To view presentations, please click on the speaker’s name.
Emily Penn – eXXpedition founder, Parley for the Oceans and Sky Ocean Rescue Ambassador
Ocean plastics, toxic chemicals and human health
Emily Penn is an oceans advocate, skipper and Cambridge University Architecture graduate. Emily splits her time between running eXXpedition – a series of all female voyages which focus on the relationship between plastics, toxic chemicals and female health – and working on solving the ocean plastics issue with Parley for the Oceans.
Professor Sean Smith, Director of Sustainable Construction, Edinburgh Napier University
Plastic in construction: Circular economy improvements and innovative substitution from other products
Professor Sean Smith will cover the impacts of plastics and current usage areas within construction.
- What are the opportunities to re-use existing plastics and remove from waste landfill?
- What improvements in other product areas may replace some plastics in use?
- What are some of the key issues the industry is bringing up in relation to plastics waste?
Dr. Stephanie Wright – Research Associate, King’s College London
(Micro)plastics and health
Dr. Stephanie Wright will update us on her research into microplastics – microscopic pieces of degraded plastic which are a known marine contaminant with harmful impacts. Her research aims to capture and identify potential microplastics in air samples and, if of inhalable size, estimate human exposure levels and health impacts.
- How are we exposed to microplastics?
- Can we infer where they go in the human body?
- What impacts might exposure have?
Martin Gettings – Group Head of Sustainability, Canary Wharf Group PLC
Breaking the plastic habit
Martin Gettings, Group Head of Sustainability at Canary Wharf Group will give an update on CWG’s Breaking the Plastic Habit programme, designed to help eliminate single-use plastics at Canary Wharf.
- How piloting new technologies can spark innovation and collaboration and encourage behavioural change in a micro-city environment.
- What steps Canary Wharf is taking to achieve Surfers Against Sewage’s Plastic Free Community status.
- Encouraging people to rethink their plastic usage and move away from avoidable single-use plastics, rather than trying to get rid of all plastic.
Jasper Hamlet – Project Officer, FIDRA
Nurdles: The problem, solutions and how the construction industry can play a role
- Overview of pre-production pellet pollution and Fidra’s work – Plastic pellets are the second largest source of micro plastic pollution in our oceans and Fidra works with industry and government to find a pragmatic solution to this issue.
- Solutions and the responsibility of the plastic supply chain – Building upon Operation Clean Sweep and tackling pellet loss throughout the plastics supply chain.
- How industry can play a role in preventing pellet loss – Using customer buying power to ensure pellets within the supply chain are handled responsibly
Kris Karslake – Sustainability Manager, BAM Construct UK
Plastics: A UK contractor’s perspective
Kris Karslake is BAM’s Sustainability Manager and will update on how plastic waste is being avoided by contractors.
- Moving from waste to resources – a bit on stats and performance of the construction industry
- Whitecroft lighting – Ecobox – the irony that eliminating single use plastic results in multiple use plastic
- Workforce engagement – demonstration of the level that people are already engaged with this ‘campaign’ to reduce unnecessary plastics
Ben Humphries – Director, Architype
Low plastic, low carbon architecture
Ben Humphries is a Director for leading sustainable architect practice Architype. Ben will discuss how the practice has developed low plastic, low carbon specifications on its projects, such as at the Enterprise Centre at University of East Anglia.
Scott Pearce – Operational Policy and Development, Kent Fire and Rescue Service
Fire and Rescue: Mitigating exposure to toxic substances
Scott Pearce will discuss the topic of exposure to fire and toxicity in buildings; and how fire and rescue services are mitigating exposure to toxic substances. Scott will also give overview of cancer rates for fire fighters; can this be linked directly to toxic substance exposure? Finally, Scott will update us on the work of the National Contaminants Forum, hosted by the National Fire Chiefs Council.
Professor Anna Stec – Fire Chemistry and Toxicity, University of Central Lancashire
Fire toxicity of building products
We are also delighted to welcome back Professor Anna Stec, one of the leading experts on fire chemistry & toxicity and an expert witness for the Grenfell Tower inquiry.
- Fire toxicity is the biggest cause of death and injury in fires, but is unregulated.
- Material composition has a big effect on fire toxicity.
- The emphasis on insulation over fire safety has left the Building Regulations behind modern building practice.
- Assessing fire toxicity is easy, and an essential component of fire hazard assessment.