SYGBC's Podcast

Our October event was hosted by Veolia Environmental Services at the Energy Recovery Facility (ERF) in Sheffield. Director of Operations Nigel Garrod gave a presentation on the performance of the new facilities and demonstrated the impact of the district heating system for users in Sheffield. The environmental benefits of the energy recovery facilities and the implementation of district heating were also discussed with an opportunity for a questions and answer session.

The South Yorkshire Green Business Club podcast is recorded live during our monthly breakfast meetings. By working closely with the University of Sheffield we have managed to record all of this year presentations starting with Mike Smith's presentation entitled 'Yorkshire Leading The Way' in January 2006. I hope you find this service useful, interesting and entertaining and I shall look forward to recieving any comments that you may have.

Kind regards,

Matt Walker

Environmental Co-ordinator,
Sheffield Chamber of Commerce

This is an excellent opportunity to learn about, first hand, the key initiatives and programmes from the environmental regulators. Sheffield City Council's Ian Ashmore, Head of Environmental Regulation, will present on the Better Regulation initiative, the impact of freedom of information and environmental information act and the issues that they pose to businesses.

This years Legal Eagles presentation will be hosted by DLA at their new offices in St. Paul's Place where the following points will be discussed;

·        Producer Responsibility: Amendments to the regulations concerning responsibility for Packaging Waste and an update on the UK implementation of the Directives on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) and the Restriction on the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (RoHS).

·        Recent trends in penalties for Safety Health and Environmental offences and the work of the Better Regulation Executive.

·        Recent developments in Climate Change and Emissions Trading.

·        The financial provision for landfills.

·        Recent developments as regards the REACH (Registration, Evaluation and the Authorisation of Chemicals) Directive.

This is an excellent opportunity for businesses to network with legal experts and learn how some of the key environmental legislation will affect their businesses in person or the potential business opportunities they present.

Is it really possible to find policies that are good for business and the environment at the same time?  

The key has to be innovation and this is what the Danish Environmental Assessment Institute is exploring in its Green Roads to Growth Programme.  

• What part can Governments play in stimulating eco-innovation and environmental technology?
  
• How can businesses and the research community work together to find exciting new ways of, for example, generating energy?
  
• How can the circumstances be made attractive for investors?  

These are the kinds of issues that Peter Calow will cover at this meeting - reporting from high-level forums of experts and policy makers that were organised by his Institute.

In 2001 The Nordic Partnership, a multi-stakeholder platform comprising of businesses and NGOâ??s, undertook a project to develop a business model for sustainable development. The results of the project however showed that a one-size-fits-all model was counterproductive, hindering businesses striving for sustainable development. Instead, the outcome was valuable experience collected from the participating companies on what works and what does not.  

The construction sector has a dirty reputation. It creates a massive amount of waste and carbon emissions and as a result has very poor environmental credentials. However, the industry is turning a corner with new legislation, regulations and impetuous on improving their environmental performance. Speakers include Del Cross and Martin Mayfield of Ove Arup.

Bill Sneyd will outline the scientific evidence regarding climate change and introduce an overview of climate change legislation, including who is affected and implications going forward. The presentation will also cover the commercial drivers for taking action and outline business successes through case studies from companies that have already taken action.

Mike Smith, Head of Sustainable Development at Yorkshire Forward, outlines the opportunities for businesses within the Yorkshire region whilst promoting energy efficiency and waste minimisation.