Green seminar series will help businesses

THE next series of presentations for Peterborough EnviroCluster members has been announced.

The EnviroCluster is a networking community for all businesses and organisations involved in the environmental sector across Peterborough. The presentations will take place at the city’s Eco Innovation Centre and details of the series is as follows:

Friday May 1st 2009

Seminar: Environment Skills in Peterborough
Presenters: Sarah Hooper, Student Force, and Phil Newby, Greenventures
Time: 08:00 – 10:00am
Synopsis: Peterborough Environmental Graduate Scheme (PEGS) is being introduced to encourage a sustainable workforce in the city. PEGS will work to assist all businesses in Peterborough to work towards the city’s achievement as the UK’s Environment Capital. This presentation by Sarah Hooper, Sustainability Projects Coordinator at StudentForce, will introduce the scheme and open up discussion to all businesses on their needs and wants for the city’s workforce. The Edge Project is evaluating the fit between current environmental training and skills and the needs of the environmental sector both now and into the future. Edge has a particular interest in promoting more practical and vocational training for students.

Friday May 8th 2009

Seminar: Grants for Research & Development and Tax
Presenter: Sam Stephens, BA Team
Time: 12:30 – 02:30pm
Synopsis: This seminar will explore what grants and support is available to environmental businesses looking to conduct research and development activities. The seminar will also focus on issues around tax and what support is available to businesses who have tax issues.

Friday May 15th 2009

Seminar: Green Public Procurement
Presenters: Olivia Quaid and Valentina Keys, CMS Cameron McKenna
Time: 12:30 – 02:30pm
Synopsis: “What is Green Public Procurement (“GPP”)? What are its benefits? These key issues will be addressed. The general principle of GPP is that a publicly procured product or service should cause as little impact on the environment as possible is easily grasped. However, at present, a major deterrent to the more effective development of GPP is the placing of theory into practice. Clear environment criteria and a single legally accepted definition of GPP are now firmly on the European Commission “to do” list. In its bid to resolve the difficulty in how the general principle should apply to any given sector, the European Commission plans to establish a procedure for setting common GPP criteria for the costing of products and services over their life-cycle. Criteria will be initially developed in ten priority sectors. GPP’s importance in accelerating the transition to a low-carbon economy cannot be underestimated.”

Friday May 22nd 2009

Seminar: How to create a successful website
Presenter: Tony Stringer, PDS
Time: 08:00 – 10:00am
Synopsis: Sharing successful practice from the real world. No theory just practical, commonsense and easy to apply strategies, tactics and methods. Low or no cost strategies to attract, win and keep clients. Information on Search Engine Optimisation, Adword strategies (Pay Per Click) and a selection of free traffic generating processes that can be employed to attract interested parties to websites, minisites, blogs and social networking sites.

Friday May 29th 2009

Seminar: Carbon Reduction Commitment
Presenter: Mark Miller, Future Perfect
Time: 08:00 – 10:00am
Synopsis: Climate change affects all parts of the economy. With movement towards a carbon-constrained world, the UK government has committed to driving energy efficiency and carbon reduction across the UK economy. This is intended to help both increase energy security and decouple the economy from carbon. The latest initiative to emerge from this policy is the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) which focuses on the 5000 high energy using companies that fall below the threshold for the European Emissions Trading Scheme, and aims to encourage them to achieve energy efficiency for their operations.

To reserve a place at any, or all of the meetings, please email Gareth Jones on g.jones@ukceed.org or call 01733 311644.

These seminars are sponsored by Business Link.