Welcome to the EnviroCluster newsletter. In this edition please find details of seven upcoming events at the Eco Innovation Centre, including the 'new and improved' seminar series. We are also pleased to announce two business support clinics being run by enviroassist and UDL. This month also marked the first anniversary of the Eco Innovation Centre which I am pleased to report is doing very well, and is filling up fast.

Gareth Jones
EnviroCluster Manager

Please forward this email on to anyone who you think would be interested in receiving it.
To ensure this email does not get blocked, add g.jones@ukceed.org to your safe senders list.

I am pleased to announce the following series of seminars at the Eco Innovation Centre which I hope will be of interest. Following user feedback from the last series of seminars, we have chosen a variety of topics which EnviroCluster members would like to hear more on. We are also improving our breakfast and lunch offering with hot sweet and savoury snacks. These events are sponsored by Business Link and so we can continue to provide them free of charge.

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.

April 26, 2009 is the ninth World Intellectual Property Day, an annual international event to increase public awareness of intellectual property (IP). This year, World IP Day promotes Green Innovation as the key to a secure future. With the current emphasis on environmental issues, businesses based on sustainable technologies are eligible for increased investment from government and other sources. To maximise these opportunities, green businesses must protect and manage the IP they create, but most are unaware of the steps which need to be taken to do this.

To mark World IP Day and their recent sponsorship of the Eco Innovation Centre, Peterborough-based IP specialists UDL, are offering a free consultation to local EnviroCluster members and Eco Innovation Centre tenants on Tuesday 28 April at the Eco Innovation Centre. UDL advise local businesses on all aspects of IP, including patents, copyright and brand protection. At the consultation, UDL's attorneys will help to identify the IP your business has created, the ways it can be protected, and steps you can take to avoid infringing the rights of others. 

Please contact John Pickstone on j.pickstone@ukceed.org or by phone on 01733 311644 to book a free 30 minute session. Sessions are available between 10:00am and 12:00pm.

Please register for free at www.envirocluster.net

If you work for an environmental company or organisation in the Greater Peterborough area (see map) then get involved with EnviroCluster and register with the site for free. This will give you access to the entire site where you can find information on business opportunities, business and social networking events, access to your own control panel where you can submit your own news and events to the site, registration for frequent EnviroCluster email bulletins, and a listing in the members directory. If your organisation is already in the directory, then sign-up to edit your listing. Please encourage all of your colleagues to register with EnviroCluster to make us an even stronger EGS community in Peterborough.

EnviroCluster seeks to support and develop Greater Peterborough's environmental goods and services sector by identifying and exploiting business opportunities and by encouraging start-ups. EnviroCluster also attracts inward investment through networking activities and demonstration projects. EnviroCluster is privately-funded and is led by UK CEED. The initiative is also helping Peterborough to become the UK's Environment Capital.