It revealed 155,059 tonnes of CO2 had been cut – exceeding the target of 130,000 tonnes with data coming from Birmingham’s Environmental Partnership of 33 organisations across all sectors.

The figures, independently verified by the Energy Savings Trust represent a cut of almost 400,000 tonnes of carbon since 2008.

Cllr Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, said:

“To meet our ambitious targets for the third successive year is a tribute in itself to the efforts of everyone across the city who has made a contribution to cut carbon emissions.

“Our focus on improving sustainability will continue as the benefits are huge – a cleaner and greener environment along with increased opportunities for business in emerging technologies to develop here in Birmingham.”

Many businesses and public organisations have been involved in the task of reducing Birmingham’s carbon footprint, the NEC, Cadbury’s and Birmingham Children’s Hospital have all implemented energy saving lighting which have reduced both their costs and their carbon.

Image (C) Birmingham City Council News Room

The Institution of Engineering and Technology are hosting a day of seminars and evening lectures on “Electric Vehicles – A Utility’s Perspective”

The event will cover work done by E.ON for the “Coventry And Birmingham Low Emission Demonstrators” project (CABLED) and a view of the future roll out of electric vehicles and infrastructure.

There will be an opportunity to talk to industry and experts and join a discussion with Jon Periselneri – the E-mobility Demonstration Project Manager at E.ON.

This interesting and very relevant event will take place on Monday 8^th November with a technical visit on the 9^th.

The event is free to attend with an optional three-course dinner for £16.50.

If you are interested please find more details on the website.

If you would like to register, click here.

The experts at Envirowise realised that the best way to reach businesses was throught the Internet. They decided to create a Virtual Tour, which they named as ‘Green-street’. State-of-the art technology was used to build the website. The technology allows individuals to experience the virtual exteriors of some organisations who have used environmental methods to cut-down on their carbon foot-print and energy consumption rates. . The initiative is aimed at educating other businesses about what they can do to cut down on resources.

The state of art 3 dimensional animations will show the exterior of five buildings, these include: Cost Cutters Arms, the Verte Restaurant, the Green Leaves Hotel, the Water Tower office block and the Efficient Engineering Company People will be able to access publications and reports detailing the different ways that they can reduce water consumption and energy.

Tim Robins, Envirowise Regional Manager for the West Midlands, said:

‘Research by Envirowise1 has shown that businesses in our area believe that using fewer raw materials, generating less waste and placing a greater emphasis on energy efficiency are all likely legacies of the recent recession. By exploring Green Street firms can easily find out how to make positive changes and save money, with help on everything from minimising lighting and heating, to more detailed advice on developing a formal environmental management system.’

He added:

‘We know the internet is an integral part of the business working day so we have created this new animated tool in order to make this free advice as accessible to local firms as possible.’

Businesses can visit the ‘Green Street’ at: www.envirowise.gov.uk/greenstreet

The four charging points are the first of 36, which will be spread across Birmingham and Coventry as part of the CABLED project, where 110 vehicles are being tested by users across two cities.

The free charging points are housed in a specially designed parking bay on level one of Bullring’s Moor Street car park offering easy access to the centre via the Selfridges bridge link.

Charles Bradshaw-Smith, Head of Innovation at E.ON – and himself a participant in the CABLED project – said:

“It’s great that we’ve navigated to the second stage of this project bringing low carbon motoring to the streets of Britain’s own Motor City.

“We’ve got charging points right in the centre of Birmingham where they’ll be of most use to drivers. Electric cars are perfect for short commutes to work and for shopping trips to town – and we’re proud that by being the energy behind these charging points we’re making eco-driving even easier.

“In the next few weeks we’ll be rolling out more charging points in Birmingham and Coventry that will become part of a developing national network.”

Tim Walley, General Manager at Bullring, commented:

 “As the first location in Birmingham to offer electric vehicle car charging points, Bullring is helping to make eco-driving much easier and accessible to the public. It’s good to be part of what will soon be a national network ensuring that the number of electric vehicle drivers continues to rise.”

Cllr Timothy Huxtable, Cabinet Member for Transportation and Regeneration at Birmingham City Council, said:

 “This is a major landmark moment in the development of electric vehicle technologies in the city, it shows that the CABLED consortium means business and is the first step to a greater expansion throughout the city.”

 During the trial, a total of 340 vehicles will be tested across the UK, with 110 of those based in Birmingham and Coventry. The aim of the project is to find out how the cars are used – and when they need charging – to get a better idea of the driver’s experience of electrical cars.

McBride, is an international road-race star and is one of the UK’s most experienced racers, having taken part in the North West 200, Ulster GP, Macau GP and numerous classes in the Isle of Man TT races.

This latest race, however, puts McBride in lesser know territory. As a rider of a traditional 1000cc motorbike, which weighs around 165 kilos and produces up to 200 brake horsepower, McBride must now get used to an electric motorbike for the clean-emission TT Zero race. McBride comments:

“On my 1000cc bike we’ve been speed-trapped at 185-190mph down Sulby Straight – the fastest part of the TT course. With the electric bike in comparison, we have around 40 brake horsepower and a top speed of around 112mph. Riding it is very different as we only have one gear.

