Managing energy consumption is becoming increasingly important, it can help to reduce energy costs, reduce carbon emissions and improve your reputation. BESST's energy management event had presentations on the Re:Think energy scheme, the energy management system ISO 50 001, a case study of using it and business resilience in the face of climate change.

BESST members went to Harper Adams University College to look at the new Anaerobic Digestion plant. They were told about the development of the plant, the benefits to the university and the food collection rounds that Harper Adams are offering in conjunction with Cartwrights waste disposal services.

This was BESST’s first event on biodiversity, in partnership with Shropshire Wildlife Trust. The aim of the event was to show how biodiversity can fit into business giving an opportunity to demonstrate their contribution to the local community.It included an introduction from the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, case studies of local business examples and a tour of DENSO's ecogarden.

Local building business Jones & Hampton Ltd have added to their environmental credentials by installing a photovoltaic system on their factory roof in Halesfield. There have been 2 best practice visits to Jones & Hampton one on 17th June with 4 BESST members and then 20th June from Ricoh. The events consisted of a presentation on the PV system, a viewing of the solar panels and a look at the electricity production.

With legislation constantly changing we have invited the Environment Agency to update BESST members on new and upcoming legislation. The focus for the event was pollution prevention specifically focusing on fire control. Roy Smith from Denios specialists in pollution control products based in Newport provided a practical demonstration on pollution prevention and its importance in the workplace. Roy has years of experience in pollution prevention regularly presenting for IOSH and Health and Safety exhibitions.

Following on from the success of the Zero Waste to Landfill events in Stafford Park, Hortonwood and Halesfield; NISP and BESST are providing a final event finding possible matches to indentified waste streams within your business. The day started with a range of presentations that introduced the workshop followed by some case studies from local businesses such as DENSO, Harper Adams, ICR and the Ministry Of Justice.

Many leading businesses are looking forward and past the recession. One challenge facing such businesses is resource security. The Marches Renewable Technologies Exhibition is a partnership between BESST and metnet (Marches Environmental Technology Network) to bring companies together to address this issue. Exhibitors involved in renewable technologies and environmental solutions from all over the Marches region showcased their ideas and services.

Rob Holdway from Giraffe Innovation provided the keynote speech on renewable technologies and eco design and its role in resource security. Whittingham Riddell provided in depth knowledge on the financial implications of a renewable technology project.

As part of a new initiative the “Zero Waste To Landfill” programme the third event was held in Halesfield. With increasing landfill taxes and other rising charges on waste, companies are moving towards becoming zero waste organisations. The event provided an opportunity for companies in Halesfield to discuss options and opportunities regarding their waste streams with other companies in the area.

As part of a new initiative the “Zero Waste To Landfill” programme the second was held in Hortonwood. With increasing landfill taxes and other rising charges on waste, companies are moving towards becoming zero waste organisations. The event provided an opportunity for companies in Hortonwood to discuss options and opportunities regarding their waste streams with other companies in the area.

As part of a new initiative the “Zero Waste To Landfill” programme the pilot was be held in Stafford Park. With increasing landfill taxes and other rising charges on waste, companies are moving towards becoming zero waste organisations. The event provided an opportunity for companies in Stafford Park to discuss options and opportunities regarding their waste streams with other companies in the area.

The aim of the breakfast workshop was to provide companies with the tools to streamline office processes and reduce waste. The main presentation was given by Wrap providing an overview on how to improve office green efficiency. This was then followed by a presentation from Lyreco covering green products which can be utilised in the office environment. Lanyon Bowdler also provided a local case study on how they achieved the Gold standard in the nationally recognised Green Achiever award.

Packaging may be costing your business a lot of money each year. With current legislation and a strong focus in the media, packaging is becoming an increasingly important issue to all businesses.

We teamed together with Envirowise and with the to help members optimize the packaging they use to help them save money and reduce the impact of packaging legislation on their business.

Environmental legislation is increasing year on year and there is more responsibility and pressures on businesses to reduce and understand their environmental impacts.

BESST joined forces with the Environment Agency and Environmental Health at T&W Council to give a practical overview of environmental legislation looking at examples and case studies of areas of best practice…and worst practice!

It involved practical presentations and a workshop format, ensuring members got their specific queries answered and are aware of their legal obligations.

Working with Envirowise, we organised for a water specialist to complete a Water Audit on one of our member companies – Lyreco.

Lyreco kindly opened their doors to other BESST members to participate and observe the audit. The audit covered the whole of the Lyreco site, including Office, Warehouse, vehicle washing and drains. This workshop to highlighted areas of good practice and identify areas for financial savings and improvement.

Whilst many businesses recognise the benefits of devising strategies for reducing waste and becoming more resource efficient, difficulties can often arise during the implementation phase of these strategies. Typical issues that prevent successful implementation include a lack of senior management buy-in and support, a lack of staff support, a lack of material or time resources, or a communications break down

We organised for EnviroComms who work internationally helping organisations to empower their staff and encourage change within the organisation to achieve their environmental improvements.

There was also a practical workshop for attendees to find out about local case studies and share best practice.