March Update 2012
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| Lead Story: Work Place Initiatives | Enviro App for SMEs - £50,000 prize for App to help businesses go green |
| Case Study: Black Horse Finance volunteer at Craigmillar Child and Family Centre. | Publications & Regulations - includes news and legislation to help you on your journey |
| 2020 Climate Group Interview: Paul Wedgwood; Carbon Trust | Events;webinars, workshops, exhibitions in Scotland |
Green Investment Bank - UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) will be based in Edinburgh and London. |
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 Guiding behaviours: Practical steps to support your business launched! Behaviour Change. We’ve mentioned it here a few times in the past, but to many it still comes across as a surreal concept, an intangible that fits somewhere between business as usual and `nice to do if time permitted’. Well, not anymore! The good news is that this week saw the launch of Better Business: How to Go Greener with Staff to Improve Performance which aims to make companies and organisations realise that climate-friendly employee policies and better productivity can go hand-in-hand. This practical guide offers help and advice for businesses and other employers who want to reduce their carbon footprint. In particular, it provides information on what the critical success factors are for involving staff to drive change and how staff engagement offers real benefits that are much broader than just carbon savings. The guidance outlines a business case for why employers should get involved in low carbon activity and the added benefits of involving staff in this process. It provides a step-by-step approach which organisations can follow to develop low carbon activities with their staff, and details a range of success factors which employers could usefully consider when attempting to implement low carbon workplace activities. In addition, the guidance highlights a wide range of low carbon activities which other businesses have successfully implemented. The guide was launched by Stewart Stevenson, Minister for Environment and Climate Change, at a meeting of Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group. Mr Stevenson said, “This guide outlines the ambition and innovation of a range of companies and demonstrates how low carbon activity can be good for business. It has been produced through collaboration between the public and private sectors in Scotland and shows how everyone must work together to help reduce our emissions and meet our targets.” SBC has been involved in this process from the start, working with the Scottish Government as part of the steering group for this research initiative. Initially, our role was to highlight examples of good practise, and we are delighted that SBC members; SSE, Halcrow, BT and Aberdeen City Council, as well as prominent Mayday Member and long time supporter of SBC, EAE Ltd have all been included as examples in this research. Our aim now is to disseminate this research, to take key learnings that sit behind the guidance, and use this to support businesses across sectors to engage their staff to effect real and long term change within their business, keeping those businesses abreast of the legislative, societal and financial imperatives for doing so. Ensuring your staff are engaged in the current business climate is a key business driver for many of our members. This guidance, as well as tangible SBC projects including Ecotown, can support you to do this. If you have any questions or comments about the guidance, or would like any support with implementing this in your business, please get in touch with Andrew Millson at andrewmillson@sbcscot.com. To access the full guidance, please click here |
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 A team volunteers from Black Horse Finance in Edinburgh swapped their desks and computers for shovels and shears last week, when they embarked on the first in a series of activities planned to help out local voluntary project, the Craigmillar Child and Family Centre. The Centre, based near Niddrie, offers support to vulnerable families and was recognised for its good work at the end of last year when it won the Black Horse sponsored Community Venture Award at the annual Radio Forth Awards. The centre’s award package included £5,000 funding towards new projects plus 100 days of volunteer manpower, courtesy of Black Horse, during the course of the year. This Friday (March 23rd) will mark the start of that commitment, as 15 volunteers will help to transform and improve one of Craigmillar’s outdoor education spaces. Their task involved planting trees and helping to construct willow tunnels and hidey holes for children to play in. The next planned activities are a series of garden improvements on April 24th and mural painting on May 23rd. Other projects throughout the year will include fence painting, mural painting, building a mud kitchen, creating sand pits and the construction and planting of vegetable beds. The volunteers are being led and organised by Scottish Business in the Community (SBC), who have extensive experience in bringing corporate volunteers and community projects together. James Tindell, Employee Volunteer Manager at SBC said: “Businesses which take part in employee volunteering know the impact that even a few hours of team volunteering can have on local organisations, whilst giving employees the opportunity to interact, feel good and help change lives for the better. SBC organises a range of volunteer programmes from pupil mentoring to team challenges aimed at increasing business engagement within the local community. It is great to see the results today