Ecology Building Society

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Ecology Building Society
Addressing Climate Change through Ecological
Mortgage Lending Paul Ellis
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Key facts

• Established 1981 Moved to new low impact HQ in
  Silsden, West Yorkshire 2003
• 10,000 accounts
• 71m assets
• Lend in whole of UK and Northern Ireland
• Only Society to limit its lending to
  environmental projects

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Roots

• Responding to conservative lending policies
• Difficulties in financing unconventional housing
• Concern over the decline of terraced housing,
  urban sprawl and rural community breakdown

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Principal Purpose

• to promote ecological policies designed to
  protect or enhance the environment in accordance
  with the principles of sustainable development
  
• The saving of non-renewable energy or other
  scarce resources
• The growth of a sustainable housing stock
• The development of building practices, ways of
  living or uses of land having, in each case, a
  low ecological impact
• From EBS Memorandum

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Green office practice

• Green electricity tariff
• Procurement practices paper, furniture,
  insurance etc
• Minimise waste
• Appliances switched off where possible
• Check environmental credentials of suppliers
• Ethical guidelines for Treasury operations
• Maximise use of electronic communications
• Carbon offset measures

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Green head office

• Low energy building
• Reduced ecological footprint
• High thermal mass
• Heat exchanger
• Warmcel and Sheepswool insulation
• Double glazed I-Plus argon filled windows
• Photovoltaic cells

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Green head office

• Sedum nature roof
• Rainwater harvesting
• Materials where possible from renewable sources,
  recycled or low toxicity
• Natural paints and finishes
• Maximum use of natural light via sunpipes
• Straw bale meeting room built by members of the
  Society
• Car park and grounds

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Partnerships

• Association for Environment Conscious Building
  (AECB)
• Ethical Environmental Marketing Group (EEMG)
• Energy Efficiency Partnership (EEP)
• Naturesave Insurance

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Typical Lending

• Re-use, recycling of redundant or derelict
  buildings
• Low impact ecological new build
• Intentional communities
• Environment-friendly enterprises
• Sustainable development
• Woodlands

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Lending Objectives

• ensure that the Climate Change impact of lending
  is minimised
• recycling embodied energy
• lending for energy efficiency

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Lending Activity

• lending mainly to individuals exceeding
  regulations
• providing incentives through the product range
• wont lend where resources wasted e.g. second
  homes

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Responses to Climate Change

• borrowers adopting adaptation techniques
• pad foundations
• floor levels above EA standards
• increased guttering
• screen planting

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C-Change mortgages

• Response to specific concerns on climate change
• a 1 discount from our standard variable rate on
  funds advanced for specified energy saving or
  renewable energy measures
• Up to 1 discount off all funds advanced on
  properties that meet highest levels of exacting
  energy standards
• Once applied these discounts apply for the
  remaining term of the mortgage

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Social enterprises

• Lending for community gain
• sustainable communities
• affordable green housing
• employment
• education
• social cohesion
• Green office space

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Affordable green housing

• Urban regeneration
• Tackling affordability energy efficiency
• Purchasers determined on basis of local ties and
  circumstances
• Properties sold at 50-70 market value
• Nomination rights on sale
• Trusts interest secured as second charge
• Sustainable transport car pooling

Urban renovation, Manchester
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Sustainable Communities

• Housing for rent
• Maintain balanced community
• Provide energy efficient housing
• Maintain infrastructure
• Ensure housing remains in local hands
• Efficient resource use

Urban renovation, Manchester
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Bringing it all together

• Green homes
• Affordable accomodation
• Urban regeneration
• Training and employment in deprived communities
• Training in green building skills

Urban renovation, Manchester
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Education for sustainability

• Institute for Sustainable Education
• Degree courses in energy efficiency and
  renewables
• Practical courses e.g. organic gardening
• State of the Art green conference centre

Urban renovation, Manchester
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Information and education

• specialist Agencies AECB
• our own publications Newsletter and website
• sponsoring accessible material Sue Roaf
  Closing the Loop
• Sustainable Construction CPD Gaia Architects
• AGM low carbon workshops