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English Heritage will be launching their ‘Heritage at Risk’ project in July 2008.  The project will create the first comprehensive register of the country’s neglected or decaying historic properties and sites.

The Times has an interesting article on ‘human power’, where the footfall of people could be harnessed to produce emission free energy.  People’s feet would compress pads underneath flooring which would generate electricity by pushing a fluid through a mini – turbine.    The Spinnaker Tower, a popular visitor attraction in Portsmouth, could be one of the first destinations which could install the technology.

Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth - from Pompey Shoes, Flickr

The National Trust have announced that they are changing approximately 40,000 light bulbs across their Estate and introducing low energy alternatives.  Once the new energy efficient light bulbs are installed this should save 2,223 tonnes of carbon per annum and reduce energy and maintenance costs by some £431,000 per annum.

Cycling helps to reduce CO2 emissions and to encourage visitors to arrive by bike the Eden Project offers a £4 discount for cyclists.  The Eden Project is on the National Cycle Network and when visitors arrive can even use the ‘fast track’ desk. Click here for more information.

January 2008/…Natural Retreats is proud to announce that 9 new residences are to be built at their Yorkshire Dales site. The new residences that are set to be completed by early July 2008 will bring the total complement to 19.

“It was a fantastic achievement for Natural Retreats to receive planning permission for the new residences and goes some way to show that not only the local community but also the Richmondshire District Council is embracing the Natural Retreats concept.” Ewan Kearney, Director, Natural Retreats.

The Natural Retreats Concept and Vision
The Natural Retreats concept is simple. They want to combine the highest levels of luxury and sensitive development with the most dramatic locations our country has to offer. Matt Spence, Director, Natural Retreats comments “I wanted to challenge the way people saw and experienced the countryside. I wanted to show them there was more to the breathtaking and varied landscapes we have in this amazing country. But more than anything I wanted to do it in a way that had never been seen in the UK before. The creation of truly luxurious residences that blend in with the immediate environment and local communities to create a harmonious, unique experience. The chance to enjoy nature at its most amazing in environmentally friendly luxury.”

Natural Retreats aims to expand its portfolio in the near future to include other sites alongside or within all 14 of the UK’s National Parks. The company recently acquired 2 new sites which are now in the process of development, these are: Natural Retreats, Snowdonia and Natural Retreats, Lake District.

The residences offer the most luxurious way to allow guests to be closer to nature and they benefit from extensive glass wall frontages, designed to bring the natural light, surrounding woodland and meadows directly into the open plan living room. Stylish furnishings offer unrivalled levels of comfort and all the residences have solid wood floors throughout and state of the art island kitchens and bathrooms.

Design of the New Residences
The Natural Retreats team have worked hard on the design concept for the new residences and in doing so they were keen to not only keep some elements of the current residences the same but to make a few changes and improvements to the original design concept following guest feedback.

The contemporary design used makes it clear from the beginning that Natural Retreats is a new type of experience. Some may call it minimal but Natural Retreats prefer to think of it as simple and elegant, without frills. They want the space to feel open and uncluttered with high quality design details and materials used throughout.

Each of the new residences will feature three double bedrooms, all with en-suite showers and the master bedroom has been made slightly larger so to provide a bath for holidaying families. To avoid muddying the living areas after long walks, a spacious entrance has been created that is separate from the rest of the residence to provide a place for wet anoraks and dirty boots!

Leading on from the entrance area the kitchen/dining/living space will stay open plan as before and all the furniture and materials used have been designed and chosen to make the space feel as open and light as possible. To enhance the concept of space further, the glass walls will be made up of as few elements as possible, to allow for unrivalled views. Oak flooring will be put into continued use throughout the new residences to keep them looking as similar to the existing ones as possible.

Natural Retreats will also be adding a number of new green design features to the new residences including the use of organic paints on the interior walls, built in recycling bins for glass, tins and paper, compost bins for natural food waste, efficient gas boilers and under floor heating. They will also be using local Yorkshire stone when building the residences. The Natural Retreats, Yorkshire Dales site will also home to a new environmentally friendly sewage treatment plant, a Klargester system and a detailed Nature Conservation Management Plan to enhance the landscape and the local flora and fauna.

Rates
There is a 2 night minimum stay for guests at Natural Retreats, Yorkshire Dales and rates start from just £325 per residence. A 5 night stay in summer 2008 starts from £880 per residence and prices include accommodation, a food hamper on arrival, logs, linen including towels and VAT. (0161 242 2970; www.naturalretreats.com)

Please note: The Natural Retreats, Yorkshire Dales site will be closed from early January – early July 2008 whilst the new residences are being built. If you would like further information or are interested to make arrangements to review Natural Retreats, Yorkshire Dales or to set up an interview to with Ewan Kearney or Matt Spence please contact Kathryn Peel at Grifco PR.

Hackney City Farm, a leading farm based attraction in London has recently announced that  the  Low Impact Living Initiative will be running a number of courses at the farm including  straw bale building techniques, through to bee keeping and clay rendering.

The Independent newspaper has announed it’s six finalists for the social entrepenuer award for 2007.  One of the six finalists is the Eden Project in Cornwall which has attracted over 9 million visitors since openning in 2000!

The Eden Project in Cornwall is one of the leading environmental visitor attractions in the UK have recently picked their first coffee beans from the Humid Tropics Biome and roasted them at Fifteen’s restaurant.  Read more on Tristan Stephenson’s blog.

Plans to redevelop the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester have recently been unveiled and they include an ‘eco-friendly’ building.  The design has in part been inspired by the Eden Project.

Want to learn more about the natural environment - why not visit the National Botanic Garden of Wales.

Some interesting facts:

• During the peak summer period their land train was powered by recycled chip fat from the Garden’s own restaurant
• The National Botanic Garden of Wales was named the Best Environment Project in The National Lottery Awards 2007
• The Garden was the first national botanic garden to be created in the United Kingdom for over 200 years