Around the world climate change is becoming ever more the centre of discussion. We’re seeing the response of the younger generations, who are unsatisfied with the actions, or lack of, from current world leaders.

At SWM we believe it's essential that young voices are heard. We reserve space on our board for a ‘Young Director’ and introduced this position three years ago. We have since worked with hugely successful and dedicated individuals such as Ruth Corral and Matt Beveridge, who has just finished his time as our second Young Director. We are very pleased to announce that we have this week recruited our third Young Director, Christopher Brown. Christopher is Energy and Active Travel Officer at Herefordshire Council and will a fresh perspective on governance at SWM.

We also provide opportunities for to students to work alongside us, developing their skills and understanding as well as their passion for sustainability. This is a route I chose, starting with volunteering and subsequently securing my full-time position of Sustainability Adviser. I am now helping to develop our visions and goals by updating our Roadmap and spreading our message and reach as far as possible.

Read our full comment and learn about other opportunities for young people in the West Midlands as well as some of the inspiring individuals and campaigns that have driven action.

Tom Hendy, Sustainability Adviser, on behalf of the SWM Team

• By 17 April. An SBRI competition is providing the opportunity for organisations to demonstrate innovations on the railway in relation to improving resilience and environmental impacts.
• By 18 April. The government’s FleX competition supports the development and demonstration of innovative solutions to value and trade flexibility and this latest call focuses on energy.
• By 25 April. There are various Horizon 2020 calls open at present focusing on the development of battery technologies.
• By 1 May. Highways England is investing up to £20 million for solutions that focus on how digital technology can improve air quality on UK roads. 
• By May 2019. SMEs can benefit from the Keele Research and Innovation Support Programme (KRISP) to help develop products, processes or services.
• By June 2019. Businesses in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent can benefit from a £5m funding pot towards expanding business premises or renovating under-utilised areas.
• By October 2019. SMEs can obtain free energy audits and 40% grant funding towards energy efficiency measures in Greater Birmingham, Solihull and the Black Country.
• By June 2021. The Worcestershire Natural Networks scheme aims to boost biodiversity in an ERDF-funded venture which includes SWM members Worcestershire County Council.
• On-going. The Community and Environment Fund is to provide benefits to communities along the route disrupted by the construction of HS2.
• On-going. BEIS funding of around £162 million is available in industrial research and innovation, including Carbon Capture, Use and Storage (CCUS).

Over the past year we have promoted >£840 million of accessible funding.

• EnTRESS are running an event on fire safety in buildings on 29 March at Stourbridge Fire Station to refresh knowledge on building regulations and fire responsibilities.
• SWM are supporting and speaking at the Act TravelWise event on 2 April at the University of Birmingham looking at sustainable modes of transport for the university and healthcare sectors.
• Fit for the Future Network are running "The UK’s Greenest Building tour" on 3 April at the University of East Anglia looking at the green technologies at the heart of the building.
• Groundwork West Midlands are running an event for 16-25 year olds on 3 April to discuss volunteering opportunities for local parks.
• Meres and Mosses Business Environment Network and CREST are running a sustainable supply chains event on 3 April in Shrewsbury looking at the lifecycle of products.
• Keele University is hosting the Women In Sustainability network event on 4 April where our CEO Anna Bright will offer insights and encouragement for women looking to advance their careers.
• Coventry City Council’s Green Business Programme is running a breakfast on 9 April to provide insight into how a business can become more green and reduce energy costs.
• University of Birmingham will welcome Professor Pierluigi Mancarella who will be exploring concepts surrounding the provision of power system flexibility on 10 April.
• Sustainable Housing Action Partnership is running an event on 11 April looking at creating housing based around wellbeing in the West Midlands.
• SWM are exhibiting at the Public Sector Energy Event taking place at the Emirates Stadium on 30 April, bringing together key players in the energy sector.
• sben are running an event on 1 May to give businesses the opportunity to hear about electric vehicles and how they could benefit the business.
• EnTRESS and International Synergies are leading a "resource matching" workshop, bringing together organisations which could collaborate on waste reduction on 16 May.
• EnTRESS are looking for SMEs with initiatives to help reduce waste at Wolverhampton Racecourse to join them at their event on 23 May.
• sben is hosting a plastic thinking event for world plastic day on 5 June to encourage behaviour change around plastic consumption and waste, and improving these.
• SWM is a partner in the Flood & Coast conference, aiming to deliver excellence in flood  management. We will be exhibiting across all three days from 18-20 June.
• SWM is a partner and exhibiting at the sustainable buildings & estates forum from 20-21 June, looking at how all aspects of projects can be made more sustainable.
• SWM's members' only Summer Social takes place on 25 June, hosted by Ricoh UK Products Ltd. The event will provide exclusive networking and partnership development opportunities!
• SWM is running a workshop on Clean Growth at this year's Venturefest West Midlands, co-organised by our partners Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands, taking place on 4 July.
• SWM will be exhibiting at Recycling and Waste Management 2019 from 11-12 September, taking place in Birmingham and bringing together industry experts to tackle business waste.
• SWM will be exhibiting at Solar & Storage Live 2019, taking place on the 17-19 September, gathering people from across the sectors.

