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Schools in the South-East and South-West of England have been awarded a total of £26,000 after taking part in pioneering a new programme which sent top designers into schools to work with pupils and help them realise their own energy and water-saving plans.

Last week saw the culmination of two Design Council projects – the Eco Design Challenge and the Water Design Challenge – in Dragon’s Den-style finals with shortlisted teams from schools throughout the two regions pitching for a share of the prize pot to help bring their designs to life.

As many as half of Britain's homes could earn around £600 a year from roof top solar panels with some earning as much as £1000.

Research carried out by British Gas suggests that over 12 million households have roofs that could benefit from solar panel installations which would produce enough electricity for up to half their household needs.

Now is the best time to make environmental home improvements, as it will not only make a house warmer, more comfortable and reduce the cost of energy bills, but it will also make it more saleable.

This is the view of Phil Levermore, founder and managing director of Ebico, who urged potential house sellers to make their homes more energy efficient ahead of the implementation of a new EU Directive.

Britain’s rural villages are at risk of dying unless radical action is taken to secure their future, it is being warned.

A newly formed Rural Coalition, made up of councils and leading organisations which represent rural interests, is calling on the Government to deliver on its Big Society vision by radically empowering local people to shape the rural places in which they live. 

The new Government is taking swift action to shorten and simplify environmental regulations so it is easier for developers to green-proof their building projects, Communities Secretary Eric Pickles said today.

Councils and businesses will benefit from a simpler system for assessing the impact of development on the local environment, and will avoid unnecessary repetition of work during the planning process for multi-stage projects, saving over £200m a year.

New figures have laid bare concerns over the dramatic increase in the number of 'gardens grabbed' for development in the last 12 years.

Decentralisation Minister Greg Clark said the statistics show the Government was right to take immediate action to prevent unwanted garden grabbing by changing the planning rules.

Nine out of 10 (92%) of landowners polled by Knight Frank at the CLA Game Fair said they were considering some form of renewable electricity generation schemes on their estate.

Eight in 10 (80%) said the introduction of the renewable energy feed-in tariff had encouraged them to investigate renewable energy schemes.

Legislation dating from 1908 needs to be revisited if green food production is to prosper, according to a report published today by the Welsh National Assembly’s cross party Sustainability Committee.

The report calls on the Welsh Government to review the existing legislation for allotments to make sure it is relevant to Wales in the 21st Century and, if necessary, seek the required powers from Westminster to amend it.

SNP Member of the European Parliament Mr Alyn Smith has hailed an investment of GBP 50m in green homes in Scotland. 

The money is the first tranche of a groundbreaking new EU programme to encourage development of green homes, renewing derelict sites and stimulating green urban renewal.

A unique sculpture of the England football team made from onions and other home-grown produce is launching a new competition to help keep families occupied this summer.

Called 'veg-heads', and part of the National Trust Food Glorious Food campaign, families are being challenged to create a sculpture from produce grown either in their back garden, on a windowsill or from their allotment.