Businesses in Eden can reduce their carbon footprint with help from a new £400,000 fund.
Eden District Council and Cumbria Business Environment Network (CBEN) Partnership will launch the three-and-a-half year Greening Eden project later this month.
It wants to support Eden businesses to reduce their carbon emissions, and help save money at the same time.
Firms across Eden will be able to measure their greenhouse gas emissions, working alongside CBEN to identify opportunities for reduction.
Greening Eden will enable businesses to find out their carbon footprint, the commonly accepted metric for assessing the environmental impact of a business.
CBEN Partnership will complete the calculations using data provided by each company and through site visits, while also providing 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 announced £400,000 will be available to help businesses with works that can help to achieve lower carbon emissions.
Applications for grant funding will be welcomed from local businesses following their assessment with CBEN.
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 by emailing greeningeden@cben.co.uk.”
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.”
The project is being funded by Eden District Council as part of its ambitions for a low-carbon, environmentally sustainable Eden and Cumbria.
More information and contact details for the project can be found at www.cben.co.uk/greening-eden
