Over 300 people from across the Bristol and Bath region attended the launch of Go Green at the science centre At-Bristol this morning. Go Green is a key part of the 2015 European Green Capital Programme, helping businesses to play an important part in making the Bristol city region become healthier, more competitive and more sustainable.
The Go Green online tool helps businesses create an action plan that provides them with help and guidance, and a one-stop-shop for useful resources.
“It’s like having a sustainability expert in your pocket”, says Project Manager Jessica Ferrow “We know that many businesses are interested in how they can become more resource efficient, reduce their environmental impacts and engage their staff in new ways, but they have limited time to implement these measures, let alone research them. This is where Go Green can help”.
Could your business be greener?
Today’s event outlined how Go Green will work, emphasising that it has been designed to help businesses of all sizes and types irrespective of how ‘green’ they already are. Andrew Garrad, Chair of Bristol 2015 said:
“We want to celebrate the success of our greenest companies, but also encourage many more to seize this opportunity to become greener, save money and find new customers”
“We want to ensure that every business in the region has the chance to benefit from the awareness created by the European Green Capital award. We want to celebrate the success of our greenest 
companies, but also encourage many more to seize this opportunity to become greener, save money and find new customers”.
The key to the programme is how it interacts with the region’s existing network of organisations and businesses, whose achievements to date have cemented Bristol’s reputation as a sustainable city. Amy Robinson, of project partner Low Carbon South West, said:
“The strength of this scheme is that it has been designed to tie together all the great assets we already have. We didn’t want to reinvent the wheel – so Go Green works by signposting to the organisations, projects and funding bodies that are most useful to each individual participant, and we can keep it current by adding new opportunities whenever we find them”
Go Green looks at the whole picture
In addition to the online tool and website, Go Green will be running a programme of events including seminars, workshops and behind the scenes tours of Bristol’s most sustainable buildings.
“The scheme looks at a lot of different issues that businesses have to consider, not just recycling and electricity use”
However it doesn’t just focus on saving energy. “What’s really great about this scheme” said Nina Skubala of Business West, delivery partner for the scheme said “is that it looks at a lot of different issues that businesses have to consider, not just recycling and electricity use, but sourcing policies, travel plans, and issues like staff welfare and local biodiversity. It allows businesses to think about a whole range of things they can do to improve, and start with the ones that matter most to them”.
You can join up to the scheme at www.gogreenbusiness.co.uk. To keep up to date on all the latest news and events from Bristol 2015 you can also follow @Bristol_2015 on Twitter or join the conversation on Facebook.
