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Welcome to our last newsletter of 2022!
This year has gone by so fast, but when we look back, we realise that our team has, once again, for the sixth year in a row, made a massive difference to the small and medium size businesses across Coventry and Warwickshire.
In this newsletter we will celebrate the successes and achievements of the Green Business Programme over the last 12 months. As we enter the final six months of European Regional Development Fund grant funding, we also urge any SMEs in Coventry and Warwickshire looking for support to get in touch with us now.
We would also like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families, a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!
Stay safe, stay green! 💚
Alex, Bernie, Clare, Jon, Maria, Matt and Sara.
This year we’ve helped over 63 businesses make changes to their premises, enabling them to get a step closer to Net Zero and save thousands of pounds on energy bills. Due to the current energy price crisis, our support has been fully embraced by savvy business managers who understand that reducing their carbon footprint has now got a huge financial incentive.
In the last 12 months, our team have contributed to 72 green projects by offering businesses free energy and resource efficiency audits and an astonishing grant amount of £847,576.46, of which £538,691.85 has already been claimed.
If you are part of an SME based in Coventry and Warwickshire that is interested in saving money on energy, waste and water bills and maximise low carbon opportunities, please get in touch NOW.
Our funding will run out in June 2023 and currently we are processing the last applications for the grant support offered by the Green Business Programme. We will offer grants to businesses that can commit to completing their projects by March 2023.
Cllr Jim O’Boyle Cabinet Member for Jobs, Regeneration and Climate Change said, “I would urge any local business with a plan good to go to get in touch to see if our team can help with advice and grant support. We want to put every last penny of our European funding to good use and your business could save cash and carbon – a win, win.”
To start the application process, please complete the registration form and then send it back to greenbusiness@coventry.gov.uk
Picture: Cllr Jim O’Boyle and Graham Harris, Business Manager at Harris RCS, a company which was offered a grant of £8,500 in 2019.
This year, our LinkedIn followership has gone up by sixty per cent , while our network membership has gone up by 30%*.
Followers on LinkedIn are the first ones to find out the latest news about our programme and they also have the opportunity to engage with us, and other followers, in real time by commenting on our posts.
Please follow our page to engage with us and other members of the Green Business Network.
*Compared with stats from Dec 2021
This year we launched the Green Business Podcast and together with our guest speakers we have been discussing interesting topics related to climate change and sustainability such as renewable energy, zero carbon air port or Coventry’s Climate Change Board.
Thank you all for listening to our podcast, please remember you can support this channel by sharing your favourite episodes with your network.
Here is a list of this year’s episodes:
- Learn how to protect Coventry & Warwickshire’s biodiversity 10 Nov 2022
- Coventry's Climate Change Board 06 Oct 2022
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This podcast could help you reduce your energy bills by 85% 31 Aug 2022
- Coventry's transport journey from the Motor City to the Greenest City 14 Jul 2022
- Heat pumps: powering up the decarbonisation 26 May 2022
- Coventry's Urban Air Port: A zero carbon airport for drones and flying taxis 26 Apr 2022
- Energy rising prices – can solar panels be a solution in Coventry and Warwickshire? 28 Mar 2022
- Can the Green Business Programme really lower the cost of energy bills for SMEs? 22 Feb 2022
On 7 December we had the pleasure to meet again with our Green Business network members, face to face, and talk about how we can navigate our journey towards Net Zero.
This event was fully booked with 75 people registered to attend. We had a variety of speakers from organisation across our region, including Severn Trent and Sustainability West Midlands, who discussed topics such as net zero for businesses, sustainability, energy efficiency and net zero heating.
“I thought it was the best GBN meeting since the launch back in 2016.The content was very useful The speakers were very good venue was excellent,” said one of the attendees.
In 2022 we organised five webinars and three face-to-face events, for which 649 people had registered to attend. You can access the presentations and webinar recordings from past events on our website.
We are currently planning our events programme for 2023 and we'd love to hear what you are interested in and what are the topics you'd like to hear more about. Please complete the survey to let us know.
