Don’t miss the free 90-minute Marketing Ability Taster session being held on Tuesday 14th June at the Eco Innovation Centre from 8am-10am!

Subjects covered at the event:

• Understand why customers buy from you
• Is your product or service fit for purpose?
• The importance of being different
• Why a marketing action plan is important
• How to get found on the web
• How to ensure your advertising isn’t a waste of money

REGISTER your attendance

• Marketing Nuggets
• Marketing Stimulation
• Marketing Bootcamp

Tags: Green your business | free training | Nadia Grys

The Green Festival Pop Up shop has been a terrific success. 
 

PECT, Eastern Angles, Blok Colletive, Underground Arts and Opportunity Peterborough are delighted by the support and interest. 

Tags: Green Festival | Green your business | Nadia Grys

Hereward Solar Solutions are specialists in solar energy and will be providing free advice and demonstrations at the Green Festival this Saturday.

Tags: Green Festival | Green your business | Energy Efficiency | Environmental Education | Nadia Grys

The final touches are coming together ready for tomorrows launch…it looks great!

 

• Loads of free creative workshops
• Fabulous homemade craft and original artwork
• Live art performances
• Country fete games
• Arty coffee mornings

Tags: Green Festival | Do your bit for the environment | Green your business | Nadia Grys

SUSTAIN Lincolnshire has already helped over 40 businesses...
 

SUSTAIN Lincolnshire Resource Efficiency Business Support is the scheme helping SMEs, (small to meduim sized enterprises), across Lincolnshire to reduce their environmental impact and save money. Since its launch in July 2010 we have worked with forty-two businesses across Lincolnshire representing a diverse range of sectors including food & drink, tourism and leisure and manufacturing. Our task is to help these businesses in a practical, hands-on way. We want to ensure these businesses are efficient with resources like energy and water to ensure they are sustainable in the long term – both environmentally and financially.

What have we done?

We’re helping several businesses identify opportunities for generating renewable energy on their premises. This includes renewable energy technologies like solar panels for electricity generation and anaerobic digestion plants for both power and heat generation. One of the ways we help, is by identifying grant aid and interest free loans that are available to help with purchase costs.
We are also supporting a number of businesses to develop their own Environmental Management System (EMS) so they can reduce environmental impact – increasingly a requirement to retain key customers.

Success stories:

• Maples Solicitors is set to save between £600

to £900 a year on their energy bill by switching
to energy efficient lighting.

• P&R Plant Hire is currently working towards

achieving ISO14001 helping them maintain
competitive edge in tendering.

• Oxflow is installing energy efficiency measures

and generating renewable energy to ensure their
premises are sustainable.

Our team has already identified potential resource efficiency savings worth an estimated £30,000 and all savings have been identified at no cost to these businesses.

Contact us today to see if we can help you. Call 01522 589964 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Free training and support to get your EMS in place...

What is an Environmental Management System?

Put simply, an EMS is a collection of procedures and policies produced by a business to help manage the environmental effects of their operations. It outlines where you are now, where you want to be, and how you’re going to get there when it comes to operating in a greener way.

Businesses can have formal, externally accredited systems to international standards (for example ISO14001) or to a British Standard (for example BS8555). There are also less formal systems for businesses that are just getting started. Whichever way you choose to develop your EMS the benefits include:
• cost savings,
• reduced liabilities,
• greater legislative compliance
• improved pollution control.

Besides these significant benefits, many businesses are also finding having an EMS in place a definite advantage when it comes to tendering for new business and for improving existing customer relationships.

Creating your own EMS doesn’t need to be a daunting task. You probably already have the makings of a system within your current business procedures. The SUSTAIN Lincolnshire Resource Efficiency Business Support Programme is also on hand to provide free support to SMEs in Lincolnshire which includes helping develop your EMS.

The SUSTAIN Lincolnshire programme will also be running a two day introductory course on EMS in April. This will be entirely free for qualifying businesses. Places are limited so contact us today on 01522 589964 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for further details and to book your place.

Tags: Peterborough Environment City Trust | Sustainable Communities | Caroline Sheffield | Green your business

Calling all businesses in and around the city. Peterborough has launched its own accreditation for businesses.

The scheme was launched by Leader of Peterborough City Council, Cllr Marco Cereste and covered by BBC Look East film crew on 15th April at the Eco Innovation Centre in Peterborough.

Investors in the Environment will provide businesses with a framework for cutting their environmental impact and an accreditation stamp for achieving different levels of environmental awareness – bronze level (taking the first simple steps), silver, and then green level (being a green leader for your city) which a lot of businesses are already doing but arent shouting about.

