The 2010 Green Business Fife Awards not only provided a great night for the winners but were also a multiple success for the Business Environment Partnership (BEP) which supported several of the triumphant organisations.

BEP, which is changing its name to the Green Business Partnership, sponsored the Green Products and Services category won by Recycle Fife, the Lochgelly-based social enterprise which provides commercial and municipal kerbside recycling as well as employment opportunities.

Among other award winners which BEP has helped were Kirkcaldy-based payment and billing services outsourcer MGt, Forth Dimension Displays, Quaker Oats, the Ardross Farm Shop at Elie, the Cyrenians Organic Recycling Enterprise (CORE) and Recycle Fife itself.

“It was very gratifying to see so many of our clients’ work being recognised in this way,” said Anna Graham, Project Manager at BEP (www.thebep.org.uk) which provides free and subsidised environmental management support to small and medium sized-business throughout Scotland and has been involved with Green Business Fife’s steering group since the initiative was launched by Fife Council in March 2007.

The Awards, now in their second year, aim to help local businesses achieve resource efficiency gains which will boost their competitiveness and minimise their environmental impact. They were held at the Balbirnie Hotel, Markinch.

“It was particularly relevant for us to sponsor the Green Products and Services category,” added Graham who also acted as a mentor for companies wishing to enter the awards and helped with applications. “As a green services provider ourselves we realise the importance of the award in recognition of the efforts of businesses and organisations to drive the move towards a more sustainable consumer market”.

Luca Pornaro, CORE’s Business Development Officer, praised the “great event and excellent networking” created by Green Business Fife and added: “Thanks are also due to the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) and BEP for their ongoing invaluable support to CORE.”

Written By: Jim Stark
Original Article: Central Fife Times

Around 60,000 Scottish green jobs could be created by 2020 in low carbon industries according to new figures published.

And Scottish Government Minister for Finance and Sustainable Growth, John Swinney, talked about the possible green revolution when he visited a Lochgelly company on Monday.

Mr Swinney was at Recycle Fife, at the town’s Cartmore Industrial Estate, where he met chief executive Jackie Dunsmuir and operations director Frankie Hodge who told him how the company had developed so well in tackling issues directly aligned to protecting the environment.

Recycle Fife provides a range of recycling services which helps the public and commerce recycle waste rather then send it to landfill sites.

The Scottish Government’s discussion paper on the transition to a low carbon economy draws together, for the first time, ways in which Scotland can take pole position in the drive to secure the economic benefits of greener business. The Government will publish a resulting Low Carbon Strategy in the autumn.

New jobs highlighted include an additional 26,000 jobs in renewables, 26,000 jobs in emerging low carbon technologies and a further 8,000 jobs in environmental management.

John Swinney said, “Scotland’s future lies in low carbon technologies and greener business. We have the most ambitious emissions reduction targets in the world and we have the natural resources and the desire to become a leading low carbon economy.

“We must seize the opportunity and make the transition a reality.

“Moving Scotland’s industries to low carbon products and services is an economic and environmental imperative and is already happening – witness the billions of pounds being invested in green energy.

“Yet there is so much more potential across domestic and rapidly expanding global markets such as green energy, sustainable transport, energy efficiency, waste, recycling and pollution. All the estimates show that the jobs potential, demand for new skills, and supply chain benefits could be vast.

“This discussion paper is designed to gather views and experiences from across Scotland. Working with our enterprise agencies, we will discuss with industry sectors like finance, construction and skills sectors and will provide a clear focus to promote the transition to a low carbon economy in the autumn.”

Mr Swinney was impressed by the range of work carried out by the award winning Lochgelly company during his visit to Cartmore.

As some of you may have noticed, we have completely updated our website to make it easier for you to stay in touch with us at Recycle Fife and learn all about our latest developments, opportunities, and services.

We made a decision to move our hosting to a Green Web hosting Company, so while we were moving the site, we used it as an ideal opportunity to update the look of the site and add some new features.

Green Web Hosting

We purchased green web hosting from HostPapa (www.hostpapa.co.uk) who actively promote the development and usage of wind and solar energy resources by purchasing green energy certificates to offset all the power they use in their data centres and offices. HostPapa were also one of the first hosting companies that made a public commitment to going green.

Green-E Certified

Energy companies boasting the Green-E label voluntarily adhere to the strict environmental and consumer protection guidelines set by the top independent certification body for renewable energy products in the U.S. By participating in this program, HostPapa subject themselves to period audits of each and every megawatt hour of green energy used. Baring the Green-E Certified label gives you and your site visitors the confidence in supplier qualification and quality assurance that only a third-party verifier can provide.

