to Ministers

The 2009 report by AQMRC for the Welsh Government reviewing air pollution in Neath Port Talbot continues to be of importance.  The report is currently linked to the front page of the Welsh Government air quality website, described as "Advice to the Welsh Ministers on further measures to pinpoint the sources of particulate matter." 

Visualising Bristol's low carbon futures: John Rose Award public engagement project underway

Thanks to the 2012 John Rose Award grant from the Institution of Environmental Sciences and support from Bristol City Council, Rose's low carbon Bristol public engagement art project is under way.
Rose's PhD research consulted a large group of key local stakeholders about how Bristol might meet it's 80% carbon reduction target in 2050, producing 2 different scenarios for the city. To communicate the results in an engaging way to the Bristol public, Rose is working with local street artist Andy Council to produce visual interpretations of these two difference scenarios. The public will then be able to submit their thoughts and ideas on Bristol's low carbon future through local digital democracy company Delib's 'Dialogue app'.
The first sketches of the two scenarios have been finished, with the final images coming soon. Watch this space for the opportunity to have your say!

"Scenario X": a globalised, high-tech big-tech, 'low carbon business as usual' future

"Scenario Y": a re-localised, high-tech small-tech, 'resilient restructured community' future

AQMRC rolls out carbon support package for green SMEs

AQMRC have been working with South West SMEs on a range of carbon related business support activities through the Environmental Technologies iNet. Rose has been working one-on-one with selected companies to estimate the carbon emissions embedded in their products through lifecycle analysis and embedded carbon footprinting methods. This will help those companies with environmentally friendly products to capitalise on their green credentials, by being able to show commitment to environmental reporting and sustainability in their manufacturing and operations, as well as identify opportunities to further reduce their environmental impact and develop a carbon management strategy. It will also help emerging companies in meeting ever more stringent obligations placed on suppliers by major purchasers, themselves under increasing pressure to report environmental impacts.

For example, the results from one carbon assessment of an innovative new version of a product found that it:

• is responsible for 82% less carbon than the traditional product

• lasts four times as long as the traditional product, escalating the carbon saving to 95%

• has a transportation carbon impact of 97% less than the traditional product

• avoids 9.8 kg/CO₂e through the use of recycled materials

In addition to one-on-one support Rose, Enda and the Environmental iNet team also ran a two-day workshop on the carbon assessment of products, including lifecycle analysis, business incentives for reporting emissions, and ensuring legitimate 'green claims'. Businesses that attended varied from construction, biocrops, high-tech engineering to a zoo, but all went away with a bespoke lifecycle analysis carbon assessment inventory and toolkit and a framework for calculating the emissions from their products. 

The workshop was very popular and fully subscribed so will be running again soon – watch this space.

New Air Quality and Carbon Management Training

The Air Quality Management Resource Centre are now offering CPD training in the following Air Quality and Carbon Management courses (please click on the course name to access the webpage for descriptions and booking forms):

Introduction to Local Air Quality Management	08/11/2012
Review and Assessment: Updating and Screening Assessments & Progress Reports	09/11/2012
Environmental Permitting Regulations	22/11/2012
Review and Assessment: Detailed & Further Assessments	23/11/2012
Introduction to the Science of Climate Change	06/12/2012
Introduction to Climate Change Policy & Carbon Management	07/12/2012
Technical Guidance for LAQM: Monitoring, Modelling & Emissions Estimation	10/01/2013
Air Quality Action Plans and Action Plan Progress Reports	11/01/2013
Technical Introduction to Air Pollution Monitoring	24/01/2013
Integrating Air Quality Management into the Local Transport Planning Process	25/01/2013
Monitoring QAQC: Automatic Monitors and Diffusion Tubes	07/02/2013
Low Emission Zones and Strategies	08/02/2013
Dispersion Modelling & Model Validation, Verification & Adjustment	21/02/2013
Planning and Air Quality: Air Quality Assessments	22/02/2013
Consultation in Air Quality & Carbon Management / GIS for LAQM	07/03/2013
Sustainable Planning & Development: Local Development Framework & Healthy Urban Design	08/03/2013
Air Quality & Carbon Management: International Case Studies	21/03/2013
Action Planning: Behaviour Change & Innovative Technologies	22/03/2013

All of the Air Quality and Carbon Management short courses are run as single day sessions at the main Frenchay campus at UWE, Bristol, from 9.30 to 4.30 with one hour for lunch. The short courses are aimed primarily at professionals working in, or wishing to skill themselves to enter, the field of air quality and carbon management. However, they are equally applicable to those working in related fields such as transport, planning and energy management. The courses are accredited by the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) and the Institute of Air Quality Management (IAQM). The content of the short courses cover the breadth of air quality and carbon management including principles, policies, practices and integrated solutions. The fees are £150 per delegate with a 10% discount for three or more delegates from the same organisation.

For further information, contact Jo Barnes or the FET Short Course Unit.

Tim writes for 2degrees

Tim's article on "Behavioural change or societal change?" has recently been published on the 2degrees website: http://www.2degreesnetwork.com/groups/managing-sustainability/resources/behavioural-change-or-societal-change/.