Green IT Expo 2010 (http://www.greenitexpo.com/) is the first free educational forum for ICT decision-makers to discuss the hard facts about sustainable computing and the latest developments in this business-critical area.

Now in its third year, this independent forum will deliver a world-class programme of complimentary case studies and keynotes from industry thought-leaders helping delegates to

• Understand the key challenges ahead for IT departments
• Formulate greener IT strategies to improve efficiency, reduce carbon emissions and increase profitability
• Ensure compliance with the latest legislation and government directives
• Review a wide range of environmentally-friendly IT products and services

> Reserve your FREE place now at Green IT Expo

The Open Days provide the ideal framework for organisations – local authorities, voluntary organisations, private industry and universities; amongst others – from the East of England to showcase good practice in the field of strengthening regional competitiveness, territorial co-operation and social and economic cohesion, to share experiences with others and to impact on the political debates among EU institutions and Member States.

Sarah Murray, Team Leader in the East of England Brussels Office commented:

“The Open Days event allows us to showcase the East of England’s capacity for creating growth and jobs, implementing European Union cohesion policy and demonstrate the importance of the local level for good European governance. This year’s event is particularly important as it takes place on the eve of an intensive debate about the reform of Cohesion Policy post-2013, which will influence the level of EU structural funding available to the East of England.

Our office is working to showcase some of the best practice that is taking place in the region to demonstrate the value of European Regional Development Funding to the East of England – a relatively prosperous region in a wealthy member state – in order to secure future funding opportunities.

For example, Gareth Jones, UK CEED (UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development), Peterborough is speaking at seminar on ‘Better cluster support services for green innovation’

A record number of partners will be leading, chairing or participating in a range of seminars over the course of the week which will keep the East of the England in the vanguard of EU policy development:

• David Morrall, Europe and International Director at the East of England Development Agency

(EEDA); is chairing a seminar on ‘Putting eco-innovation at the heart of regional economic growth’

• Dr John French, from the University of East Anglia, Norwich, will be presenting the InCrops project – a new virtual enterprise hub which stimulates commercial activity in the alternative and non-food crop sector and contributes to the low carbon economic development of the region.

• Another regional delegate is chairing a seminar entitled ‘From knowledge to growth: stimulating the green economy’

• University Campus Suffolk is leading a session entitled “Positioning for Competitiveness: The role regional universities in promoting economic growth”.

• Peterborough City Council along with IBM is leading a seminar featuring its ‘Sustainable City Visualisation project’

• Mark Mitchell, chair of COVER (Community and Voluntary Forum Eastern Region) and chief executive of Community Action Dacorum is speaking at a seminar “The European Social Fund support for administrative capacity”

• Southend on Sea Borough Council will be represented by their North West Europe BAPTS (Boosting Advanced Public Transport System) project which is delivering a seminar entitled “Think global, act local Territorial cooperation of cities for European model solutions on clean urban transport”

• Gareth Jones, UKCEED (UK Centre for Economic and Environmental Development), Peterborough is speaking at seminar on ‘Better cluster support services for green innovation’

Further details on the programme and how to participate are available via http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/conferences/od2010/index.cfm?nmenu=1&sub=100 or by contacting Paul Laffin on +32 2 289 1200 or at paul.laffin@east-of-england.eu

The EnviroCluster Retrofit Project, which is currently retrofitting a house in Bretton to cut its carbon footprint, was highly commended in the Green Builder and Designer category.

Gareth Jones, EnviroCluster Manager, said “I am delighted that the project has been given this award which is not just for UK CEED, but for the whole team of experts who make up the project consortium. Hopefully we will win more awards once the project has been completed”.

The award, which was sponsored by Eco Building Products Limited, was presented to UK CEED in July.

The stoves have been thoroughly tested through a severe winter “dzud”. A “dzud is a term used in Mongolia for an abnormally severe winter where temperatures dipped down as low as -50°C.

The monitoring results showed some impressive results with a 50% increase in fuel efficiency, and a noticeable reduction in particulate and GHG emissions.

The project team is aiming at implementing phase two of the project before the onset of winter with a trail of 200 stoves within the identified Ger districts of Ulaanbaatar.

The monitoring report was made possible through funding provided by the Waterloo Foundation.

