You are invited to an eLive event …find out how you can be a part of bringing electric vehicles to Liverpool City Region

What is eLive?
eLive is the Liverpool City Region and Cheshire West and Chester’s bid to the ‘Plugged-in Places’ programme.

eLive will support the region’s plans to encourage the use of electric vehicles through installing charging infrastructure at workplaces, transport interchanges, car parks, leisure and retail sites across the region.

The project will run for 2 years from April 2011- March 2013.

Why get involved?
Through eLive we could provide 50% funding towards the cost of installing electric charging points at your premises. Charging points could be used for your organisations fleet vehicles, for employees and visitors, or to attract new customers to your business.

Organisations throughout Merseyside, Halton and Ellesmere Port could be eligible.

If you want to find out more about new vehicle technologies, input into the future provision of alternative fuel infrastructure, or get involved in the project, then please come to one of our briefing events

We are holding a number of events throughout September.

Thursday 16 September, 2.30-4.30pm

Friday 17 September, 9.30-11.30am

Wednesday 29 September, 9.30-11.30am

All meetings are at Room C, 24 Hatton Garden, Liverpool, L3 2AN

To register please email info@transportmerseyside.org stating your name and which date you would like to attend. Alternatively please contact Sarah Jolly on 0151 330 1156.

Who should attend?

Organisations who would like to find out about the advantages of using electric vehicles for their fleet or pool vehicles:

• Hotels and tourist attractions
• Leisure and retail outlets
• Shopping centres
• Car park owners
• Property developers

Merseyside’s first training centre dedicated to microgeneration technologies is due to open in a move that looks set to contribute to the transformation of the region’s training and skills in  renewable energy.

The Green Energy Training Centre (GETC) is the result of a partnership between the Skills Funding Agency, Stiebel Eltron a renewable energy product manufacturer, and Scientiam a Birkenhead training provider that has pledged support for SummitSkills’ National Skills Academy for Environmental Technologies.

The new centre on the Wirral will offer the highest standards of training on the latest equipment,  helping installers to gain accreditation to the Microgeneration Certification Scheme (MCS). 

Only property owners who use MCS accredited installers will be eligible for Government grants towards the cost of buying and installing energy efficient systems, as well as other proposed funding incentives.

It is hoped the new GETC and hopes it will make a significant contribution to development of the sector’s microgeneration and renewable skills in England’s North West.

Innovative South Liverpool Charity, Rotters Community Composting has won the special 2010 Year of Health and Wellbeing category in the Merseyside Innovation Awards.

The category is an extra award in 2010 and has been sponsored by Liverpool City Council and Liverpool PCT to promote the five ways to Health and Wellbeing; Connect, Be active, Take notice, Keep learning and Give.

Rotters Community composting have been running a scheme called Fork to Fork designed to help people of all ages throughout the community of South Liverpool.

Fork to Fork aims to increase the number of people in Speke and Garston who grow their own food, and enjoy a healthier lifestyle by using locally grown fresh produce in their diet and by taking part in gardening activities.

Teresa Latta, Project Manager commented: “Fork to Fork is innovative because it is educational and encourages people to exercise within a nice social environment without realising they are doing it.

The service is already has beneficiaries from primary school ages to age of 90!

Our aim is for the model to be replicated within other areas of Merseyside.”

Rotters are the only company on Merseyside who have a license to compost food waste. The waste is made into compost which is used on three sites used by the community groups to grow their produce.

Teresa continued: “We are generating changes for both individuals and their neighbourhood by helping people to learn skills and gain confidence in growing their own food and using their own space or local allotments. Local people are now growing food cheaply and we are helping them identify cheap or free sources for tools and seeds.

“The scheme also generates greater community pride in the local facilities, particularly with the engagement of young people, so that there is less chance of vandalism taking place. Social sustainability creating links between different parts of the local community, particularly young people and over 55s, to lead to greater community cohesion.”

 “Gideon Ben-Tovim, Chair of Liverpool Primary Care Trust, said: “I’m delighted that a special category has been introduced to this year’s Merseyside Innovation Awards to mark the Year of Health and Wellbeing.

”Throughout 2010 we’ll be encouraging everyone to think about making small, achievable steps towards a healthier lifestyle, and it’s fantastic to be able to recognise a scheme which is making such a positive contribution to this area.”

Here are the key announcements on the environment that the Chancellor has made in his June 2010 Budget Statement today.

A full version of the Budget document is available on the HM Treasury website.

June 2010 Budget announces:

1. The Budget sets out a comprehensive and credible plan to deal with the nation’s debts and significantly accelerate the reduction in the budget deficit over the course of this Parliament.  Deficit reduction and ensuring economic recovery are the most urgent issues facing the UK and the Government’s top priorities.

2. The Prime Minister has pledged to make this the greenest government ever.  The Government believes that climate change is one of the most serious threats that the world faces.  This includes reducing the Government’s own emissions by ten per cent between mid-May 2010 and mid-May 2011.

