I'm very pleased to introduce this special issue of your regular Growing Nottingham newsletter from the Nottingham team of the D2N2 Growth Hub, and to tell you a little more about why, for one month only, it's called Greening Nottingham.
I read the newsletter regularly and I know that every month, the team work hard to bring you a round-up of all the latest business support on offer in our city.
This month, ahead of COP26, the United Nations Climate Change Conference, which takes place in Glasgow, the team wanted to focus the newsletter on the wide range of support available to help you reduce carbon emissions, as well as grow your business.
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Nottingham City Council is committed?to tackling the challenges which climate change presents us with, and ensuring that our collective action brings about improvements to businesses, residents, our local economy, health and our communities.
This month's newsletter aims to empower and inspire you, as a valued local business, to join us in our commitment to?make Nottingham the first UK carbon neutral city by 2028; only together can we make sure that our actions add up to real change.
Councillor Rebecca Langton
Portfolio Holder for Skills, Growth and Economic Development,
Nottingham City Council.
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Is your business supporting carbon reduction?
If you're a manufacturing, food production, logistics or a tech business in the city, you may not consider yourself to be actively involved in carbon reduction, but if you supply another business who is, or have a product which helps others to cut their carbon footprint, then you're playing a vital role in our efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
The D2N2 Growth Hub can support you...
Our Low Carbon Account Manager,?Tracey Hylton, can provide one-to-one advice and works specifically with businesses like yours to help you access business support, especially around carbon reduction.
Well-connected to local partners and networks, Tracey will also work with you to understand your business needs and any issues, challenges or ambitions you have, and signpost you to the wide range?of support packages available locally.
Tracey also leads The?Green Hub Network, a collaborative partnership where you can meet other businesses, share information and gain insights and intelligence on developments to help you grow your business.
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 Green Hub case study: Roadgas
D2N2 Growth Hub client and Green Hub member?Roadgas?is the leading local supplier of renewable gas refuelling station infrastructure in the UK and Ireland, delivering solutions for the renewable gases.
Becky Rix, Marketing Director, discovered the D2N2 Growth Hub in 2021 and continues to receive support from Tracey and the team.
Becky commented:
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"I have been working on our sustainability plans to review our strategy and vision. Tracey from the D2N2 Growth Hub has been a great source of support, giving access to placements, apprenticeships and innovation funding. This has opened up fantastic opportunities to both grow the business and link up with the CN28 net zero agendas."
Accelerating Reduction in Carbon (ARC)
Nottingham City Council's ARC project aims to help small and medium sized businesses in Greater Nottingham to reduce their energy use and their carbon emissions.?
ARC provides a project-managed support service offering carbon reduction advice and an associated grant programme to enable your business to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We aim to accelerate companies onto the next stage of growth through the introduction of energy and resource efficiency measures and the reduction of operating costs, leading to increased productivity. Visit the ARC webpage to find out more.
How to register your business with ARC
To discuss how the project can help you, please contact the ARC project manager, David Kelly on 0115 876 4271 or?[email protected]?
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Complete and submit an?expression of interest/enrolment form. When received we will contact you to arrange a site visit to undertake a carbon reduction audit and discuss grant support.
ARC case study: PAK Foods
PAK Foods is a food retail business with branches in Forest Fields and Sneinton, Nottingham. They wanted to reduce the overall energy consumption of their premises in Forest Fields in order to reduce running costs and be a more environmentally responsible business.
The premises are of cavity construction with a solid ground floor, pitched roof, insulated flat ceilings and flat roof to the rear of the unit. All glazing is double-glazed uPVC frames. The unit is insulated to appropriate Building Regulation Standards.
Following a site visit by the ARC team, it was proposed to install LED lighting throughout the building and a 72 module solar panel array on the roof. The solar panels will generate 21.12 MWh annually, energy that the business will not take from the grid. The energy efficient lighting will reduce annual energy consumption by almost 17,500 kWh.
 It is projected that by introducing the above carbon reduction measures, PAK Foods can reduce their usage of electricity by around 38,599 kWh per year. This will lead to annual reductions in carbon emissions of 10.4 tonnes and operating costs of ?5,259. The reduction in operating costs will contribute to the improved sustainability of the business.
The cost savings will release finance that can be invested back into the business to support their continued growth which will support improved turnover, profitability and productivity.
Workplace Travel Service
Nottingham City Council's popular business support package is available to businesses and other organisations based in Nottingham City. For details and to make an Expression of Interest visit the Workplace Travel website.
Electric Van Experience (EVE)
This is a unique opportunity for Nottingham-based businesses to test drive a range of electric vans to suit your business needs. Up to 50 electric vans available to loan, including comprehensive vehicle insurance and a free workplace charging point. Find out more on the EVE webpage.
EV and sustainable transport grants
Benefit from up to ?25,000 financial support to help meet the costs of workplace travel improvements including:
- Cycle parking and shelters, including CCTV and shelter lighting
- Shower / changing / drying facilities
- Electric vehicle (EV) charge points
- Charging cables, where charge points do not have a tethered cable
- Car parking infrastructure e.g. barrier controls and signage
You're eligible if?you?re a business or organisation (large or small, public or private sector) inside the Nottingham city boundary. Check to find out if you?re?inside the boundary.
