A Victorian terraced home with a twist, No.1 Lower Carbon Drive, opened to the public today to provide Londoners with examples of ways in which they can alter their homes and domestic lifestyles to reduce the city’s CO2 emissions. Management consultancy Arthur D. Little worked with the London Development Agency (LDA) to develop the model home as part of the mayor’s Climate Change Action Plan. The plan aims to encourage all Londoners and businesses to help in reducing the capital’s carbon dioxide emissions to 60 per cent below 1990s levels by 2025.
With such a wide range of constraints on Londoners’ time, properties, and lifestyles, No. 1 Lower Carbon Drive needed to offer practical solutions – both high- and low-technology – which would improve carbon emissions without compromising quality of life. To demonstrate a truly London-focussed approach to cutting carbon emissions, the LDA called on management consulting and sustainability specialists Arthur D. Little to advise on those specific carbon-cutting ideas most relevant and attractive to city-dwellers.
Using its existing expertise and research into reducing carbon emissions in the Capital, Arthur D. Little’s Global Sustainability Practice first reviewed the full range of technologies available to reduce carbon emissions in the home before developing the range of green measures particularly appropriate for and relevant to London homes and residents.
“As a city poised at the intersection of global business growth and global climate change, London is uniquely positioned to lead an initiative asking individuals and businesses to take responsibility for reducing their city’s collective carbon footprint,” said Richard Clarke, Director of Arthur D. Little’s Global Sustainability Practice. “Arthur D. Little’s consultancy focus on developing sustainable businesses and communities makes us a strong partner to support the LDA’s Climate Change Action Plan, as we understand the full range of implications such an integrated approach has on businesses, residents, and the long-term success of ambitious climate change strategies.”
No. 1 Lower Carbon Drive house is intended to give consumers practical advice on reducing carbon emissions through simple home refurbishments and revising household habits, as opposed to a focus on rebuilding.
Experts are available in the house to then explore in more detail with visitors how the solutions they are interested in would work best in their home.
Click here to access the full report.