“It’s also different for the spectators, who are used to the sound of an engine at high-revs and with a loud exhaust to give maximum performance. Instead, there’s a quiet, laid-back ‘whizz’ of just the chain and the noise from the tyres!”

So it seems that the electric motorbikes don’t just cut down on carbon emissions, but also noise pollution. The one-lap TT Zero race will take place on Wednesday 9 June at 4:30pm.

Tony Way, Managing Director of The Green Insurance Company says:

“The link-up between James, the team, TT Zero and The Green Insurance Company is a marriage made in heaven. The Green Insurance Company is for motorcyclists and drivers who want more than just low-cost insurance and we’re committed to supporting eco-friendly racing in every way we can.”

The Green Insurance Company is available to customers directly or through Birmingham based broker Express Insurance Services Limited.

Express provide car, van and bike insurance to customers across the country and have recently signed The Green Insurance Company as one of their insurers in a bid to improve their customers’ carbon footprints.

The Green Insurance Company provides motorbike insurance to Express customers and helps them to do their bit for the environment by offsetting 100% of their bikes’ harmful emissions. Bikers are also able to get a further 5% low emission discount if they ride a greener bike and/or complete lower mileage.

Bikers who would certainly be receiving low emission discounts are those racing in the 2010 UK TTXGP, the world’s first all-electric motorcycle championship, for which The Green Insurance Company is the official insurance partner. In order to qualify, entrants must boast zero toxic and noxious emissions from their bikes.

Tony Way, Managing Director of The Green Insurance Company said:

“The UK TTXGP will open a unique chapter in the development and history of zero carbon technology amongst the biker community and we’re delighted to be associated.”

Emma Jones, Marketing Executive at Express Insurance said:

“These electric bikes are quite possibly the future, people didn’t think that Japanese bikes would do very well and now they make up most of the market, it is only a matter of time before electric bikes catch-on, with more and more people expressing a concern for reducing their own carbon emissions.”

The 2010 UK TTXGP begins at Cadwell Park, Lincolnshire on 3 and 4 July.

For the first time large non-energy intensive organisations, which account for about 10% of UK CO2 emissions, will be legally bound to closely monitor and report their emissions from energy use in preparation for carbon trading.   The scheme will also give people and businesses the opportunity to compare organisations’ efforts to combat climate change for the first time.

Household names which will be involved in the sheme include Marks and Spencer, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, John Lewis, Barclays, and HSBC, aswell as manufacturers and construction companies, for example Procter & Gamble, Unilever and Balfour Beatty. The NHS, local authorities and government departments will also be pitted against each other according to their energy usage.

Julia Lockwood, a former employee of Marks and Spencers Birmingham branch, commented on the introduction of this scheme, saying:

“I think its a fantastic way of getting businesses, particularly chains such as M&S to think more about the effect they are having on the enviroment and on climate change.

In big businesses its often something which features very low on any kind of agenda they have, adding an element of competition into this sector is a fabulous way for companies to engage and in turn drastically reduce CO2 emissions. “

Businesses will be ranked depending on the improvements in energy efficiency that they make. They will also be judged on the amount of energy they waste and what they save through new efficiency programs they decide to implement.

Analysis for the Environment Agency suggests that the scheme could reduce CO2 emissions by up to 11.6 million tonnes per year by 2020 – the equivalent of taking four million cars off the road. It is also expected to save organisations money through reduced energy bills – benefiting the economy by at least £1billion by 2020.

Organisations are expected  to all be registered by the end of September 2010. Closing date for registartion is 30^th September. The Environment Agency will publish an annual league table highlighting the best and worst performers from the ‘Carbon Trading Scheme’

Tony Grayling, Head of Climate Change and Sustainable Development at the Enviroment Agency said:

“The CRC energy Efficiency Scheme is an opportunity for organisations to do their bit for the planet and save money.

“The league table is a very public judgement on how seriously you take your environmental responsibilities. If organisations don’t take up the challenge, there is a risk to their reputation and their pockets.”

The biggest CO2 savings are likely to come from hotels, restaurants, retail and the public sector.  For the majority of these organisations, better management of heating, lighting and computer systems will yield quick results.

“Carbon reduction doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive,” says Tony Grayling, “There are simple and inexpensive steps every organisation can take to cut their energy consumption – from motion sensors for lighting in offices to higher efficiency motors in manufacturing.”

As part of the new project, the team will launch a website which will contain information and advice on how local businesses can benefit from operating with greater resource efficiency and how to improve their environmental performance.

The team – Paul Hanna, Director of Economic Development and Partnership, Kate Bullock, Environmental Advisor and R. Shariat, Operations Manager – will aim to deliver the project through social media and hope to engage with businesses through cross-networking, open discussion and campaigns to highlight the importance of environmental factors in business performance.

 Speaking of the project, Paul Hanna said:

 ‘We’re adopting an ‘organic’ strategy here and hope the project will build gradually over time. The idea is to create a mini-site which will have a menu of all the different environmental factors that businesses should consider.

