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Green Business Network

News

For other updated news and information visit the Bedfordshire & Luton Sustainable Business Partnership.


Does your business need fresh ideas?

Why not employ an undergraduate during summer?

Release date: 17/04/2008

Perhaps your business is looking for:

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Eco-Trash offers can and foil recycling collection service

Release date: 04/12/2007

EcoTrash is a newly formed project, where people with disabilities collect cans and foil for recycling from organisations in Bedfordshire and Luton.

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Environment Agency and WRAP - working to make it easier to use waste vegetable oil for biodiesel

Release date: 03/12/2007

With almost 75,000 tonnes of waste vegetable oil being transformed into biodiesel each year, a Quality Protocol consultation launched by the Environment Agency and WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) aims to cut regulatory red-tape so that waste vegetable oil from places such as chip shops can be processed and used in engines more easily.

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GBN company wins CIWM national award for recycling

Release date: 03/12/2007

Hain Celestial Group was recently announced the winner of the Recycling Performance of the Year Award at the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management (CIWM) Awards for Environmental Excellence. The award is designed to recognise excellent performance in recycling across all industries, which can be demonstrated in a number of ways, such as recycling of a new material, finding a market for a waste material, or improving the sustainability of the product or process.

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Firbank Chiltern achieves ISO 14001 Certification

Release date: 03/12/2007

Congratulations go to long-standing GBN members and waste contractors Firbank Chiltern who have recently achieved registration to ISO 14001 – the internationally recognised environmental management systems standard.

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New Environment Agency Guidance aims to increase wood recycling

Release date: 03/12/2007

The Environment Agency has announced new guidance for the timber industry, which effectively removes existing controls on the recovery of virgin timber.

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Small construction firms’ lack of awareness of legislation is cause for concern says Survey

According to a recent NetRegs survey, levels of environmental awareness in smaller construction comp

Release date: 03/12/2007

When surveyed, 85% of UK construction businesses did not think that they undertook activities that could cause harm to the environment. However, when prompted with a list of activities that are potentially harmful to the environment, 39% stated they undertook at least one of them. The most common were producing or importing packaging (41%) and storing waste (33%).

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SDC Construction wins Eastex Waste Award

Release date: 03/12/2007

Bedford based SDC Construction scooped the award for Most Tonnes Exchanged 2007 at the first Eastex Annual Conference, which took place in October. Eastex is the unique free materials exchange scheme for the East of England, which aims to reduce the amount of business waste sent to landfill by allowing the waste materials of one business to be exchanged and reused by another business.

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Green Buying Website to go live in December

Release date: 03/12/2007

A website dealing with issues relating to sustainable purchasing is to go live in December. The site is the initiative of Matthew Roper of Green Buying Ltd, who delivered the GBN seminar on greening the supply chain in November.

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Terrapin Wins Green Award

Release date: 03/12/2007

Terrapin’s impressive environmental record has won the offsite construction company a Business Excellence Award from the Milton Keynes and North Bucks Chamber of Commerce. The Environment Award recognises achievements in recycling, waste reduction and green initiatives.

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Ethical Food Company supports Willen Hospice

Release date: 03/12/2007

GBN member The Ethical Food Company is supporting local charity Willen Hospice by offering special “Willen” Christmas hampers.

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Local food supplier fights back with Wine Offer

Release date: 03/12/2007

Bedford based buy-local.net is now offering consumers and businesses an alternative to the major supermarket chains, together with the chance to have locally or ethically produced groceries delivered to their doorsteps, and is tempting customers with a free bottle of locally produced wine with every order.

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New Construction Waste Laws soon to come into operation

Are you aware of the new site waste management plan legislation?

Release date: 03/12/2007

If you work in the construction industry in England, it is likely that you will need to produce a site waste management plan (SWMP) by April 2008.

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Free recycling opportunity for MK SMEs

Milton Keynes SMEs can now recycle paper, card, cans and plastic bottles free of charge

Release date: 10/09/2007

Recognising that smaller businesses don’t always have the space to store the quantities of recycled materials necessary for collection by waste contractors or recycling schemes, Milton Keynes Council has agreed that they can now deliver this to its Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Wolverton.

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Interfoam thanks GBN for help in achieving environmental recognition

Release date: 10/09/2007

Kempston based Interfoam paid tribute to help from GBN at a ceremony to celebrate the company achieving registration to the internationally recognised environmental management standard ISO 14001.

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Resource Efficiency Action Programme helps businesses save £500,000

Release date: 10/09/2007

Preliminary results from the second year of GBN’s Resource Efficiency programme, which helps businesses to save money by eliminating waste and reducing gas, water and electricity use, are once again exceptional. Businesses in Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes have made savings of more than £200,000, with more than £300,000 savings predicted for next year.

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New environmental support programmes announced

GBN works with Beds and MK local authorities

Release date: 16/05/2007

GBN has just had two separate sets of funding confirmed that will enable it to work with businesses in Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes to improve environmental performance whilst saving money.

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CIWM Waste Awareness Certificate Courses offered free of charge

Limited spaces - book now

Release date: 24/01/2007

Under the EEDA and ESF funded BETI+ project, we are now able to offer a limited number of free places on the CIWM Waste Awareness Certificate course.

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GBN is winner at Business Excellence Awards

Release date: 07/11/2006

GBN and Bedfordia Bio Energy shared top honours at the Bedfordshire and Luton Business Excellence Awards 2006, as they were named joint winners of the Environmental Business Award.

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Bedfordshire businesses can now access fully subsidised training and on-site support worth £4,500

Release date: 06/11/2006

Thanks to financial backing from the East of England Development Agency (EEDA) and the European Social Fund (ESF) GBN is now able to offer Bedfordshire businesses the chance to take advantage of a fully subsidised extensive business environmental training and on-site support initiative worth more than £4,500.

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GBN appoints new executive officer

Release date: 12/09/2006

GBN is delighted to announce that Claire Atkins has been appointed executive officer.

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Companies almost double target resource efficiency savings

Release date: 05/09/2006

Eleven companies spanning Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes have made savings totalling £465,776 by participating in the Green Business Network’s (GBN) Resource Efficiency Action Programme (REAP).This is almost double the Network’s original declared target of £250,000.

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Carbon Trust Energy Management Workshop

Free Training course in Bedford

Release date: 05/09/2006

The Carbon Trust is to run two free half-day sessions on 24 October 2006 at Bedford. These will offer practical advice on how your organisation can become more energy efficient and reduce carbon emissions.

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Local Companies Heed the Call to Reduce Environmental Impacts on World Environment Day

Release date: 14/06/2006

Members of the local Green Business Network (GBN) have been pledging to reduce their environmental impacts following the UK initiative led by the Environment Agency call for them to "Promise the Earth for World Environment Day". The Day, officially held on 5 June, has come and gone, but its legacies will last for years to come.

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GBN accredited by CIWM for waste management courses

Release date: 21/05/2006

GBN has now received full accreditation from the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management to run its Waste Management Foundation Level Courses. Whilst these will predominantly be run to support companies taking part in the Resource Efficiency Action Programme (REAP), GBN is now able to offer them to businesses in general.

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