The UK is on the brink of a recession but there are still opportunities for the Environmental Goods and Services sector as evidenced by new sources of funding outlined in this bulletin. The sector is actually fairing better than others at the moment due to stringent government targets on reducing carbon emissions and targets limiting the amount of waste being sent to landfill, thus creating a strong need for environmental solutions.

If you are feeling the pinch, why not join us for one of our successful Eco Innovation breakfast seminars where you can grab a free coffee and pastry whilst learning about a range of various projects or topics which could help your organisation! If you are looking to save money, you may want to consider your business taking residency in the Eco Innovation Centre, which offers modern office space and business support at a very low cost. Full details on our facilities and rates can be found in this bulletin.

Kind regards,

Gareth Jones
EnviroCluster Manager

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Click here to view the EnviroCluster events calendar.

Over the last couple of weeks there have been a couple of large news stories about Peterborough's waste industry.

Firstly, Peterborough was named one of six 'zero waste places' by Environment Minister Jane Kennedy in an announcement as part of the governments' Waste Strategy. The Zero Waste Places will aim to go as far as possible in reducing the environmental impact of waste, whether it be at home, in the workplace or in the community.

This news comes as the city is on the cusp of formally launching its ambition to create the UK's Environment Capital in November.

The project will focus on Cathedral Square and the three streets leading from it (Bridge Street, Cowgate and Long Causeway), including the Queensgate Shopping Centre, encompassing more than 200 retailers and offices, including the Town Hall and council offices.

For the full story click here.

Secondly, Peterborough-based WEEE recycling firm environCom has announced that it has signed a five-year rolling contract with DSG International, the owner of 650 Currys and PC World stores in the UK, to carry out all of its electronics and electrical equipment recycling and reuse needs.

DSG has secured the service in a direct form because unlike most other retailers it has decided to provide its own take-back service rather than signing up to the national retailer scheme which sees arrangements made to collect WEEE - waste electrical and electronic equipment - from civic amenity sites. DSG collects goods, such as washing machines, when it delivers new ones and consumers can also take WEEE back to their stores.

For the full story click here.

The Eco Innovation Centre Peterborough is now half full and is offering a range of free seminars and business support workshops to help environmental organisations in the Peterborough area.

The Eco Innovation Centre has already run two very successful breakfast seminars on the topics of Peterborough Energy Park and on Press Release writing. Contact us to book your free place on one of the future seminar meetings.

October 30th - How to write an Environmental Policy - 08:30 - 11:30

Claire Watters will be delivering a seminar on how to write a succinct and appropriate environmental policy. Environmental policies are a good way of showing that your business or organisation is aiming to operate in a more sustainable way and is a good first step on the way to getting an established environmental management system.

November 6th - Peterborough's 65% Plus Recycling Initiative - 07:45 - 09:00

Mike Lennox, Peterborough City Council, will be delivering a presentation on the Peterborough City Council plan in submitting planning applications for new materials recycling and energy from waste facilities to be built in the Fengate area. The new facilities will help meet stringent European Union landfill reduction targets and offer sustainable municipal waste treatment options before the closure in December 2013 of the Dogsthorpe landfill site. This presentation will describe why the measures are needed; how they will achieve the city council’s target to recycle and compost over 65 per cent of discarded household and garden materials by 2020; and how they support the city’s Environment Capital aspirations.

November 13th - Algae: the next generation feedstock for biofuels? - 07:45 - 09:00

Bianca Forte, the Bioscientist of the Centre for Sustainable Engineering, will be exploring the emerging industry around algae as a feedstock for biofuels and other sustainable commodities. Touching on other issues of critical importance to this emerging industry including the commercial viability of algae production, current government and private initiatives, evolving technologies and processing concepts.

November 20th - Guidance on setting up IP - 07:45 - 09:00

Drew Lamb, Urquhart Dykes & Lord LLP, will be delivering a short seminar giving an introduction to Intellectual Property Rights, guidance to help you decide whether or not applying for a patent, registering a design or trademark is the correct route to take. He will also be outlining the procedure for obtaining protection for your Intellectual Property and advice on how Intellectual Property Rights can be enforced.

To book your place, call Gareth Jones on 01733 311644 or by email.

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.