Green Tags

Complementing the Green-E certification program, these renewable energy certificates are another way to support the reduction of harmful carbon emissions akin to purchasing power directly from renewable energy providers. Like the 2007 Academy Awards, HostPapa is a purchaser of Green Tags.

Site Updated

We’ve updated the site and are currently using WordPress (www.wordpress.org) which is Open Source software and allows you to leave us any feedback through comments (or contact us) as well as allowing us to keep the site updated on a regular basis.

Out with the environmental reasons for changing our hosting and web site was the realisation that our old site wasn’t compatible with Internet Explorer. We sincerely apologise to all Internet Explorer users for this. We have now tested the site on various browsers and platforms and are happy to announce that the site has passed on the following Operating Systems:

• Compatible with Mac & Windows based Operating Systems
• Safari
• FireFox
• Internet Explorer
• Opera

Online Commitment

We strive to provide a unique and easily accessible website for all our clients, customers and site visitors. If you have received any errors when visiting our site, please contact us so we can resolve any issues and provide a better online experience for our visitors.

From youth training to the latest waste treatment solutions and from furniture to food waste, there was plenty of innovation to choose from in the recent Scottish Waste & Resources Awards. The awards recognise outstanding achievements in the waste sector in Scotland are recognised. On the night, five lucky winners stepped up to the podium to receive their awards from journalist and TV presenter Kaye Adams, whom appeared regularly on The Wright Stuff and was the anchor of ITV1’s Loose Women for several years.

Winner of the Best Community Sector Initiative was Recycle Fife for its success in creating training and employment opportunities through the delivery of recycling services for the commercial, community and social enterprise sectors. Based in Lochgelly, Recycle Fife has around 1120 customers and diverts around 180 tonnes per month from landfill. It also operates a kerbside collection service for cans, plastic bottles and office paper, which is soon to include glass and textiles. It works in partnership with the Local Authority, Housing Associations and local tenants and residents associations. It has also built strong links with many local Fife businesses.

The Scottish Waste & Resources Awards are part of the Scottish Waste & Resources Conference, an annual two day conference and exhibition organised by a steering committee comprising the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Scottish Environmental Services Association, Keep Scotland Beautiful, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Scottish Enterprise, Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee, Scottish Government, the Caledonian Environment Centre and Community Recycling Network for Scotland.

“These awards demonstrate that there is a wealth of commitment, innovation, and entrepreneurial skill in Scotland when it comes to sustainable waste and resource management, and we are delighted to be able to recognise some of the excellent work that is going on,” said John Summers OBE, Chairman of the Scottish Waste & Resources Steering Committee.

Five pioneering organisations in Scotland have successfully met strict criteria to be the very first social enterprises in Scotland, to receive the Social Enterprise Mark.

Senscot have been working with RISE (managers of the Mark in England) to bring the brand for social enterprises to Scotland. Bookdonors CIC, The Engine Shed, Out of the Blue Arts & Education Trust, The Wise Group and Recycle Fife all join other visionary social enterprises using the Mark in England, such as Hill Holt Wood, Sunlight Enterprises, Eden Project, Sandwell Community Caring Trust, Emmaus and the Co-operative Group.

Senscot is the network for social entrepreneurs in Scotland. Over the last four years, it has been working to support the establishment and development of a series of Local Social Enterprise Networks. To date, there are 16 such Networks, representing over 200 social enterprises. Over the last six months, Senscot has been paving the way for social enterprises to apply for the Social Enterprise Mark in Scotland.

Colin Campbell, Senscot`s Development Manager, said:

“We’re very pleased to bring the Social Enterprise Mark to Scotland, for the new ‘Scottish champions’. Working alongside RISE and the first Scottish Mark holders, we can show other social enterprises in Scotland how they will benefit from applying for the Mark when it’s launched nationally, later this year.”

“This is just the beginning, and we believe many more social enterprises in Scotland will want the Social Enterprise Mark because Scottish customers want to understand when a business is trading for ‘people and planet’. The Social Enterprise Mark shows people when a business is truly socially motivated.”

Jackie Dunsmuir, Chief Executive of Recycle Fife, said: “We’re very proud to be leading the way in Scotland with the Social Enterprise Mark. For Recycle Fife and our customers, it offers an instantly recognisable label to identify social enterprises; reminding them that by choosing a social enterprise they are helping to create real benefits for people and for the environment.”

To read the full report, please visit: socialenterprisemark.co.uk