Do you want to join the debate about how to improve waste management and recycling in Wales? Then join other fellow Welsh professionals and CIWM members at the Resource Conference Cymru.

This year’s Resource Conference Cymru is the first major event in Wales to give the waste management community to a chance to explore the new EU Circular Economy package.

With a focus on clarifying the package and targets, exploring what these mean to us in practical terms and revealing real-life solutions and best practice, hear first-hand from EU speakers and industry experts just weeks after it has been launched.

Conference highlights

• Opening address from the EU Commission and leading European figures
• What does the package and targets mean in practice?
• Public and private sector responsibilities and opportunities
• Circular Economy in Wales – panel debate with the Welsh Government
• What can we learn from the food waste sector in terms of turning CE into a reality?
• Wales’s success stories – who’s already delivering results?

‘The timing and scope of the EU Circular Economy Package make this the most important conference CIWM will deliver in Wales.’

Steve Lee, Chief Executive CIWM

Dr Cathy O’Brien, Chair CIWM Cymru Wales

This conference is an important event for sustainability, resource and waste professionals and your attendance and input is extremely valuable to them – you can view the full programme here.

Book now to receive your early bird discount. Book your place by 22nd January 2016 and receive a 10% discount on places (CIWM members receive an additional 20% discount).

Showcase your brand, products and services at the biggest gathering of sustainability, resource and waste professionals in the region. For more information about the Sponsorship and Exhibition opportunities available contact Ginny Hunter on 01604 823346 or email ginny.hunter@ciwm.co.uk

How do you build an energy efficient home? Read the Zero Carbon Hub’s guide to find out.

The Zero Carbon Hub’s Builders Book – An illustrated guide to building energy efficient homes continues to provide useful construction site posters to highlight ensure best practice and the construction details for new homes. The bulk of the book is made up of site posters that highlight areas of the build in a normal construction sequence. The site posters can be printed out A4 or A3 size in colour and used as site guidance for site management and trades. They should be used as toolbox talks for trades and at site inductions. The site posters can also be used as design documents and included in specification documentation.

In addition to the Builders Book, the Hub has produced a list of completed energy efficient home profiles which include:

• Rowner Apartment Block C – three storey blocks of apartments designed to achieve <39 kWh/m2/yr
• Town Street – a site consisting of thirty-six houses and four flats all to a Passivhaus fabric specification.
• Bicester Eco-Town - North West Bicester is the UK’s first Eco-town, designed to meet the original Eco-town Planning Policy Statement (PPS) requirements, which includes delivering “true zero carbon” homes. To be “true zero carbon” means taking into account emissions related to both regulated energy (space heating, hot water, lighting and ventilation) and unregulated energy use (such as appliances and cooking).
• The Solar Home – this unique home was designed with an energy target of 46 Kwh/m²/yr and has achieved 44.1 Kwh/m²/yr
• Tattenhoe Park – mixed developed with properties achieving energy usage rates of 39 Kwh/m2/yr (Flats and Apartments) and 46 Kwh/m2/yr (Detached/Semi-Detached)
• Chobham Manor – a new development on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park which will deliver 850 new homes.

Further site guides will soon be published by the Zero Carbon Hub, with their Thermal Bridging guide anticipated in February 2016.

Willmott Dixon has been given go-ahead for a new £25m secondary super school in Cardiff by planners.

The super school funded by Cardiff City Council and the Welsh Government as part of the 21st Century Schools programme.

Willmott Dixon will now start work in March on the Eastern High School on land formerly used by Cardiff and Vale College for its Trowbridge campus in the east of the City. Under its design and build contract Willmott Dixon is using a standardised design for the school, saving the taxpayer money and significantly reducing the risk to the council.

The L-shaped school will accommodate 59 classrooms, three flexible open teaching spaces, a main hall, dining area, kitchens and gym.

Sport facilities include a rugby pitch, with a baseball diamond and eight-lane 110m hurdle track, as well as a 3G football pitch, a multi-use games areas for football or basketball, and a long jump pit. The facilities are to be floodlit and a grandstand with 60 seats is proposed next to the eastern side of the football pitch.

