CorpComms Magazine

Plans are in place to give the Isle of Wight the lowest carbon footprint in England by 2020 making it an ultimate eco-friendly island, if green group Ecoisland gets its way.

The project, which has described itself as 'A greener shade of Wight', plans on achieving this by giving the 380 square kilometre-sized island energy independence.

The Isle of Wight, which is home to approximately 140,000 people, has become more and more dependent on the mainland for energy, water and food supplies. Ecoisland plans to give the community the power to build an independent future by implementing green initiatives and technology.

It plans to install roof-top solar panels, improve household insulation and increase use of wind and tidal power. There are also plans to generate energy from waste products. Ecoisland also hopes to make electric vehicles available for hire.

There are plans to implement rainwater-capture schemes, as a third of the island's fresh water currently comes from the mainland.

Technology firm IBM, telecommunications company Cable&Wireless, smart-grid provider Silverspring Networks and electronics manufacturer Toshiba have teamed up with Ecoisland to develop smart-grid technology and energy-storage systems. Other firms that have joined the project include utility company Southern Water and electricity provider SSE.

David Green, chief executive of Ecoisland, explains on the organisation's website: 'This is a vision, which we believe is not just a dream. We are at the start of something big and this website outlines the many sectors in which Ecoisland can make a real difference to all of our lives.'

share me: del.icio.us | digg | reddit | Tweet