Britain’s building five new "eco-towns":

The towns, each with a minimum of 5,000 to 10,000 houses, will be built to meet zero carbon standards and will each showcase a specific project promoting energy preservation or green technology, the Communities and Local government office said.

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Projects to be showcased could include use of communal heat pump systems or car pool schemes, the office said.

Also, Housing Minister Yvette Cooper says all new homes built in Britain after 2016 must be carbon neutral. Why not now?