The European Union has adopted the term energy-saving for some years now but action plans still need to be taken. The construction sector has come forward with further encouragement for the political actors by initiating a taskforce. The E2APT, Energy Efficiency Action Plan Taskforce of the Construction Sector in a press release urges an immediate review of existing buildings to reduce CO2 emissions

Brief Report - National Consultation Session

The Architecture Division of the Ministry of Public Infrastructure, the Construction Industry Development Board and the Mauritius Ile Durable Fund conducted a well organised National Consultation - Construction Sector for Maurice Ile Durable Policy Formulation on Monday 5 April at the Rajiv Ghandhi Science Centre in Bell Villiage.

Delegates listend to a number of short presntations and then after lunch engaged in articulating a vision for Mauritius which was captured and which will serve as a point of refernce for ongoing drafting of policy and further consultation.

The outcome and conclusions of the session will be circulated to delegates and roleplayers.

New Website provides training for Green Building Pro's

by Jennifer Goodman
ecohomemagezine.com

A new Web site from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) provides free video-based educational courses and case studies on the nuts and bolts of building affordable green housing.

The Affordable Green Academy features 10 educational tracks with topics including foundations, walls and windows, roofs and attics, and environmentally responsible materials. In addition, the site’s 12-part Energy Star thermal bypass checklist training provides detailed instruction on the creation of Energy Star-compliant homes.

Each course has a test and successful completion of all the courses will allow participants to earn an Affordable Green Academy Certificate of Completion.

The academy was created to help developers, designers, and builders incorporate green strategies into their everyday practices, says NJIT’s Christine Bruncati Liaukus, a former trainer for the Enterprise Green Communities Initiative. She says the Web site’s goal is to provide detailed, practical information on a range of green building topics.

“After leaving a training session, I found that although people were fully on board with green, once they got back to their offices and into their projects, they weren’t sure what to actually do: ‘How should I air seal effectively? How should I frame my buildings to use less lumber and have a better thermal envelope? What kind of mechanical ventilation should I provide? How do I detail an insulated slab edge?’” she recalls. “So then we had the idea to provide very practical guidance online. Not so much on PV arrays and bamboo floors, but on the not-so-sexy but very important design and detailing issues that will allow a building to truly perform as a green building.”

While geared specifically to builders of affordable housing, the educational sessions are applicable to any type of green building pro, Bruncati Liaukus says.

“All of the information is applicable to low-scale, wood-frame market-rate and upscale housing as well,” she says.

The programming was developed by NJIT's Center for Building Knowledge, which also manages a sister site, the Affordable Housing Design Advisor.

Tue, 12 May 2009 11:00

80% of Mauritius energy is derived from burning imported fossil fuels which is costly and has increased green house gas emissions by 20% since 2000. The government is committed to reducing the dependency on fossil fuel for economic and environmental reasons.

Port Louis — The project "Mauritius, sustainable island" will only come to fruition if younger generations commit right now to work towards it in their daily lives. Some are taking up the challenge... elders could give a real helping hand. Students of Sir Leckraz Teelock SSS have built a wind turbine capable of generating electricity to light 100 electric bulbs.

Textile Manufacturing Goes Green and Clean

PORT LOUIS, Nov 1 (IPS) - ‘‘The cost of production is high in Mauritius as we are far away from our main markets. Our island is so small that at times our clients do forget us. We no longer benefit from any trade preferences. We don’t have any natural resources but we have plenty of sunshine and wind and we have decided to use these resources.’’