Following the UN climate change summit 25 local organisations have committed to a locally lead programme to monitor report and reduce their carbon emissions.
The local businesses include the Castle Rock Brewery, Cloud Cars, WEGO Couriers, Questmark and small local start-ups such asHonest Inks. Businesses will be supported alongside major local public bodies such as the 4 local Clinical Commissioning Groups and Broxtowe Borough Council.
The CCGs are responsible for more than £1bn NHS spending in Nottinghamshire. All are working with the Nottingham Energy Partnership and Nottingham Business School student groups to calculate and put together plans to report and reduce their environmental impacts. NEP was recognised this year with the prestigious Queens award, for its work in supporting sustainable development.
The 6 week programme is being run by Nottingham Business School and The NEP Investors in the Environment network, in collaboration with 150 final year students. Many participants have been able to take part due to support from the Nottingham Trent University Future Factory project, part funded by the European Regional Development Fund. The programme follows on from a successful international summer school, where local companies, including Pork Farms, worked with NEP and NTU students to gain green accreditation. The results of this will be presented to an international conference this month.
1/3 of all economic growth in the UK in 2011/12 was from the low carbon sector. The Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire area has been identified as one of the regions that is leading in realising the local economic benefits of engaging with the growing low carbon economy.
The Investors in the Environment network supports organisations to reduce their direct reliance on increasingly expensive energy and natural resources organisations, cutting costs and emissions, while gaining a visible externally verified quality mark to evidence their progress. Members are also supported to investigate opportunities to develop lower carbon products and services. By cutting the resource intensity of local businesses and services, iiE network members aim to help meet the needs of local people in ways that are fit for the future, protecting local health and wellbeing, the local economy and the global environment.
Over the next 5 years the D2N2 LEP will be investing around £85m in growing the local low carbon economy.
Innovative services such as electric taxis, lower carbon brewing, furniture recycling and teleconferencing, alongside new more environmentally sustainable models of health and social care have a huge potential to influence far beyond the local area, helping Nottingham set the standard for other lower carbon communities.
The students are being taught by Nottingham Business School Academics and NEP sustainability services manager, Chartered Environmentalist Jerome Baddley. “By linking Investors in the Environment members with local business school students, the next generation of business leaders will also gain practical experience in what makes a sustainable responsible business and how important this is to protecting communities from rising costs and the impacts of climate change.”
David Ralph, Chief Executive of D2N2, the Local Enterprise Partnership for Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, said: “It is great to see so many local organisations commit to this programme to monitor, report and reduce their carbon emissions.”
“The low carbon economy is a huge opportunity for this area, which has significant strengths already and we are very supportive of increasing collaboration across local organisations to respond to this very important sector.”
“D2N2’s Strategic Economic Plan will deliver sustainable economic growth in the right place, at the right scale.
Jerome said “We are very grateful to Nottingham Business School and NTU for all their support on this project, we would also like to congratulate NTU on achieving their own iiE green accreditation!”
