Earth Equity News

Controversy Swirls Around UK's New Eco-Towns. By Daniel Martin, Mail.com (UK), July 24, 2008. "Every single household in [Britain's] controversial new eco-towns will have to have one person who does not drive to work, [Housing minister Caroline Flint] said [Thursday]. Plans for the new green communities say that at least one worker from each house should be able to get to their job by walking, cycling or using public transport... And the average home should be within a 10-minute walk of frequent public transport... The Government has come [under] a barrage of criticism from people living near the 15 proposed sites, amid claims the new towns would be forced through despite public opposition... [But] Flint said: 'These would be the toughest standards ever set out for new development and demonstrate that there will be no compromise on quality with eco-towns. 'We need to build more homes in this country, but given that housing contributes 27% of our carbon emissions we must also take this opportunity to trial new ways of tackling climate change. In both cases, doing nothing is not an option."