State Opening of Parliament showcased speech with many reforms for the environment

National Grid ESO says the televised message generated approximately 600MW of TV pick-up, equivalent to 190,000 ovens being turned on at once

Environmental activists have sent a ‘parking ticket’ to the Queen to suggest she should perhaps swap her Range Rover for a more environmentally-friendly vehicle

The Queen has banned single-use plastic straws, bottles and other cutlery from the royal estates as part of a move to reduce plastic waste. The new measures will phase out plastic in public areas such as cafes and gift shops and ban it altogether in staff dining rooms. Internal caterers will also have to start […]

  The Queen visited Siemens Gamesa’s offshore wind turbine blade manufacturing factory in Hull yesterday. She was given a short tour of the facility and a demonstration of the work which goes into making the mammoth 75-metre turbine blades, as part of the Hull City of Culture 2017 celebrations. They are handmade as a single, […]

The UK Water Act has become law after being given the seal of approval by the Queen this week. It received Royal Assent in the House of Lords, ending a two-year process, with the reform proposals initially published in July 2012. The Royal Assent is when the Queen formally agrees to make the bill into […]

The Queen gave a surreptitiously royal nod to sustainability when she officially opened a history centre powered by biomass. Accompanied by Prince Philip, Her Majesty perused the display at the Keep which houses archives up to 900 years old. It is sited next to the University of Sussex in the south coast of England. The […]

The UK Energy Bill has become law after being given the seal of approval by the Queen today. It received the Royal Assent in the House of Lords this morning, ending a three-year process that began with a consultation on proposed changes. The Royal Assent is when the Queen formally agrees to make the bill […]

Concerns over more delays to energy market reform came close to confirmation today when the Queen made her annual visit to the House of Lords to announce the year’s key policies without the report stage of the Energy Bill materialising. The Queen’s speech this morning lightly touched on energy, focusing on other issues such as […]

Owen Paterson will become Environment Secretary after the Prime Minister’s Cabinet reshuffle today. The former Northern Ireland Secretary and conservative MP  takes over from fellow Tory Caroline Spelman and will become responsible for a budget of more than £2billion at the Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs. He voted moderately for policies to stop climate […]