SWM News August 2018 - Brum Breathes: The Clean Air Zone

Representing an organisation with offices within the proposed Birmingham Clean Air Zone, and as an individual with a vehicle that will be charged for entering the CAZ, I have a personal interest in the plans for the city and recently attended a workshop for businesses as part of the consultation.

The plans for the CAZ including charging for polluting vehicles as well as numerous other additional measures are ambitious and will be met with hostility and resentment from many residents and businesses affected. However, they will have a positive impact on air quality which will in turn benefit our health, the environment and the economy. However, are they ambitious enough, and will they lead to compliance with EU Limit Values by the 2020 deadline?

Read ‘Our Comment’ for a more detailed analysis of the planned CAZ and what it could mean for Birmingham.

Anna Bright, Chief Executive, on behalf of Sustainability West Midlands

Funding opportunities

• By tomorrow. £9.2m in co-funding is available from the Carbon Trust. It is open to all manufacturing sectors but targeting innovative projects for demonstration.
• By 12 September. Innovate UK has up to £20 million to invest in the best new ideas for products and services developed from cutting-edge technologies.
• By 19 September. Innovate UK will invest up to £12.5m in innovative projects to transform UK construction, improving productivity, quality and performance.
• By 19 September. Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles is to invest up to £25m in industry-led projects that develop and pilot CAV services at scale in the UK.
• By 30 September. Anthesis Energy UK has a pot of funding for the replacement of communal or district heating systems attached to housing.
• By 3 October. The Advanced Propulsion Centre is seeking proposals for UK based R&D projects that significantly reduce emissions and improve air quality.
• By 5 October. Over £300,000 is now available for community projects that get tough on litter, building on commitments in the government’s 25 Year Environment Plan.
• By 15 October. The Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) is inviting expressions of interest for funding for improving skills for offsite construction.
• By 24 October. Innovate UK has £20 million for projects to transform the agrifood sector and improve the sustainability and efficiency of agricultural systems.
• By 5 November. The Friends Provident Foundation is providing financial support to projects that promote a more resilient, sustainable and fairer economic system.
• By March 2019. SMEs can obtain free energy audits and 40% grant funding towards energy efficiency measures in Greater Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country.
• By May 2019. SMEs can benefit from the Keele Research and Innovation Support Programme (KRISP) to help develop products, processes or services.
• On-going. The Community and Environment Fund is to provide benefits to communities along the route disrupted by the construction of HS2.

Over the past year we have promoted >£700 million of accessible funding.

Upcoming SWM and member events

• Cenex hosts their annual Low Carbon Vehicles seminar between 12 and 13 September where over 90 speakers are expected.
• Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme team invites you to join them in a beginner’s course using Autodesk Revit software on 12 and 13 September.
• University of Warwick invites you to join its local authority Sustainable Energy conference on 14 September.
• Aston University, as part of the Low Carbon SMEs programme, is hosting a workshop on 14 September to help SMEs become more resource efficient.
• SWM, with the Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands, is running the next Innovative Low Carbon Working Group meeting at members EBRI on 18 September.
• Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme is running an introduction to Navisworks event which will take place on 18 and 19 September.
• Coventry and Warwickshire Green Business Programme wants to help you create a workplace that reduces costs and improves efficiency at an event on 19 September.
• Warwick Manufacturing Group is hosting an event on 20 September that will focus on Energy Storage Technology and the work being undertaken by WMG and JLR.
• The Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands is supporting this year’s Venturefest, a fantastic opportunity for SMEs to pitch their innovative ideas, on 27 September.
• Climate Change Solutions is hosting their ‘Making Places Last’ event on 7 November, focusing on low carbon, sustainable housing.

A full list of our members is on our website.

Other SWM and member updates

• SWM welcomes new members Severn Rivers Trust.
• WMCA has created its first webpages dedicated to the environment and provides updates and progress on activities to date in partnership with SWM.
• WMCA has launched ‘Thrive at Work’, a workplace commitment aiming to create a workplace that promotes employee health and wellbeing, sign your organisation up!
• The Environment Agency has been teaming up with leading UK brands to tackle the Great British #PlasticsChallenge; you can get involved too.
• Cenex is looking to recruit an Administration and Finance Assistant; hurry if you’d like to apply as the deadline is tomorrow.
• The Environment Agency is advertising for an exciting new role: Strategic Financial Mechanisms Manager. The deadline to apply is 9 September.
• WMCA is keen to gauge your thoughts and opinions on electric vehicles in the Black Country to inform future local policy; you have until 15 September to contribute.
• Green Shropshire Xchange is hosting public consultations to gain wider views on the draft electric vehicle charging strategy; the deadline for responses is 17 September.
• Midlands Environmental Business Company has opened applications for the MEBC Business Awards 2018 for Innovation and Sustainability. Apply before 30 September.
• Staffordshire County Council, with partners, has been delivering a series of workshops about flood risk in schools. We’ve written a case study about it.
• SWM has been supporting LEPs with stakeholder engagement to help develop their energy strategies. The latest workshops we ran were for Worcestershire LEP.
• SWM has produced a case study reflecting our work with North Warwickshire and Hinckley College – we were brought in to reinvigorate their sustainability work.
• SWM is supporting the Heritage Lottery Fund with its sustainability agenda over the next few months. Get in touch to find out what support we can provide to you.

SWM members can send their events, research or other contributions to enquiries@swm.org.uk to be included in the next newsletter. Not a member? There are many advantages to SWM membership; find out more here.

Other news and events

• Climate Action Network West Midlands is running a workshop on 10 September looking at how we can green the Commonwealth Games in 2022.
• European Agency for SMEs is running an event on 11 September aiming to support project proposals under Horizon 2020 Challenge 5.
• The Government is running Green GB Week: a landmark week of action to celebrate clean growth during week commencing 15 October; get involved.
• The Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands has written a blog on how innovation can be integrated into the Local Industrial Strategy.
• Climate-KIC is searching for entrepreneurs to pitch their ‘cleantech’ start-up to an expert jury. Promising entrepreneurs can then join their Accelerator Programme.

We hope you enjoyed reading our newsletter. If you would like to subscribe to our newsletter, are interested in becoming a member or have news stories, events, case studies and reports, please visit our website or contact us.