If you have any questions please contact John Pickstone  (j.pickstone(at)ukceed.org) or call 01733 311644

The Integrated Appraisal Toolkit, launched at the Council’s Sustainable Development Member Officer Working Group on Thursday 13^th May, is designed to help staff and members of the public assess proposals, such as policies, strategies, projects and other initiatives, against key sustainable development criteria – integrating environmental, social and economic objectives into one process.

The toolkit summarises policy and performance information specific to Perth and Kinross over the following 11 key subject areas: Built Environment, Climate Change, Community, Consumption & Production, Culture & Recreation, Economy, Equality & Diversity, Health and Well-being, Lifelong Learning, Natural Environment and Transport & Connectivity.

This information can then be applied by the user to answer a series of questions, based on the Council’s Principles for Sustainable Development, to help decide whether their proposal is contributing towards achieving sustainable development. Each question is assessed using a scoring system based on the perceived impact of the proposal by the user. When all 11 theme questions have been considered, an overall sustainability assessment (the final report) of the proposal is produced using a traffic light system.

This highlights areas in which the user may be able to improve the proposal, for example by challenging conflicting responses, overcoming adverse effects or harnessing economic, social or environmental opportunities that were not originally anticipated at the outset of the proposal.

The online nature of the toolkit means that proposals can be assessed and modified by several team members simultaneously from a number of locations, promoting and enhancing partnership working at all levels throughout Perth and Kinross.

UK CEED has developed a number of online toolkits which assist local authorities, regional development agencies, businesses and individuals to make more informed decisions about sustainability.

To find out more about UK CEED’s Integrated Appraisal Toolkits please call John Pickstone or Sarah Weaving on 01733 311644.

- ENDS –

About UK CEED

A charitable foundation established in 1984 by leading figures from the business, government and scientific communities. The centre aims to demonstrate benefits to business and the economy of good environmental practice. This is achieved through research, promotion of good practice, provision of policy advice to government and business, demonstration projects and engagement activities.

About Perth and Kinross

Situated in the heart of Scotland, Perth and Kinross is renowned for its outstanding quality of life, exhilarating scenery, rich heritage, the hospitality and creativity of its people, which makes it a fantastic place to live, work and visit.

Perth & Kinross Council is a large, diverse organisation which works for the benefit of all the citizens and communities of the area. The Council delivers or facilitates a wide range of services which impact on almost every aspect of people’s lives, at every stage of their lives, including education, roads, housing, care for vulnerable people, parks, street cleansing, economic development and refuse collection.

This year the awards linked with Race Online 2012, the national campaign for digital inclusion led by the Government’s Digital Champion Martha Lane Fox.

The winning digital inclusion project was the NHS Choices ‘Libraries Inclusion Programme’ which aims to tackle health inequalities and improve the health of excluded groups through digital engagement programmes in libraries.

The judges singled out one organisation for special recognition for a true, long-term commitment to promoting digital inclusion: Bristol based social enterprise, Knowle West Media Centre. This project demonstrated considerable social benefits creating jobs and building skills as well as changing community perception in one of the most deprived areas in the country.

The awards highlighted independent living projects, such as the winning entry, Self Help Services’ ‘Community Based Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Services’ programme which aims to deliver Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Services (cCBT) to those experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems within non-stigmatising community settings.

The Sustainable Use of ICT in schools category saw the title of winner to the Djanogly City Academy Nottingham, Nottingham Blue Coat and Technology College and Fernwood Schools’ ‘Energy Reduction Project’ run by students from 3 schools looking at innovative ways to halve the Academy’s energy consumption.

There were an impressive variety of projects designed to improve public services. The winning entry, ‘One Link’, an Isle of Wight Council project which provides a ‘one-stop-shop’ for information which empowers people with long-term health and social care needs to better manage their condition.

Looking at the area of green IT, the Energy Efficiency category was topped by TelecityGroup’s Energy Management Programme, which is improving the environmental efficiency of its data centres through innovative operation and design.

The judges selected Consense as the overall winner of this year’s awards for their ‘Open Debate Online Consultation System’.  In 2005 Consense launched the online tool which enables businesses to put forward their plans to local communities and engage in discussion helping to form a planning system. It is unique in that it aims to engage the silent majority – those who may not have much free time, are without a preconceived opinion or are in support but don’t realise the value of their comment. All this makes for much more of a balanced and accurate account of public opinion.

In her keynote address at the awards, Saeeda Begum, a Cabinet Office Social Enterprise Ambassador and Director of Trescom, praised the finalists for being at the forefront of innovation in ICT for environmental and social improvement and encouraged other organisations to follow the best practice demonstrated by this year’s winners.