3. The Government is committed to playing its part in moving to a low-carbon economy.  This transition will change the shape of industry, growth and jobs in the future.  As part of this, the UK needs £200 billion of investment to 2020 to provide secure low-carbon energy.  This will require reform of the energy market and action to attract additional private sector funding.

4. The Budget sets out key steps towards this goal:

• assessing how the energy tax framework can provide the right incentives for investment, alongside wider market reforms.  In the autumn, the Government will publish proposals to reform the climate change levy in order to provide more certainty and support to the carbon price. Subject to consultation, the Government intends to bring forward relevant legislation in Finance Bill 2011.
• putting forward detailed proposals on the creation of a Green Investment Bank, following the Spending Review, to help the UK meet the low-carbon investment challenge.  The Government is considering a range of options for the scope and structure of the Green Investment Bank; and
• establishing a Green Deal for households through legislation in the Energy Security and Green Economy Bill, to help individuals invest in home energy efficiency improvements that can pay for themselves from the savings in energy bills.  The Government will also continue to progress work on creating green financial products to provide individuals with opportunities to invest in the infrastructure necessary to support the green economy.

5. The Government will make the tax system fairer.  The Budget covers:

• fair fuel stabiliser.  The Chancellor will ask the Office for Budget Responsibility to undertake an assessment over the summer of the effect of oil price fluctuations on the public finances.  Informed by this assessment, the Government will examine options for the design of a fair fuel stabiliser;
• remote rural areas.  The Government is considering the case for introducing a fuel duty discount in remote rural areas, including possible pilot schemes in Scotland; and
• aviation taxation.  The Government will explore changes to the aviation tax system, including switching from a per-passenger to a per-plane duty, which could encourage fuller planes.  Major changes will be subject to public consultation.

6. The Budget confirms some previous announcements, that the Government will:

• include nitrous oxide gases in the EU Emissions Trading System from 2011;
• reduce the discount from the climate change levy for industries participating in a climate change agreement from 80 to 65 per cent in April 2011, and increase the climate change levy in line with inflation;
• increase the standard rate of landfill tax by £8 per tonne on 1 April 2011 until at least 2014, and introduce a floor so that that the rate will not fall below £80 per tonne until at least 2020;
• increase aggregates levy to £2.10 per tonne in 2011;
• introduce an enhanced capital allowance for zero-carbon goods vehicles from April 2010;
• introduce exceptional rates of vehicle excise duty for certain heavy goods vehicles from April 2011; and

School children from all over West Derby, Liverpool came together on Tuesday June 29 to celebrate the opening of Mab Lane Community Woodland with a mass wildflower balloon release.

More than 30 children from St Brigids, St Albert’s RC and Mab Lane Primary School released biodegradable balloons filled with wild flower seeds into the air to help plant vibrant patches of wild flowers right across the region and beyond.

The balloon release was followed by a 30 strong group Ultimate Frisbee Challenge where the children got the chance to play in the new green spaces.

The event marked the completion of the planting of 20,000 new trees to create the Mab Lane Community Woodland on two former brown field sites in West Derby as part of The Mersey Forest.

The event was attended by Cllr Tim Moore (Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change), Joe Dwek CBE (Board Member NWDA) and Keith Jones (Regional Director – Forestry Commission).

The creation of Mab Lane Community Woodland has resulted in 23 hectares of brownfield land that has been transformed into a multi-functional green space at the heart of a Liverpool community.

In addition to the newly planted trees, there are new wildflower meadows, a community orchard and seasonal wetland areas, all of which will support the conservation and enhancement of the area’s existing biodiversity.

Mab Lane is a partnership project of the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA), the Forestry Commission, Riverside, the Mersey Forest, Liverpool City Council and the local communities close to the site.

The project has been funded by the Newlands programme (an NWDA and Forestry Commission land regeneration partnership), the Big Lottery Fund’s Changing Spaces programme, and the English Woodland Grant Scheme.

Save money, energy and the environment with this offer from Foundation, a climate fund for the North West.

Foundation, a climate fund for the Northwest is working in partnership with Home Insulation Services NW Ltd to offer you additional discounts on cavity and loft insulation and other renewable energy and energy efficient products.

We can all demonstrate our commitment to tackling climate change and reducing carbon emissions within the environment in which we all as a business or individual reside. The benefit is that by taking these basic measures we can also reduce our energy bills and create financial savings.

