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The Arboricultural Association has joined forces with the Woodland Trust and local authority tree officer associations to rally the UK public to water their new street trees using recycled rainwater or grey water, such as washing up water. Since setting up the annual watering campaign in 2020, the Arboricultural Association has brought on board an ever-expanding list of groups to...

To mark the Great Big Green Week, Senior Environmental Consultant Nadine Sherwin tells ICON readers how renewable energy powers the fight against climate change.   In our rapidly changing world, the impacts of climate change have become increasingly undeniable, and environmental concerns have reached unprecedented levels. As a result, the urgency for a sustainable future has become more apparent than ever...

To mark the Clean Air Day 2023, Sustainability Consultant Natalie McClay tells ICON readers about the damage beyond the flames wildfires leave in their wake.   On the 7th of June 2023, the world watched as New York City’s landscape descended into a thick blanket of orange smoke. The apocalyptic glow has been attributed to the extensive wildfires in Quebec, where...

To mark this year's Clean Air Day, Senior Environmental Consultant Anthony Armitage tells ICON readers why improving air quality is as vital as our next breath.    The health impacts of air pollution are not new. In fact, it could be argued that we in the West are far less exposed to the choking smokes of solid fuel fires than our...

To celebrate this year's Great Big Green Week, Sustainability Consultant Natalie McClay shares stories from around to world to inspire ICON readers to join in community action to tackle climate change.   As a sustainability consultant, I like to think that getting involved in environmental activities and considering wider sustainability in my daily life comes fairly naturally. However, once a...

People looking to buy ‘green home’ heating technologies, such as solar panels and heat pumps, can face difficulties and are not always treated fairly by businesses, a new Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) report highlights. To meet the UK government’s target for net zero by 2050, more people will need to fit their homes with insulation and low carbon heating...

To celebrate the United Nations' World Bee Day, Environmental Consultant Natalie McClay tells ICON readers about our precious pollinators and how we can take care of them.   Unsung heroes of the natural world, bees visit and pollinate more than 90% of the world’s top 107 crops, all free of charge! The United Nations declared the 20th May as World Bee Day...

Ofwat has launched a consultation on a new licence condition to ensure companies better reflect customer expectations, drive higher standards of customer service and support the full diversity of customer needs. The new requirement will set out the principles that companies must follow in delivering their services to customers and dealing with problems when they arise. David Black, Ofwat CEO, commented on...

A study published by international development charity Christian Aid highlights the devastating economic impact climate change will inflict on Commonwealth countries. The study, titled The climate cost to the Commonwealth, was led by Marina Andrijevic, an economist at the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Vienna. By 2050 and 2100 the economies of these countries are still expected to be...

Environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) activities, regarding sustainability, diversity and employee satisfaction, correlate with stronger financial profitability and growth for private companies, a joint study by Bain & Company and EcoVadis has revealed. Titled “Do ESG Efforts Create Value?” the study assessed how ESG activities and outcomes have impacted 100,000 companies, 80% of which are private. This research provides new...