Following the event the dissemination of best practice will be further facilitated by the publication of an award digital magazine with details of all the highly commended and winning projects with film, photos and articles.

For a full list of finalists and further information on the National eWell-Being Awards visit sustainitawards.co.uk or contact Sarah Weaving at UK CEED on 01733 311644 or s.weaving@ukceed.org.

Forty two finalist organisations gathered last night at the National eWell-Being Awards 2010 at a ceremony held at the UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside offices in Leeds.  The awards conceived by the charity UK CEED and sponsored by Unison and Becta, are now in their 8^th year and this year received 120 entries for projects demonstrating the innovative application of Information Communication Technology for social and environmental improvement.

This year the awards linked with Race Online 2012, the national campaign for digital inclusion led by the Government’s Digital Champion Martha Lane Fox.

The winning digital inclusion projects were the highly commended project ‘Connect with IT’, the Age UK’s national digital inclusion campaign, run in partnership with BT and designed to support people in later life to build social capital; and the winning entry, the NHS Choices ‘Libraries Inclusion Programme’ which aims to tackle health inequalities and improve the health of excluded groups through digital engagement programmes in libraries.

The judges singled out one organisation for special recognition for a true, long-term commitment to promoting digital inclusion.  That organisation is the Bristol based social enterprise, Knowle West Media Centre. This project demonstrated considerable social benefits creating jobs and building skills as well as changing community perception in one of the most deprived areas in the country.

The awards highlighted independent living projects, such as the highly commended ‘Shropshire Council Telly Talk’, Shropshire Council’s innovative project which enables those living in rural and remote areas to access various public services without needing to drive or get a bus to the nearest county town; and the winning entry, Self Help Services’ ‘Community Based Computerised Cognitive Behavioural Services’ programme which aims to deliver Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Services (cCBT) to those experiencing mild to moderate mental health problems within non-stigmatising community settings.

The Sustainable Use of ICT in schools category saw the highly commended prize go to ‘PrintSmart’, an East Lothian Council initiative which gives print and copying control back to schools with the overall aim of “less printing to less devices” and the title of winner to the Djanogly City Academy Nottingham, Nottingham Blue Coat and Technology College and Fernwood Schools’ ‘Energy Reduction Project’ run by students from 3 schools looking at innovative ways to halve the Academy’s energy consumption.

There were an impressive variety of projects designed to improve public services, such as the highly commended ‘Telehealth for Long term Conditions within Argyll and Bute’, a NHS Highland Argyll & Bute Council project which uses ‘Home Pod’, a device which gathers information from a patient and is then sent by wireless broadband or telephony to a server for monitoring by a clinician; and the winning entry, ‘One Link’, an Isle of Wight Council project which provides a ‘one-stop-shop’ for information which empowers people with long-term health and social care needs to better manage their condition.

Looking at the area of green IT, the Energy Efficiency category included projects such as the joint highly commended ‘BroadLeaf’ by VeryPC, a desktop PC solution that takes into consideration sustainability throughout the product life cycle producing a low carbon aluminium chassis as well as moving manufacturing to nearby Hull; and the other joint highly commended Student Switch Off, a project conceived and implemented by young entrepreneur Dr Neil Jennings that encourages students to adopt simple energy saving measures such as switching off lights and appliances in university halls of residences. The winning project, TelecityGroup’s Energy Management Programme, is improving the environmental efficiency of its data centres through innovative operation and design.

The judges selected Consense as the overall winner of this year’s awards for their ‘Open Debate Online Consultation System’.  In 2005 Consense launched the online tool which enables businesses to put forward their plans to local communities and engage in discussion helping to form a planning system. It is unique in that it aims to engage the silent majority – those who may not have much free time, are without a preconceived opinion or are in support but don’t realise the value of their comment. All this makes for much more of a balanced and accurate account of public opinion.

In her keynote address at the awards, Saeeda Begum, a Cabinet Office Social Enterprise Ambassador and Director of Trescom, praised the finalists for being at the forefront of innovation in ICT for environmental and social improvement and encouraged other organisations to follow the best practice demonstrated by this year’s winners.

Following the event the dissemination of best practice will be further facilitated by the publication of an award digital magazine with details of all the highly commended and winning projects with film, photos and articles.

The winning, highly commended and shortlisted projects chosen by the judging panel in each category were:

For more information on the National eWell-Being Awards visit www.sustainitawards.co.uk or contact Sarah Weaving or John Pickstone at UK CEED on 01733 311644 or s.weaving@ukceed.org.