A full list of upcoming events is available here as well as our full member list here.

• SWM welcomes new member Velorim Ltd, winner of our 2019 membership competition, looking to grow their bike recycling operations.
• SWM welcomes new member Walsall Healthcare NHS Trust, winner of our 2019 membership competition, looking to reduce waste and create green space in their large healthcare operations.
• SWM welcomes new member Makematic, a business looking to expand into the West Midlands with its UN SDG educational videos.
• SWM welcomes new young director Christopher Brown to the board who joins us in this development position for one year.
• SWM would really like to engage with you further on social media so please follow our Twitter and LinkedIn pages for more regular updates and engagements.
• SWM convened the latest Innovative Low Carbon Working Group meeting on Tuesday 19 March in partnership with the Innovation Alliance for the West Midlands.
• Worcestershire County Council are looking to identify suitable organisations to undertake Energy & Resource Efficiency assessments identifying opportunities for more effective use of energy.
• Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust has joined the Warp-It £100k club for their work redistributing resources and reducing waste.
• MMBEN are offering a number of sponsorship opportunities to get involved with them at a wide variety of events with the Shropshire Wildlife Trust.
• Coventry City Council has unveiled a new £20m funding programme for small businesses from around Coventry and Warwickshire to help grow their operations.
• Coventry City Council has highlighted how a Coventry business used grants to become more environmentally-friendly and reduce costs.
• Midcounties Co-operative have introduced their One-Change campaign, aimed at reducing single-use plastic produced by the business and by consumers, and promoting recycling.
• Energy Systems Catapult are running a smart heating/cooling innovator challenge, which is open for SMEs to enter.
• Cenex are currently advertising for a senior technical EV consultant to take on a full time role in Loughborough, with travelling as part of the job.
• The Birmingham and Black Country Wildlife Trusts are currently advertising for a Volunteer Coordinator and a Finance Officer.
• The Flood & Coast Excellence Awards will be held at the Flood and Coast 2019 Conference, celebrating innovative projects that have tackled flooding issues.

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.

• UK Government has set out its guarantee for EU-funded programmes if there's a no deal Brexit to ensure continued funding is available.
• Solihull Borough Council is running a Green Business Fund Workshop on 25 April in Birmingham to support small and medium-sized businesses.
• UK Government is currently consulting on a new drinks container return scheme to be implemented across the country. The consultation closes on 13 May.
• TfWM is hosting a cycling summit on 22 May open to members of the public, citizens, charities and organisations to engage with the new regional cycling ambassador, Shanaze Reade.
• Birmingham City Council are running a consultation, looking for views on the proposed Birmingham Public Health Green Paper
• Birmingham City Council are running a consultation on clean air in the city to gauge how best to implement the strategy and steps that need to be taken.
• HM Government have released a policy paper on the future of mobility and transport for urban areas in the UK.
• HM Government are currently running a consultation on business energy efficiency schemes aimed at SMEs.

For a full list of all our upcoming events, visit our events page here. For news items, visit our news page here.

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