Through offering this programme our aim is to:

• provide an additional discount and incentive relating to the installation of home insulation that will complement existing government support
• offer these discounts to all house holds and assist them in reducing their energy costs both now and in the future.
• enable 4,000 homes to benefit from this discount, this will help us achieve our goal of creating a minimum of 2,000 tonnes of carbon savings per annum and approximately £500,000 energy savings per annum for the beneficiaries.
• offer our private and public sector partners a worth while employee engagement programme, this will complement the actions you take around energy efficiency and sustainability initiatives
• offer this programme to over 230,000 employees across the following regions - West of the Pennines from Carlisle to Cornwall, Wakefield, Sheffield, Leeds, East Midlands, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire
• demonstrate simple and cost effective measures that can be taken within the home to help reduce energy bills and create environmental savings.

Foundation and HiS NW Ltd will track the number of surveys made and the amount of insulation material installed within each home. We will use the information with recognised conversion factors to determine the cost and carbon savings created through this programme.

This offer is for you and your employees and offers a credible “employee engagement” opportunity that requires no investment from your or your business. To discuss this programme please contact David Marnell on 0161 2346104 or email david.marnell@climatefund.org.uk

More about Foundation and HIS

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Urbanag is organising a conference at Local Solutions in Liverpool on July 7 on behalf of Liverpool Vision. The event is free and will run from 10.00am to 3.00pm with lunch and refreshments provided.

The aim of the conference is to:

“… generate a plan for the future of the Greater Liverpool Food Alliance. We hope to have launched three demonstrator projects before the event. These will be promoted during the day and we will ask attendees to come up with a series of practical proposals for the Alliance’s structure, governance, strategy and programme.”

Find out more about the event

More about the Greater Liverpool Food Alliance…

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Businesses have a major role to play in helping protect and enhance the environment, in line with wider goals of sustainable development.  The huge shift towards a more sustainable, low carbon and resource efficient future offers opportunities for creating economic growth and job creation as well as redefining the way we all work and do business. 

Our latest survey sets out to establish how well businesses are adapting to the environmental opportunities and challenges that are now facing all of us across the Northwest.  

The survey will:

• assess how businesses are preparing and adapting for a low carbon economy
• determine business take-up of energy and waste reduction initiatives;
• evaluate the effectiveness of current environmental support programmes;
• consider the employee skills that may be needed for the future.  

Completing the on-line survey will only take around five minutes of your time but will be invaluable in terms of the data that we will be able to collect. 

Take the survey here

A full report of the survey findings will be posted on the Chambers of Commerce Northwest website towards the end of June.

Environmental technology innovators are being invited to enter a competition with the chance of winning £10,000 of product development support.

Innovate ‘10, the annual Stopford Environmental Technology Competition, provides the inventor of a new environmental technology the chance to win £10,000 of free consultancy.

The prize is given to assist the winner in the development and commercialisation of their technology.

Stopford, part of Lancaster Environment Centre at Lancaster University, is experienced in the delivery of technology development solutions for technologies at all stages, from concept through to commissioning. Stopford can deliver laboratory trials and sample analysis, feasibility studies, market assessments, front end engineering design, process scale-up and technology optimisation.

Envirolink Northwest is sponsoring this year’s event and will be involved in judging the competition and delivering of the prize alongside Stopford. The Environmental Sustainability Knowledge Transfer Network is also on board as a supporter of the competition.

To find out more about Innovate ‘10 and how to enter please visit the Innovate webpage: www.stopford.co.uk/innovate

The deadline for entries is 30 September 2010.

A climate change officer has been appointed to help Merseyside reach its goal of cutting carbon emissions by 31% by 2022.

Sarah Jolly, who lives in Halewood and has a masters degree in Environmental Management, has started her role at the Merseyside Transport Partnership (MTP) following a two year spell at Envirolink Northwest. She will support existing work taking place across the region to address climate change by helping reduce the impact of transport on carbon emissions.

Her particular focus will be the preparation of the climate change strategy for the next Local Transport Plan (LTP3), which will run from 2011. Working in partnership with local, regional, national and European bodies, she will develop integrated, low-carbon transport solutions for the region. As part of the Liverpool City Region (LCR), Sarah will help Merseyside to meet national climate change targets and become the UK’s biggest low carbon goods and services city-region economy.

Sarah is already working hard to establish relationships with partner organisations across Merseyside. She said: “Climate change is a very topical issue and an exciting area to be involved in. MTP is already placing climate change at the heart of its work to support the continuing regeneration of the City Region, which is fantastic news.

“My focus is on preparing a strategy for the submission of the next draft Local Transport Plan (LTP3) in March 2011 – it’s really satisfying to know that my work will have a clear influence of the future direction of climate change policy for Merseyside.”

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Neil Scales, Chair of Merseyside Transport Partnership and Chief Executive of Merseytravel, said: “We’re delighted to have Sarah onboard. The need for climate change action overall, and from the transport sector in particular, has been growing in recent years. Work taking place at a local level across the region is helping Merseyside work towards its targets for climate change and carbon reduction and is already playing an important part in shaping national and regional policies.”

To find out more about climate change strategy and work on the next Local Transport Plan (LTP3) for Merseyside, visit www.transportmerseyside.org.