Its environmental accreditation built around the needs of business. The idea behind Investors in the Environment is to encourage businesses in the Peterborough area to get smarter when it comes to using resources and producing waste. Not only will this reduce their environmental impact, but it will also save them money.

Twenty businesses have already started the Investors in the Environment accreditation process and a further 350 have pledged their support for the scheme.

The scheme is being led by green charity Peterborough Environment City Trust (PECT), Peterborough Chamber of Commerce, Opportunity Peterborough, Greater Peterborough Partnership and Peterborough City Council. It is being supported by green heavyweights including The Environment Agency, commercial and residential energy management consultants WTG Associates, and local recycling company Donarbon Ltd. Together, the organisations hope Investors in the Environment will further embed Peterborough’s growing reputation as the UK’s Environment Capital.

Cllr Marco Cereste, Leader of Peterborough City Council said: “I’m delighted to be launching Investors in the Environment on 15th April and presenting certificates to the businesses who have already achieved accreditation.

“Peterborough’s business community is strongly behind the city’s aspiration to become the UK’s Environment Capital and now many of them are demonstrating their support in terms of real carbon savings.”
 

 

BusinessWatch UK Security Services Limited based in Orton Southgate is the first company to sign up to Investors in the Environment. “Being green is easier than you think and is morally and financially rewarding” says Managing Director, Richard Olsen. “With sound support and guidance from Investors in the Environment, I was able to ensure we had the right systems in place and achieve accreditation for our great work”.

Investors in the Environment is offering advice and information to the businesses sector in the form of events too. Working with the Envirocluster, the largest cluster of environment products and services in the UK we have already launched a number of free events for businesses to take part and learn from. The first being Print reduction seminar from Admirals Print solutions, and Smart metering technology and advice from WTG Associates.
 

If you would like to find out more about Investors in the Environment or come along to the launch event contact Kim Coley on 01733 866436 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.iie.uk.com

 

Tags: Do your bit for the environment | Creating the UK Environment Capital | Green your business | Kim Coley | Peterborough Environment City Trust

Anyone peeking out between the blinds over Padholme Road East or Storeys Bar Road will no doubt have seen an odd shape whizzing backward and forwards, backwards and forwards over the last month or so. A smartly-dressed blur squatting low a-top a sturdy wheeled contraption.

"Is it a bird?" they cried, "Is it a plane?" No, it's Sam Jones circumnavigating Fengate as he sets the wheels in motion as part of the Business Clusters Project. 

That's right, it's been a long and intense four weeks drumming up interest in the project and meeting interested parties. But my bike can rest it's wheels for the time-being as I retire to the office to plot and plan how to make the businesses of Fengate and Cygnet a little greener - and save them a few quid to boot. 

But without by trusty steed of a bike (that has yet to be named, so I'm open to suggestions), my four weeks cycling round Fengate could easily have rolled into eight.

With the other options a car (out of the question for both environmental and financial reasons), walking (I'm too impatient) or on the buses (too irregular), I opted for bicycle, and I haven't looked back since. 

So as the inevitable May rain spatters against the pane,  I can relax in the comfort of my office chair safe in the knowledge that four weeks furious pedalling has really set the wheels in motion for the Business Clusters Project.

Tags: Sam Jones | Creating the UK Environment Capital | Green your business

Reducing Packaging Workshop:
How to use design to reduce waste and costs

Wednesday 3 February 2010
Venue TBC
9.00am – 1.00pm (including a buffet lunch)

Did you know that you could SAVE MONEY by packaging your goods more efficiently, without compromising on design? 

At this free, half-day workshop we will be explaining how by considering the environmental impact of your packaging from the very first stages of the design process, you can save money by cutting down on waste while still producing innovative and attractive packaging that can be re-used or recycled afterwards.

Experts will provide practical tips and advice on all aspects of the process, from how to choose the right partners to work with through to your company’s legal requirements under the Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations, which were introduced in 2003.

Not only will attending this seminar help you to save money, it will also help you to manage your company’s environmental credentials while providing you with a fresh outlook on the wide selection of materials that are available for consideration.

We’re also inviting everyone who attends to bring along examples of the designs and packaging materials your company currently uses so that you can share ideas on how they can be improved upon to help your company on its way to becoming more efficient.  

Cost: Free to attend including lunch (but places are limited)

To book please call Jenny Clare on 01733 453482 or e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

This seminar is organised by Peterborough City Council in partnership with the Greater Peterborough Partnership, Peterborough Environment City Trust, Envirowise and Peterborough Chamber of Commerce

Tags: Green your business | Kim Coley | Green news