Sustrans Cymru is launching ‘Active Journeys,’ a new three year programme funded by Welsh Government.  The programme is designed to support schools across Wales to increase the number of pupils using active modes of transport for the school run, a key area for delivering the aims of the Active Travel (Wales) Act 2013.

It has been reported that only 35% of children are getting the recommended hour of physical activity every day. Walking or cycling to school is a practical way for children to be more physically active every day, and brings with it a whole range of other benefits to children’s health and wellbeing. Other benefits when fewer children are driven to school include a reduction in traffic congestion and C02 emissions  

100 primary schools will receive direct support from Sustrans schools officers to enable them to create a culture of active travel at their school.  All schools in Wales are also invited to access a new active travel ‘advice service’ via the Sustrans website, Twitter, Facebook, email, phone or post. The service will provide resources and respond to queries about the practicalities of enabling children to travel by bike, scooter or on foot to school.

Sustrans will also work with pupils from 45 secondary schools to obtain their views on active travel infrastructure in their area. These consultations will inform local authorities in their duty to create Active Travel Act Integrated Network maps and in their delivery of Safe Routes in Communities projects. 

Jane Lorimer, National Director for Sustrans Cymru said:

‘‘I am delighted that Sustrans will be able to support more schools in Wales than ever before through our Active Journeys project. We know that if children walk, cycle or scoot to school they are healthier and arrive at school alert and better able to concentrate in class. The service will support schools with their other healthy living and environmental activities as well as provide useful resources for the classroom.  Equipping children with the skills and motivation to travel actively will serve them well throughout their lives.’’

Transport Minister, Edwina Hart AM said:

“Active travel to school offers many health and wellbeing benefits to children. That is why the Welsh Government is determined to see more children cycle or walk to school. We are already investing millions in safe walking and cycling infrastructure to schools in Wales and also fund Kerbcraft and cycle training schemes. This new service will encourage more pupils to take advantage of those facilities and create a culture of active travel among primary school pupils that they can carry on into their adult lives.”

Sue Hurry, Head Teacher at Coychurch Primary School said:

‘‘The support, guidance and encouragement we have received from Sustrans has certainly helped us to dramatically increase the number of children that walk, cycle and scoot to school at Coychurch Primary. The launch of Active Journeys will help us to build on this development and encourage more pupils and families to travel to school in an active and healthy way.’’

Throughout the year Sustrans will coordinate competitions and challenges such as the annual Big Pedal as well as a free online ‘School Mark’ award which will be available to schools in April. To keep up to date with the developments of the programme follow @SustransCymru on Twitter or visit Sustrans Cymru’s website. 

• Sustrans is the charity that’s enabling people to travel by foot, bike or public  transport for more of the journeys we make every day. It’s time we all began making smarter travel choices. Make your move and support Sustrans today. www.sustrans.org.uk       
• The Big Pedal is the UK’s largest inter-school cycling and scooting challenge, powered by Sustrans and supported by the Bike Hub. The Big Pedal 2016 wil  run from 18th April until the 29 April. 
• The School Mark website will be launched in April 2016 and will be available to any school in Wales. Schools will be able to track progress and access a wealth of supporting resources in order to achieve three levels and become beacons of best practice.

REMINDER : Foundation Phase Competition - Exemplar designs for external teaching provision 

Please note the submission date for entries is 12.00 noon Friday 12th February 2016 

Full terms and conditions available at www.designcirclersawsouth.co.uk 

Submissions should be emailed to designcircle.events.rsawsouth@gmail.com 

Any queries should be emailed  by 29th January 2016 – clarifications will be reported to all entrants. Please enter subject as  ''Foundation Phase Competition' Q' for queries. 

It would be helpful if those considering entering a submission to email their intention to submit though this is not a competition requirement. 

Competition organised by Design Circle supported by RSAW / CEW & CLAW