Greening Businesses Scheme
Funded by Westmorland & Furness Council and delivered by the CBEN Partnership, the Greening Business Scheme is now open to applications. Businesses have until 29th November to apply, and must be an SME, located within the W&F area and looking for ways to make their business more environmentally friendly. Successful applicants will receive a free energy audit and carbon footprint report which can be used to implement energy saving opportunities, cut costs and reduce the carbon footprint of the business.
Anyone interested in finding out more and applying need to click here
Begin your journey to reduce emissions with The SME Climate Hub
The SME Climate Hub is a non-profit global initiative that empowers small to medium sized companies to take climate action and build resilient businesses for the future.
Find out more here
Bringing down Carbon Emissions at Fell Brewery
A conversation with Tim Bloomer, co-founder of Fell Brewery, about the business’s project aimed at bringing down carbon emissions at their brewery in Flookburgh. We cover:
- How the business started from two friends brewing beer into a well-known brand with 40 employees
- Tim’s thoughts on carbon offsetting
- Carbon accounting – identifying which parts of the business produce the most carbon
- Steps to reduce emissions including solar PV
- Support from Cumbria Action for Sustainability’s Westmorland & Furness Green Enterprise Hub
- Electric vans
- Donating to South Cumbria Rivers Trust
- Tim’s advice to other small businesses looking to become more environmentally sustainable
Find out more about Fell Brewing here: https://fellbrewery.co.uk/about-2/
Discussing the benefits of going green with Kate Fraser of Hutton John Estate
Joe Sanders talks to Kate Fraser of Hutton John Estate on the Cumbria Chamber podcast. The family-owned estate is home to a range of luxury holiday lets which are busy throughout the year. The topic of conversation is on the business’s innovative approach to becoming more environmentally friendly. We also discuss the green business support Kate has received from the Westmorland & Furness Green Enterprise Hub. We discuss:
- The estate’s new environmentally friendly holiday cabins
- Balancing guest experience with conserving energy
- Using local suppliers
- Electric Vehicle consultancy support received through the WF Green Enterprise Hub
- Biomass heating
- Advice for businesses looking to become more sustainable
Show and tell with The Zero Carbon Cumbria
During this webinar, Zero Carbon Cumbria set out the aims, plans and actions arising from their work and how you can get involved and benefit from working with them and look at how best to work together as The Zero Carbon Partnership, Chamber and businesses to develop plans and catalyse further action to address the 750,000 tonnes of CO2e that is currently emitted from industrial and manufacturing processes in Cumbria.
Go Low Carbon webinars
We hosted a series of webinars with Go Low Carbon all of which are available to watch on our YouTube channel. The first covers: how energy prices affect your business and how best to act when faced with rising energy costs.
There are two more available covering:
- Carbon Emissions – Understanding your businesses carbon footprint to reduce overhead costs – Watch now
- Solar Panels – Generating your own green energy for your business – Watch now
Businesses Still Struggling to Understand Net Zero Target
The British Chambers of Commerce Insight’s Unit have published the results of a survey of 1,000 businesses – mostly SMEs – which shows that 40% of companies don’t know any details about the UK’s net zero target. Read the full story
Cumbria Action for Sustainability (CAfS)
CAfS are Cumbria’s climate change charity, here to help Cumbrians to reduce their carbon footprint and prevent climate change. Find out more
Electricity North West
Electricity North West is the power network operator for the North West of England. Find out more
Cumbria Local Enterprise Partnership’s (CLEP) 10 Point Plan for Business Decarbonisation
CLEP’s Business Decarbonisation 10 Point Plan was produced following engagement with business leaders and interaction with CLEP’s Business Hub. Find out more
Carbon Calculators
There are many free carbon footprint calculators that you might want to use. Several are listed on the UK Business Climate Hub. This one, Natwest Carbon Planner, provides both a calculator and an action planning tool.
The UK Business Climate Hub provides lots of other advice and resources about saving energy and carbon.
Building sustainable futures for UK businesses
Green Innovation Challenge Report
The UK has the potential to lead the world in green innovation. We have a strong economic base, and a legal and policy framework designed to ensure we reach net zero emissions by 2050. To reach those targets and address our shared environmental challenges, businesses must play a leadership role.
This report has drawn on expertise from businesses of all sizes and sectors, academia, and think tanks, to develop a series of ambitious and realistic proposals that, if adopted by policymakers, can form the blueprint for accelerating our net zero transition.
Food Waste in UK
Find out more from this study Food Waste in UK April 2024
The Low Carbon Food Programme
The aim of the Low Carbon Food Programme is to create a wider awareness of the carbon impact of producing and serving food, and to subsequently encourage people to create, source and enjoy more carbon friendly meals. Find out more
Net Zero Business Tracker
This powerful new tool is designed to support small and medium sized businesses understand where they are in their net zero journey and be intelligently signposted to relevant, high-quality resources that will help your business. Additionally, the tool offers the opportunity to benchmark your net zero performance and practices with other businesses, providing an objective assessment of how you stack up against your peers. Find out more