Launching this month (February), Eden District Council is working with Cumbria Business Environment Network (CBEN) Partnership on a three and a half year project called Greening Eden to support Eden businesses to reduce their carbon emissions and to help businesses save money. The project will allow businesses across Eden to measure their greenhouse gas emissions, identify opportunities for reduction and support Eden District Council’s ambitions for a low-carbon, environmentally sustainable Eden and Cumbria.
Greening Eden will help participating companies across the area calculate their carbon footprint, the commonly accepted metric for assessing the environmental impact of a business. The CBEN Partnership will complete the calculations using data provided by each company and through site visits to provide practical and cost-effective advice on how to reduce emissions. These could range from no-cost changes in behaviour, low-cost actions, or capital investment projects.
Eden District Council has put in place £400,000 to assist businesses with works which may be required to help them achieve lower carbon emissions. The funding applications will be accessed through a grant application once CBEN have carried out the assessment of the business activities which, when modified, would have the greatest effect on reducing their carbon footprint.
David Prentice, Partner at CBEN Partnership said, “We are delighted to be working with Eden District Council on this project to assist businesses in Eden. Helping businesses to reduce their carbon emissions through assessments and advice with the added bonus of having a grant available for businesses we think will have a huge impact in terms of carbon and costs savings for our local businesses. As part of the project, each company will receive a full report confirming the initial carbon footprint assessment and a list of actions that can be used to reduce emissions. Where capital expenditure improvements are identified, CBEN will work with you to prepare the business case for the expenditure, ready for submission to the capital grant fund for the scheme.
Any business based in Eden or whose principal operations are Eden based can apply to be considered. We anticipate that 40 to 50 companies can be supported, coming from all business sectors. CBEN will begin contacting potential applicants in February 2021, but companies can contact us directly on greeningeden@cben.co.uk.”
Councillor Virginia Taylor, Leader of Eden District Council said, “It’s normal now for businesses to reduce their carbon footprints and increasingly customers will expect it – going green is good for reputation and saves money, as well as being environmentally responsible. Here at Eden District Council sustainability is at the core of what we do, and this scheme will help businesses protect and enhance Eden’s prosperity and the natural world.”
Councillor Mark Rudhall, Eden District Council’s Green Growth Portfolio Holder said, “I’m delighted to be working with a local organisation who already has strong links in with local Eden businesses and who have championed environmentally sound business practices for many years. Many businesses will have suffered serious impacts from the pandemic so I’m really proud that we have been able to develop a project that not only helps businesses reduce their carbon footprint but will also offer finances for them to use to improve their green credentials and hopefully save money.”
More Information about the project and contact details for CBEN can be found at their website: www.cben.co.uk/greening-eden