 Mark Dufty, Managing Director of Goodflex Rubber, presenting his case study at the Green Business Winter Event
We are excited to announce the details of our next online event. On 15 February we will discuss how you can achieve a “Net Zero Office”. We will be looking at topics such as light and heating efficiency, renewable energy, end of life equipment and waste management, green transport and staff engagement.
More details will be announced in the New Year, sign-up now to secure your place!
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Venturefest is a free event which will take place on Wednesday 1 March 2023 at the Eastside Rooms in Birmingham.
Being supported locally by businesses, universities, science parks and business support organisations Venturefest provides entrepreneurs, investors and innovators the chance to meet, engage and exchange ideas for co-operation and collaboration, particularly in the fields of science and emerging technologies.
Delegates will have the opportunity to join panel discussions, workshops and network in the exhibition area.
Key themes this year include:
- How to navigate the business support system
- Diversity in innovation and enterprise
- Getting Investor Ready
- Health tech
- Clean tech
Green Advantage is a new free-of-charge* short course from Aston University. It is designed for business leaders, managers and professionals who want to consider the implications of climate and environmental challenges for their business or workplace alongside maintaining business performance and profitability.
Supported by interactive workshops, like-minded peers and a one-to-one business coach, you will:
- Learn about environmental sustainability from leading Aston academics and industry experts
- Hear examples of sustainability strategies being used by businesses today
- Build a bespoke Sustainability Roadmap for your business or business area
The programme lasts approximately 12 weeks and is designed to fit around a full-time role, comprising of five workshops and five hours of one-to-one business coaching.
To participate in the Green Advantage Programme, you must be:
- Aged 19+ and living and/or working in one of the 3 LEP areas of Greater Birmingham and Solihull, Coventry or The Black Country
- A small business leader, or employed in a professional HR, financial or procurement role (or equivalent) in any sector of business
- A decision-maker who has some responsibility linked to the sustainability agenda in your role
Apply now for a January 2023 start
*Green Advantage is free of charge to participants and is delivered by Aston Centre for Growth in partnership with The Energy & Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI), the Centre for Circular Economy and Advanced Sustainability, and the Low Carbon SMEs Project at Aston University. The programme is part of the Government’s Skills Bootcamps. Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills and elevate their career progression
Sustainability West Midlands has released a new guide for small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) in the West Midlands. This guide will help you understand how you could be affected by weather, including extreme events, and how you can improve your chances of a quick recovery.
The guide also sets out business opportunities from responding to a changing climate and provides useful tools and contact information to help you become more resilient.
Warwickshire County Council has set up a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) for the provision of Business Support Services.
Organisations and individuals accepted onto the DPS for Business Support Services, will be advised of the opportunities available in the relevant Lot as and when they arise – successful applicants can then choose whether they want to bid for the requirement or not. (It is not compulsory to bid for every opportunity offered).
Further details regarding the DPS and how to apply are available via the Council’s e-procurement portal.
For any general queries on the Finance Lot, refer to Jon Stead: jonstead@warwickshire.gov.uk
Technical questions regarding the portal, refer to: procurement@warwickshire.gov.uk
 Register your business with Go CV app and website today to get more local customers, more footfall and more sales. Free. Learn more about Go CV app.
Why not share this newsletter with your colleagues and ask them to join the Green Business Programme Network to be the first to hear about our upcoming events, latest initiatives and case studies from local businesses who have benefited from grants and support as part of the Green Business Programme.
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Our Economic Development Service also produce a monthly business newsletter, please subscribe if you wish to receive the latest news.
To help make your business more energy and resource efficient and make the most of low carbon opportunities please contact us:
Follow us @cwgreenbusiness or join our LinkedIn group to share discussions and case studies.
🎧 Don't forget to subscribe to our podcast channel.
If you have any comments or feedback regarding this newsletter please contact our Marketing Co-ordinator on maria.covlea@coventry.gov.uk or 024 7697 8358.
The Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund and is delivered by Coventry City Council, Coventry University and Coventry University Enterprises Ltd.
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