Tomorrow The Big Eco Show opens its doors…

The Big Eco Show – the only large-scale event dedicated to helping businesses in North East England discover what the emerging green economy can do for them.

It will take place this Thursday, 18 April and please note that doors open at 9am and the first speaker will be on at 9.30am.

Please arrive at the café entrance at the Centre for Life – the event takes place on the Mezzanine level.

The day features three inspirational speakers; afternoon workshops; a lunchtime networking session; a wide range of exhibitors, demonstrating the growing number of green businesses in North East England; and a range of electric and low-emission vehicles to test-drive.

Keep up to date and join the chat on Twitter at @bigecoshow and use the hashtag #bigecoshow

The schedule:
9am: Doors and exhibition open
9.30am: Open and welcome with Ted Salmon, FSB North East Chair

9.35am:
Tim Cantle-Jones of Green Deal Products
Tim, who has worked in the low carbon sector for the past five years, will address delegates on the importance of the green economy and put the spotlight on how they can grow, thrive and build their resilience in this sector.

10.30am: Tony Mullarkey of Potts Print (UK)
Tony will give insights on how running a green business can bring commercial rewards.

11.30am: Lisa French
Lisa will talk about the importance of personal resilience drawing on her experience of being injured in the terrorist bombings in London on 7 July 2005, and how the lessons she has learned can be used to develop a resilient mindset and resilient business.

12pm: Networking at lunchtime
This lunch-time networking session will be kicked off with Nicola Jayne Little, Daisy Green, who will introduce #ConnectFriday, the award-nominated Twitter networking hour aimed specifically at bringing like-minded businesses operating in the climate-resilient and low-carbon economy. Don’t forget your sandwiches!

Afternoon workshops 1pm-1.30pm:
Workshop 1 – the importance of personal resilience
Personal resilience is an important factor when running, and growing, a business. By developing strong personal resilience skills you can and equip yourself with the right skills to respond to the pressures you may face, something that is increasingly important in today’s constantly changing business environment.
Join Lisa French who will share first-hand and practical examples on becoming personally resilient drawing on her experience of being injured in the terrorist bombings in London on 7 July 2005. She will explain how the lessons she has learned can be used to develop a resilient mind-set and resilient business.

1.45pm-2.15pm: workshop 2 – get resilient

Today’s business environment is characterised by rapid, unpredictable change. But no matter what, you must be responsive and resilient in order to secure long-term survival, profitability and growth. This workshop will provide an insight into new training, which upon successful competition leads to a nationally accredited qualification, recently launched by ClimateNE and partners. Amanda Dudman from the Small Firms Enterprise Development Initiative (SFEDI) will explain how the training can help you to identify risks, such as market forces, theft, skills shortage and severe weather events specifically relevant to your business, and begin developing a practical business resilience plan.

2.30pm-3.30pm: workshop 3 – introducing the North East Green Deal installer network Colin Robinson from Energy Friend will introduce the North East network of Green Deal Installers. Working together, this network will have enough resource between them to compete against large national organisations, thus customers have a trusted, local resource to go to, to get their green deal advice reports installed and delivering more work for North East SMEs, and lower bills for North East homes. The workshop will consist of a 30 minute presentation on the benefits of the network and 30 minutes questions and answers.

ALL DAY Cars to test drive
Choose from four cars to test drive during the course of the day – the BMW 3 Series 320d Efficient Dynamics Touring Automatic; the Nissan Leaf; the Renault Twizy; and the Kangoo Fluencehas.

The North East’s green businesses exhibiting at the show The Big Eco Show is a fantastic way to showcase the rapidly growing number of green businesses here in North East England while providing advice, information and inspiration for others.

4pm: Close
We look forward to seeing you there!

Spring has sprung and so has a new lease of life in the EEIF

Today marks an exciting new chapter and we feel the start of great things for the forum. After the sad exit of the former management company last year, our new privately owned fundraisers and management team are proud to say that we are back and here to stay!

 

We firstly want to invite all our current and former members back, our aim over the coming months in to breathe fresh life and an exciting calendar of events which will show just what is set to happen it the future. Our members are the corner stone of what makes the EEIF what it is, we hope you will all be as excited as we are with what is to come. With this in mind we are restructuring a lot of the membership, making it easier for businesses of all sizes to join and enjoy the benefits it brings.

 

If you are keen to learn more do, either drop us an email or fill in our membership application. We are also attending as many of the regions events as possible, so do come say hello.

 

We are proud of what has been achieved, and are confident that the EEIF will continue to fly the low-carbon flag here in the North East.

 

Thank you, The Team.

World’s Greenest Office Development Welcomes First Tenants

One of the world’s greenest office developments is open for business on South Tyneside and is welcoming its first tenants through the door.

Envirowatch Ltd and TacZee (a Nine Labs Investment) have moved into One Trinity Green that is built on part of the former Circatex site in South Shields. The £5.4m scheme has been developed by a partnership of South Tyneside Council and Groundwork South Tyneside & Newcastle.

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New Staff Join The North East Business and Innovation Centre

The North East Business and Innovation Centre (BIC), members of the EEIF, has appointed a new caretaker and gardener, Darren Proudfoot.  His main tasks will be to ensure that the exterior of the regional enterprise agency’s office is maintained.

Darren has always worked in the great outdoors beginning in construction and then moving to gardening. Darren said:

“The best thing about my job is being outside. I am definitely happiest in the open-air, when I am not at work I can be found coaching the Seaham Town FC under 15s or fishing.

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Environment Agency Gets Tough On Waste Crime

The Environment Agency has published its first Annual Waste Crime Report, which demonstrates good results for 2011. 

The number of people sent to prison for committing serious waste crime offences has almost trebled in the last three years and 335 individuals and companies were successfully prosecuted in 2011 for such offences.

There was also a rise in the number and size of fines allocated by the courts to waste criminals – it increased by £800,000 to £1.7million in 2011.

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Energy Improvements To Blyth Homes Has Positive Impact On Residents

Residents in Cowpen, Blyth, Northumberland have received energy efficiency improvements and renewable energy technologies to their refurbished homes as part of a collaborative £1.9m European Regional Development Funded (ERDF) Project.

A total of 53 Wimpey ‘no fines’- non-traditional construction – socially rented, post-war properties, managed by Homes for Northumberland are planned for improvements in Blyth. To date, 30 homes have been fitted with specialist insulated rendering systems to their external walls, voltage optimisers – ensuring that the voltage supplied to all the electrical appliances is optimised, gas saver units and low energy light bulbs as part of measures designed to help residents save money on their energy bills at a time of rising prices. A selection of the properties will also generate their own electricity using solar panels which will be fitted on the roofs.

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New Solar Firm Gives Control Back To Customers

A recently established solar energy company has been set up with the aim of protecting customers from future changes to feed in tariffs. 

Home Solar Saver Co was established by couple Ian and Lindsey Reed and helps domestic and commercial customers accurately calculate their energy usage after renewable energy technologies have been installed.

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Fund For Carbon-Cutting Ideas

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has launched a £16m low carbon initiative fund to encourage and support innovative energy saving ideas. 

The fund is targeted at SMEs, inventors and entrepreneurs who can all bid for a proportion of the money. The purpose behind it is to accelerate the commercialisation of low-carbon technology so that carbon emissions from UK businesses are reduced.

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New Biomass Partnership Set For Rapid Growth

A new biomass partnership is looking forward to a year of rapid growth following a well-attended open day at which visitors saw a working biomass system in action.

The new venture was formed earlier this year when low-carbon heating business Natural Warmth teamed up with the owner of Barningham Estate in Teesdale to create a new biomass business located on the estate.

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