and to be involved with Black Horse’s continued commitment to community renewal." Leading the project for Black Horse is Senior Marketing Manager Chris Rowley, who said: “It’s wholly rewarding to take a day away from the day job and get hands on, to help a local community project. Craigmillar is a really worthwhile and impressive venture, and it clearly makes a difference to the lives of many local families. They value any help external sources can provide and we selected them as the winner of the Black Horse Venture Award because we felt they could benefit most from the efforts of our staff. “The centre wasn’t the only beneficiary today, as I think the whole team which took part got a great deal out of it.” Craigmillar’s Depute Manager, Margaret Haddow, commented: “Our staff team work hard to provide excellent support to families and we’re delighted to have won this award; it’s made more special because we were nominated by service user Michelle Summerhill.” Michelle said: “I nominated Craigmillar Child and Family Centre because if it wasn't for them having my daughter twice a week, we don't know how we would have coped. We were going through a difficult time and the staff were very supportive. It will be nice to see them get something back for all they do for others.” Margaret added: “The Black Horse team which came along today worked really hard and we’re really looking forward to them engaging with us further this year and helping us on more projects.” |
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 Name: Paul WedgwoodOrganisation: Carbon Trust Scotland Position: Manager What is your role on the 2020 Group? I’ve just recently joined the main group. I joined the Business Engagement sub-group at the end of last summer, soon after I took on my role heading up the Carbon Trust Scotland team. What is the most interesting aspect of your role within the 2020 Group? The Business Engagement Sub-group brings together a real diversity of business interests and representative groups, covering all sizes of business. This gives the opportunity to understand and engage with different perspectives on the challenges which businesses face in responding to the need to significantly reduce carbon emissions. Carbon Trust Scotland is currently developing a broader range of services to help SMEs take a more strategic approach to energy and carbon management and to make the business case for tackling their carbon emissions, so understanding the different perspectives is very important. What do you believe to be the key challenge Scotland faces in achieving the 42% reduction in carbon emission by 2020? Achieving the 2020 target needs involvement and action from all sections of society and all sectors of the economy. Understandably, there are many other priorities and challenges which can get in the way of businesses, public bodies and individuals taking the actions to enable them to deliver their contribution. The issues can be complex, so organisations like our own are important to deliver independent expert advice and support. Part of that is helping organisations to see the opportunities – which typically mean financial savings in their energy and other costs, which certainly helps make the case for change. What opportunities do you think the move to a low carbon economy can bring to Scotland? There are many opportunities, on a number of levels. Most businesses and public bodies can make significant savings in their energy costs by embracing no-cost and low-cost measures, or by taking a more strategic ‘invest to save’ approach for opportunities which need more substantial changes. This will help Scottish organisations to become more efficient and competitive. Then there are all the many opportunities associated with the development of low carbon energy generation – the renewable energy industry with the growth of wind and hydro power and, through innovation and investment, the future industries in offshore wind, wave and tidal stream power and carbon capture and storage, in which Scotland has the opportunity to lead the world, exporting clean green energy, technology and expertise. What would be your `top tip’ for a business looking to engage in environmental sustainability? Don’t delay, do it now – the sooner you engage, the sooner you can make savings, find advantages and make a difference. If you aren’t sure where to start there are experts out there who can advise, with information and support available from organisations like the Carbon Trust, Zero Waste Scotland, Scottish Business in the Community and others. How has your organisation incorporated environmental sustainability? We obviously have to practice what we preach. We operate to an ISO 14001 environmental management system, which includes measuring our daily energy use and keeping track and reducing our carbon emissions from travel. We use telephone and video-conferencing for meetings where appropriate and use public transport to get to business appointments wherever practicable. It’s also about the simple behavioural stuff - when the weather warms up we don’t use air conditioning, we open the windows! What direct business benefits have you had from implementing environmental measures within the business? We save on travel costs by using telephone and video-conferencing rather than travelling. When travelling by train or bus our employees can be safe and productive, using mobile phones and laptops to keep working, which isn’t possible if travelling by car. Our simple office routines for switching off equipment when not in use and managing the use of heating and air conditioning helps us to save electricity and keep the bills down. What personally motivated your journey to tackle climate change? On a personal level, I’ve always tried to be aware of environmental issues and I feel strongly that we should all have respect for the planet which we share, globally. We have a duty to do what we can to pass things on to the next generation so that they can enjoy the natural world and a clean and safe global environment in which to live and grow. I’m also a pragmatist – I’ve always been aware that organisations need to see the practical business sense in things. The business case for saving energy, avoiding waste and operating efficiently by design is so compelling, regardless of where you stand with the threat of climate change. |
