In tune with environment

Jan 29 2008 by Tony Henderson, The Journal

THERE was some instant soul-searching when sustainable technologies expert Dr David Clubb landed a job in the North-East.

One of the priorities of the new director of Northumberland company Northwoods was to join a band where he could play his sax.

Now David, 34, is part of the line-up of the Newcastle soul band Mothers of Biffa. At a previous job in Bristol he played with a ska punk outfit called Less Product.

“Music is pretty important to me,” said David, who lives in Morpeth, near the Northwoods base at Cockle Park.

Northwoods is the Northumberland branch of the Rural Development Initiative. It deals with rural issues and about half its activities are devoted to forestry, especially increasing the use of wood as a sustainable fuel.

David took a PhD in physics and for five years carried out university research in low temperature physics – work which underpins technologies such as MRI scanners and the quest to understand the nature of deep space.

But then came more soul-searching. “I have always been an environmentalist and one day I asked if I could see myself doing the physics work in 30 years’ time, and the answer was no.” So David joined the environmental charity Sunseed and worked in the desert region of Almeria in south-east Spain. The project revolved around using green technologies to supply water and energy and making the desert more fertile.

Now one of his targets will be to strengthen the region’s leading role in developing the expanding market for wood fuel. The North-East is already England’s biggest timber-growing region, producing about 750,000 tonnes annually.

More than 20 significant wood fuel projects are under way in the region and more schools are using wood-fuel boilers.

David said: “It’s been a gradual process alerting the industry and the public to the benefits of using wood in energy generation, but now things are really on the move. Unlike the use of fossil fuels, it is a green and sustainable resource with a much lower impact on the environment.

“This year for the first time demand from the sector will have a real impact on the region’s forestry industry. That’s a sign of things to come.”

Two years ago, Northwoods secured a £1.2m contract from One NorthEast to assess the suitability of 300 businesses for woodfuel systems.