Exploring Embodied Ecological Impacts
At a Leaders Network event with 50+ c-suite business leaders, the UK Green Building Council (UKGBC) introduced their report on Embodied Ecological Impacts. The event highlighted the impact of sand extraction on biodiversity through the example of Lough Neagh.
Guest post: La Tête dans le sable
Why are sand protests happening in Saint-Colomban/Nantes, France? Cover image © La Tête Dans Le Sable
Why should we care?
Sand underpins lives and livelhoods across the world. ‘Beneath the sands’ demonstrates why there is an urgent need to manage this resource better.
Cover: A sand harvesting site in Rakwaro village, Kenya. Photograph: Sharon Atieno
But, is it scalable?
'But, is it scalable?' is one of the most frequently asked questions whenever the topic of solutions to the sand crisis comes up. One of the key barriers in many regions is a lack of regulation on embodied carbon in construction. Let’s explore this topic further in the context of the UK and the Government’s recent response to the report by the Environmental Audit Committee.
Bangladesh’s 'eco-friendly' bricks are not 'green': Guest post by Sheikh Rokon
In this guest blog, Sheikh Rokon, Founder and Secretary-General of Riverine People, a Dhaka based civil society organization shares his commentary on Bangladesh's switch from polluting clay-fired bricks to concrete-based bricks that are presented as 'eco-friendly' bricks within the country.
The geopolitics of sand
This post briefly examines how the geopolitics of sand is playing out in the South China Sea. (Cover Image: Voice of America)
Why low-carbon cement isn’t enough
In July 2021, Sweden's biggest cement factory was denied permission to continue mining limestone. This blog examines why a focus on low-carbon cement alone is not enough.
Land reclamation, human rights & nature’s rights
Land reclamation is one of the key drivers of sand mining across the world. The human and environmental cost of this activity is enormous. Cover image credit: The Philippine Association of Marine Science
Uni fees, foreign trips & sex for sand
Did you know that some of the ...ahem…incentives being offered to officials for sand range from the payment of university fees for their children, trips to foreign locations and even sex?
Important wins from South Africa
This post examines recent events connected to mineral sand mining in South Africa that are important milestones for Justice.
Why the three little pigs were wrong!
Remember the fable of the three little pigs? It turns out not only did they fear the wrong wolf, but they also didn't really know how to…
The Building Sustainability Podcast
In this episode, Jeffrey Hart and Kiran Pereira talk about the different uses of sand, how we're using one non-renewable resource to get at another fossil resource, various methods of extraction and why we should care.