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 The Business Secretary Vince Cable announced on 8 March that the first ever UK Green Investment Bank (GIB) will be based in Edinburgh and London.The headquarters of the GIB will be located in Edinburgh, with the GIB’s main transaction team based in London. This arrangement will enable a greater commercial reach nationally than could be achieved from one location. Siting the bank across these two locations will enable the GIB to become a world leader, playing to the strengths of Edinburgh and London. Business Secretary Vince Cable said: “Harnessing the strengths of Edinburgh and London will support the Green Investment Bank’s ambition to become a world leader. Edinburgh has a thriving green sector and respected expertise in areas such as asset management. London, as the world’s leading financial centre, will ensure that the GIB’s transaction team can hit the ground running. “This decision will allow the GIB to operate effectively and achieve its mission of mobilising the additional investment needed to accelerate the UK’s transition to a green economy.” Scottish Secretary Michael Moore welcomed the news, commenting “I am delighted that the Green Investment Bank will be headquartered in Edinburgh. Scotland has enormous green energy potential and its capital is the UK’s second biggest financial centre. “The size and scale of the UK’s single energy market ensures the level of investment that will unlock Scotland’s renewables future, providing sustainable and affordable green energy across the UK. It makes perfect sense to have a GIB presence there. “By basing the GIB’s corporate HQ, asset management and administrative functions in Edinburgh and its transaction team in London, we can harness expertise across the country to deliver a strong and successful GIB for the United Kingdom.” The next step for the GIB is the recruitment of the Chair and Senior Independent Director so that it will be in a position to be fully operational this Autumn, subject to state aid approval for the GIB. The GIB is expected to employ 50-70 full time equivalent staff across the two sites. |
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£50,000 PRIZE FOR APP TO HELP BUSINESSES GO GREEN A PRIZE of £50,000 is on offer to software developers who can produce the best App to help businesses in Scotland reduce their carbon emissions. The SME EnviroApp contest was launched on the first day of Climate Week 2012 by Environment Minister Stewart Stevenson at a meeting of Scotland’s 2020 Climate Group, a coalition established to help meet the ambitious target of a 42 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020. The App, which will be free to download, aims to assist owners of SMEs in Scotland to measure, manage and reduce carbon emissions – and play a part in achieving the 2020 targets. This Scottish competition challenges participants to create an innovative App related to climate change, carbon management and energy efficiency that raises awareness across the dynamic SME community. Competition entries may be any kind of software application - for the web, a personal computer, a mobile handheld device, or any software platform widely available to the public – first round entries need to be inby June 10 and finalists will be invited to make full presentations in July or August There will be a microsite dedicated to the EnviroApp competition as well as an official Facebook profile and Twitter feed, to raise awareness and encourage as many high-quality entries as possible. Details of the competition will go live by midnight tonight and can be found here: http://www.smeenviroapp.com Ian Marchant, Chief Executive of SSE and convener of Scotland's 2020 Climate Group, said: “It can be extremely difficult for small businesses to devote time to the low carbon agenda. The idea of the app is to offer them a straightforward way to measure, manage and reduce their environmental impact. “We hope the cream of Scotland's software developers will step up to the mark and come up with something truly innovative. The aim is simple - to develop an exciting and effective app that Scottish businesses will find easy to use and which will have a positive impact on their business. If we can achieve that, this app can make a real difference to the business world and the effect it has on meeting Scotland's challenging 2020 targets.” For more information on the competition and how to apply please visit www.smeenviroapp.com |
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Stay ahead of changing legislation, regulation and see the most up to date environmental publications here.
Visit our Publications Page for all of the latest Environmental publications from Scottish Government, Zero Waste Scotland, the Energy saving Trust and the Carbon Trust |
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| Working with our partners we are able to provide comprehensive events calendar helping our members achieve savings in areas such as waste, transport and energy. This month's highlights are:
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