University of Nottingham Energy Institute?
The University of Nottingham Energy Institute?unites energy research across a range of disciplines, drawing on multidisciplinary expertise across our Faculties of Engineering, Science and Social Science.
An impressive portfolio of research, development and demonstration has been built up over 25 years, attracting significant funding from government and industry to deliver high profile impact. Energy activities are focused on the key societal challenges of 'Transport and Mobility', 'Energy Generation and Management' and 'Communities and the Built Environment'. Visit the webpage for more information.
A capital grant, delivered by the Energy Innovation and Collaboration team through 'Energy for Business', is for businesses who wish to improve energy efficiency, reduce greenhouse gas emissions or who are implementing sustainable energy technologies.
Funding for Business
UK Clean Growth Innovation Fund
ENGIE has partnered with Innovate UK to seek out and fund innovative projects that can speed up the development of a sustainable energy transition. The ?4million fund will be used to invest in innovative projects that decarbonise, digitise and decentralise energy, and help achieve a sustainable transition to cleaner energy. Successful projects will receive a combination of government grants from Innovate UK, and private investment from ENGIE. Find out more on the Energie webpage.
Barclays Green Loan
Help to future-proof your business with financing that places green principles at its core, helping you to invest in a sustainable, low-carbon future.
Our green loan can help you fund green energy and sustainable projects for your business. As well as helping to reduce the impacts of climate change, investing in green projects could make your business stand out, helping it to become more competitive. Green projects can help prepare your business for a low-carbon future, reduce your energy costs and support greener transportation. Find out more about Business Banking with Barclays.
Green Rewards Launch
 Nottingham City Council are looking for businesses to support the new sustainability and wellness programme?Green Rewards, by?donating or funding vouchers which will reward them for making sustainable?life choices.
Green Rewards, which launched on 25 October, will encourage users to earn vouchers, that can be exchanged for goods in participating businesses, by completing a number of environmentally friendly challenges across six themes:
- Travel
- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
- Energy and Carbon Reduction
- Get involved / Community
- Purchasing and Consumption
- Nature
Green Rewards is a great way for your business to reach new customers, you'll also benefit from a city wide promotional campaign and you'll be doing your bit to support the city's ambition to make Nottingham the first UK carbon neutral city by 2028.
To commit to donating or funding vouchers please contact?[email protected]
Sustainability in Enterprise
The Sustainability in Enterprise (SiE) programme provides fully funded support and grants to reduce the carbon emissions of eligible Nottingham small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). SiE will help businesses improve their environmental performance across four key areas: People, Products, Processes and Premises.
 Reduce risk, save on costs, and maintain competitiveness with focused sustainability consultancy from Nottingham Trent University. This service is available at no cost to your business and is funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
Qualified sustainability academics will lead a team of final-year student consultants to produce a bespoke carbon impact assessment for your organisation. Covering three business areas, the report will provide a focused carbon footprint calculation, plus a set of carbon reduction recommendations with targets and their associated cost savings. ?
To learn more and make an enquiry, please contact [email protected]?
British Business Bank Together for our Planet
 In preparation for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in November, the Government launched the?Together for our Planet?campaign, calling on every small business in the UK to take small, practical steps to commit to cutting their greenhouse gas emissions.
The?Together for our Planet?campaign encourages small businesses of up to 250 employees to visit the?UK Business Climate Hub?and begin their journey to net zero by making the?SME Climate Commitment. This pledge is to halve greenhouse gas emissions before 2030, achieve net zero emissions before 2050, and share information on their progress each year.
No matter how small your business or what industry you?re in, your commitment could make a real difference ? to your business, to your customers, to your community, to the planet ? and to your energy bills!
COP26: Free tickets for public ?Green Zone?
In November, leaders from almost every country will gather in Glasgow for COP26 to negotiate how the world can come together to tackle climate change.
Hosted in the Glasgow Science Centre, over 200 events will take place in the Green Zone over the 12 days of the COP26 summit from 9am to 6pm each day. Tickets are available free of charge, and most of the events will also be streamed live on the COP26 YouTube channel. Find out more.
Carbon Literacy Action Day 1 November
 To coincide with Day 1 of the UN COP26 negotiations in Glasgow this November, we are staging the?first-ever Carbon Literacy Action Day. The Action Day will catalyse action on climate change through Carbon Literacy training, getting everyone involved in delivering positive action, to address climate change wherever they are.
The Action Day is?fully inclusive and open to all, and?will witness thousands of people from all walks of life, sectors, genders, ages and nations all around the world, participate and complete their days? worth of Carbon Literacy training.
Investors in the Environment
Organisations can reduce their impact on the environment in a realistic way that works for them. They receive tailored, continued support and expert advice.
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The supporting membership around the accreditation scheme gives businesses the personalised assistance, promotion and networking they need to make their organisation greener and to receive recognition for their eco initiatives.
We offer templates, toolkits and a step-by-step process to help guide organisations through the journey as well as training and workshops to educate staff.
Ultimately we want to empower organisations from the inside, and we work with staff and their nominated ?green champions? to create real yet realistic change in the workplace.
It?s not just about saving money off your bills, it?s about being smart and increasing profits too. Over 90% of our members believe that green actions help make more money.
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