19 Nov 2012
Walking and Cycling: Local measures to promote walking and cycling as forms of travel or recreation
This guidance sets out how people can be encouraged to increase the amount they walk or cycle for travel or recreation purposes. This will help meet public health and other goals (for instance, to reduce traffic congestion, air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions).
External Reports
13 Nov 2012
Executive Summary: A review of progress towards an environmentally sustainable and socially just West Midlands
This report is aimed at our members, green leaders and other leaders from the business, public and voluntary sectors in the West Midlands. It is to help inform them of the current collective progress against the seven sustainability priorities to deliver our vision for 2020.
Our Reports & Guides
13 Nov 2012
West Midlands Low Carbon Investment Prospectus
The purpose of this report was to highlight the collective strengths in the low carbon economy across the six Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in the West Midlands and the scale of low carbon investment opportunities.
Our Reports & Guides
14 Jul 2012
Planning for a Healthy Environment- Good Practice Guidance for Green Infrastructure and Biodiversity
To help local practitioners to deliver positive and practical solutions when planning for the future. It aims to bring together and update the wealth of information on GI in the specific context of the Localism Act 2011 and the National Planning Policy Framework published in March 2012.
External Reports
12 Jul 2012
Socially just adaptation to climate change
The purpose of this report is to raise awareness of the concept of socially just adaptation. The report recognises the increased responsibility and awareness local authorities, business and communities now have on adaptation and what this means for society, but wanted to investigate how widespread this awareness is. They also wanted to investigate examples of good practice of socially just adaptation to help to demonstrate what can be achieved and implemented with the right ambitions.
External Reports
13 May 2012
Low Carbon Procurement Guides
The following documents were produced as part of our Low Carbon Economy Programme, focusing on procurement for local authorities. They draw together current good practice guidance on sustainable procurement with specifications developed for catering, IT, built environment and vehicles. The documents are intended to be used as guidance for reference purposes by procurement staff and other professionals.
Our Reports & Guides
29 Mar 2012
The Midcounties Co-operative and UKCIP’s Adaptation Wizard
This case study summarises the work Midcounties undertook with UKCIP to plan how to adapt to climate change using the methodology outlined in the UKCIP Adaptation Wizard.
External Case Studies
25 Mar 2012
A guide to understanding the embodied impacts of construction products
Date of the report March 2012 Author of the report Construction Products Association Purpose of the report This guide aims…
External Reports
12 Mar 2012
The Multifunctionality of Green Infrastructure
The report outlines the different functions of green infrastructure (GI), in terms of four broad roles that it performs.
External Reports
3 Feb 2012
Warmer Worcestershire
The Worcestershire Strategic Partnership identified that fuel poverty targets in their Local Area Agreement were unlikely to be met and that extra funding would be required to drive this agenda forward. The bid proposed a thermal image fly over survey to identify heat loss from roofs of properties in Worcestershire (following on from the Wychavon thermal image two years previous).
External Case Studies
29 Dec 2011
Portrait of the West Midlands
The report provides an overview of the socio-economic characteristics of the West Midlands region. It covers a wide range of indicators from population to crime to the environment.
External Reports
23 Dec 2011
Using behavioural insights for more sustainable transport
The Department for Transport published a Behavioural Insights Toolkit, providing practical, step-by-step guidance on how to design more effective sustainable transport initiatives using insights from behavioural theory and social research evidence.
External Reports
23 Dec 2011
Green game-changers – 50 innovations to inspire business transformation
As a part of WWF's 50th anniversary, they have brought together 50 'Green game-changers', a selection of inspirational examples from around the world on how businesses and entrepreneurs are turning environmental challenges as a catalyst for innovation.
External Reports
21 Dec 2011
Enabling the Transition to the Green Economy – Government and Business Working Together
This report sets out a range of policy tools which the government are using to support the transition to the green economy, the opportunities that are created and the implications for the way in which businesses operate.
External Reports
21 Dec 2011
Green game-changers: Insights for mainstreaming business innovation
This review follows on from last year's Green Game-Changers report, which looked at small-scale sustainability innovators. The potential of these small players inspired this year's review of the progress that large firms have made to adopt scale up innovations. Within this remit we have honed in on those that have gone beyond product and process optimization and have innovated their business models towards sustainability.
External Reports
20 Dec 2011
Earnings, jobs and innovation: the role of recycling in a green economy
This report aims to examine the economic benefits of recycling by considering the recycling industry in the context of building a 'green economy'.
External Reports
5 Dec 2011
Green Business Club Good Practice Guide
Date of the report December 2011 Authors Sustainability West Midlands Purpose of the report This guide developed by Sustainability West…
Our Reports & Guides
4 Dec 2011
Business briefings: Adapting to the impacts of climate change and extreme weather events
The purpose of these business briefings is to provide businesses in these parts of the West Midlands with a more focused briefing on the most relevant climate impacts where they are based and to see examples of what other businesses in their area are doing to be more prepared.
Our Reports & Guides
28 Nov 2011
Going Green: How local authorities can encourage the take-up of lower-carbon vehicles
Local authorities have opportunities through their planning, traffic management and transport powers to influence, or 'nudge', the use of (U)LCVs in their respective areas. The RAC Foundation sought explore what these powers are, the level of appetite among local authorities for using them, and what experience of their use had been gained so far, both in the UK and continental Europe.
External Reports
24 Nov 2011
Pricing the Priceless: the business case for action on biodiversity
This report focuses on business and biodiversity, promoting the incorporation of the value of nature into decision making in order to safeguard long-term economic growth.
External Reports
1 Nov 2011
Skills for a green economy – A report on the evidence
This project results from recommendations made in the skills strategy for England, Skills for Sustainable Growth. The work was undertaken with the aims of identifying the skills needed to support the transition to a strong and sustainable green economy; and assessing evidence of employer demand and potential responses from the skills system which will lead to these skills being delivered. The overarching purpose for this report is to assist businesses and the agencies which support them in the clear articulation of skills needs related to the green economy: a role for the government repeatedly identified from consultation with industry.
External Reports
14 Oct 2011
Weathering the Storm – saving and making money in a changing climate
Sustainability West Midlands and the Environment Agency with support from the members of the former West Midlands Climate change adaptation partnership including; Defra, UKCIP, Government Office West Midlands, Business Link and Advantage West Midlands.
Our Reports & Guides
1 Oct 2011
Is localism delivering for climate change?
This report explores whether local authorities are continuing to work on climate change, how action is being encouraged and what potential local enterprise partnerships (LEPs), local nature partnerships (LNPs) and neighbourhood planning offer for strengthening local action on climate change.
External Reports
24 Sep 2011
Green and Growth: solutions for growing a green economy
The aim of this report is to set out short- and long-term proposals for growing a green economy. The report highlights that many manufacturing companies see opportunities in a low carbon economy, details objectives for growing a green economy, looks at the barriers to realising this and makes some short-and long-term recommendations that are intended to help to overcome the barriers.
External Reports