The National eWell-Being Awards, launched in 2002, is the UK’s only national awards programme that identifies and promotes the economic, environmental and social benefits of Information and Communication Technology (ICT). The Awards are now entering their 8th successive year, and since their launch have earned a high level of awareness and recognition, generating substantial media interest and coverage and support from a range of public, private and voluntary sector organisations. By raising this awerness, it is hoped that these ICT projects are replicated across the UK.

Over 120 entries were received this year, and the judges had a tough job to whittle them down to the 41 finalists. Short listed entrants will be invited to attend the awards event on June 16th at the offices of UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside in Leeds, attended by senior representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors, where the winning and commended initiatives will be announced.

“We would like to congratulate all the organisations who have made it to the final of the 2010 National eWell-Being Awards,” said Chris Murray, CEO, UK CEED. “Despite the difficulties of the current economic climate we were extremely impressed by the scale and quality of the work that is still being done throughout the country and the real benefit this work is bringing to people’s lives.”

UKCEED is grateful for the support of Becta, the government agency leading the drive to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology throughout learning.

To find out more about the eWell-Being Awards, including the shortlist, visit: sustainitawards.co.uk or call SustainIT on 01733 311644.

One of the most important challenges Europe will face in the 21^st century are its water challenges, which threaten its sustainable development and economic growth and have a large effect on health issues around the continent. The growth potential for innovative water technologies and services to address these challenges is enormous and currently at a yearly pace of 10%. Europe has the most instruments in place but their effective implementation is lacking.

As Samantha Demaio, Project Officer says “The Innowater project is designed to provide support, tools and delivery mechanisms in sustainable water and wastewater to address the water crisis. Europe is at the forefront of water and wastewater innovative technology but such technologies face difficulty in reaching the market. This is where the Innowater project, made up of a number of experts such as UK CEED is going to help.”

The partnership consists of public innovation agencies, water associations and technology specialists, innovation experts and eco-innovative cluster organisations from Belgium, Cyprus, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK. The UK partners include UK CEED, EEDA and Envirolink Northwest.

The project is coordinated by the European Water Partnership and supported by the European Commission Europe Innova programme.

Gareth Jones, Project Manager says “We are very excited to be working with our European partners in developing ways in which to address the growing global water crisis. Research shows that per year in Britain alone we use enough water to fill 2.6 million Olympic sized swimming pools.[1] We will offer our expertise to help find and develop positive and long-standing solutions that will benefit us all.”

The first Innowater ‘Kick-Off’ meeting took place in Brussels in February and a progress meeting is scheduled for August.

The 2010 National eWell-Being Awards are now open for entries from initiatives demonstrating how Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) can help improve people’s lives and reduce our impact on the environment.

The 2010 Award categories are:

• Better Ways of Working
• Building Community Networks
• SME Innovation Award
• Sustainable Use of ICT in Schools
• Race Online 2012 – Reaching the Digitally Excluded
• Improving Public Services
• Independent Living
• Energy Efficiency

Short listed entrants will be invited to attend a drinks reception on June 16^th, attended by senior representatives from the public, private and voluntary sectors, where the winning and commended initiatives will be announced.

Winning a National eWell-Being Award can provide your organisation with high profile recognition for environmental good practice and showcase your work to a national and international audience.

This year we are delighted to welcome Becta who are sponsoring the new category of ‘Sustainable use of ICT in Schools.’ “Becta is delighted to be supporting this year’s National eWell-Being Awards. As the government agency leading the national drive to ensure the effective and innovative use of technology throughout learning, we are committed to supporting innovative ICT projects which bring real environmental benefits to the education sector.” – Dr. Stephen Lucey, Executive Director, Strategic Technologies.

We are also delighted to announce Martha Lane Fox, Champion for Digital Inclusion will be presenting the Race Online 2012 – Reaching the Digitally Excluded Award. “I am delighted to be presenting this award – my life has been transformed by technology and our Race Online 2012 campaign wants to bring all the benefits of the web to the most socially and economically disadvantaged” says Martha Lane Fox.

We are also pleased to welcome the continued support of Unison and PC Pro.

To find out more about the 2010 National eWell-Being Awards, including further information on the categories, and to submit an entry please visit www.sustainitawards.co.uk or call 01733 311644. The closing date for receipt of completed forms is Friday 23^rd April 2010.