 The Chamber works with a lot of SME’s (Small Medium Enterprises) and we aim to get them to consider how addressing some of these ‘green’ factors will improve their businesses’ efficiency and performance.’

 The website will focus on five key areas that can improve businesses’ environmental performance: reducing waste, energy use, water use, transport costs and improving process efficiency.

There are similar resources out there for businesses to help encourage better environmental practice. Business Link already has a guide for companies on the benefits of improving environmental performance and in 2009, Defra published guidance on how businesses can measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions.

A report published by the Environment Agency in 2008 – reflecting on the previous 10 years of development and progress in ‘green’ business performance – shows improvements in compliance with environmental regulations:

‘The sectors that have reported to us since 1998 (energy, chemicals, metals, minerals) have: reduced greenhouse gas releases by four per cent, cut releases of sulphur oxides (SOx) by 69 percent, fine particles (PM10) by 53 per cent, and nitrogen oxides (NOx) by 12 per cent and reduced waste by 14 per cent.’

It acknowledges though that many issues continue to be a problem and need addressing. These include: ‘climate change, protecting health, protecting the environment from pollution, sustainability and resource efficiency and whether industry takes the environment seriously enough.’

 The Birmingham Chamber website is set to launch later this month so follow @Green_Shariat and @Green_Kate on Twitter to hear more about the project’s progress.

If you want to show you are doing your bit for the environment, you can!  A site has been set up by Birmingham Environmental Partnership to encourage the people of Birmingham to pledge what they promise to do to ensure their lifestyles are greener. The site will then calculate from the information provided what the promised action equates to in terms of a C02 level. 

The city is working towards its goal of cutting carbon emissions by 60% by 2026 and this scheme will help the city reach its goal if enough people pledge their support and will power to stick to what they promise.

Cllr Paul Tilsley, Chairman of the Be Birmingham partnership, said:

“Whether you live or work in the city or both the birminghamcuttingco2 website gives you ways to focus you green efforts.

Everyone has a role to play in cutting carbon emissions and the benefits are huge – saving money on fuel bills and improving the environment in terms of reduced emissions being the most significant.

It only takes a few minutes to pledge and I would encourage people to take a few moments out of their time because the end result is well worth it.”

Government, business and voluntary sector organisations are all working together on this initiative to ensure to the best outcomes in 2026, and the best possible outcomes for the city and our environment now.

New figures on where we are at, at this stage are due to be announced during Climate Change Festival, which begins on Saturday 5^th June.

To get involved and pledge your support visit here.

Visit ‘Be Birmingham’ for more information on the partnership involved with the initiative.

For ways to tackle your c02 emissions and ideas about what you are going to pledge see here.

Climate change festival is returning to Birmingham this year on 5^th June, and will run until the 7^th June.  The festival aims to better inform the public about what we can do to help combat climate change.  

The festival will feature a solar powered green circus and road show, ethical and fair trade market, solar powered stage with music and a biodiversity zone.

Activities will be primarily based in Centenary Square, despite their being other events taking place within the same period, such as the BRMB Walkathon, which helps to reinforce walking as a sustainable method of travel for citizens. This event will take place across several distracts in the city.

Cllr Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, said:

 “The Birmingham Climate Change Festival is a fun, entertaining and informative way for people to learn about what is being done to make Birmingham green for those that live, work and visit the city.

“Everyone had a role to play when it comes to cutting carbon emissions and making Birmingham green. I hope the wide variety of activities that we have organised will lead to a good turnout inspire people to do their bit.

The Recycling Pledge

The festival also wants to encourage people of the West Midlands to do more recycling. A big part of the festival this year is promoting this particular campaign ‘breast talk bra appeal’ this is a campaign which encourages women to recycle their bras. The campaign will run throughout the duration of the festival, and ‘Bra banks’ are conveniently situated across Birmingham city centre for women to dispose of their bras.  Bras will then be distributed to developing countries who don’t have access to these types of garments or who don’t have the money to afford them.  

Getting Involved

Sharon Lea, Strategic Director of Environment and Culture, said:

 “I urge all the women of the West Midlands, particularly Birmingham women to look into their underwear draws find all those bras out that they no longer want and recycle them, they will go to somebody that needs them and will also raise money for charity”  

Cllr Paul Tilsley, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, said:

“The bra bank is a wonderful no-frills idea which has so many benefits – we avoid spending unwanted items to landfill and help people in developing countries. Combined this perfectly captures the spirit of sustainability.”

There are many organisations which support the event, who will be there offering advice and information to help reduce yor carbon footprint. The organisations will also be offering activities for the public to get involved with. Organisations include, Northfield Eco Centre, Friends of the Earth, Revolver T-Shirts, Traidcraft, Smurfit Kappa, Veolia, Real Nappies, RSPB, Family Housing, Birmingham Nature Service, Forestry Commission, Birmingham Organic gardens, along with others.

An annual update on Birmingham’s progress towards its goal of cutting carbon emissions by 60 per cent by 2026 (when compared to 1990 baseline levels) is also expected to be announced during this three day event.

Visit here to see how the bra’s are going to be recycled.

Here is a step by step programme of the first day of the festival – 5th June – which also coinsides with World Enviroment Day.