South Lakeland District Council has increased its commitment to supporting small businesses better manage their environmental impacts and reap the benefits of going green.

The Council has increased its contribution to its partnership with Green Small Business to offer a heavily subsidised deal for firms to get environmental advice and certification.

Green Small Business provides streamlined environmental management systems and net zero support for small businesses.

One of the business that have and use Green Small Business is Broadoaks Country House.

Tracey Robinson, co-owner of Broadoaks Country House hotel, near Troutbeck Bridge: “As owners of Broadoaks Country House we recognise that saving the environment around us is not only important to ourselves and our business but also to our customers and our staff.

“We have owned Broadoaks now for over 15 years and in that short time we know that some of the changes we have made to our business are already having a positive effect on the environment.

“Eg. Each one of the chandeliers in our main restaurant and hallway had 20 x 60w bulbs in them when we started looking at how we could go green. In the early days the energy saving bulbs that where available gave out a horrible light and could not be dimmed, but nowadays the technology in bulbs has changed so much that the light is much better and everything is now dimmable.

“And how easy is it now to have bathrooms with lights that automatically switch on when you walk in and the switch off again when the room is empty. Although we did have a bit of fun setting the timers in the early days so some of our poor guests ended up in the dark when they went to the loo for a sit down.

“We took the decision a few years ago to get some further assistance in helping us understand what other things we could do on a short term and long-term basis to manage impact that we have on the local environment.

“This is when we found Green Small Business and met its owner Tim Maiden. Tim is very knowledgeable about all things green and helped us put some structure into looking at what things we could do ASAP, and also what projects we could look at working on in the future.

“After our first meeting, Tim put together an environmental policy with us that is now on our web site, and also created a live action plan document for us to work through that covers all different aspects of our business.

“We meet with Green Small Business every year now to give them an update on what we have achieved and to get new and updated advice from him regarding any new schemes or technologies that we may wish to consider.”

Their environmental action planning and certification package, which includes 12 months Green Small Business certification, usually costs from £299.

South Lakeland District Council is paying 50 percent of these costs for businesses in South Lakeland.

Tim Maiden from Green Small Business said “Green Small Business provides a straightforward, low-hassle, low-cost way for you to manage the environmental impacts of your small business with tailored environmental policies and plans, green certification and support for becoming a net zero business.”

“We enable you to take practical and meaningful steps to improve the carbon and environmental performance of your business.

“Green Small Business certification can enhance the reputation of your business among customers and staff, increase the markets you can access and save you money.”

The package of support includes:

• A high-level but systematic review of the environmental impacts of the business (via video-call or phone);

• A draft environmental action plan and policy for the business, for you to adjust as necessary;

• 12 months Green Small Business certification.

The benefits to a small business of becoming Green Small Business certified include:

• Providing evidence of environmentally-friendly practices which can help secure contracts with government, public or private sector bodies;

• Saving money by understanding and managing how you use energy and water, where your raw materials come from and how you dispose of waste;

• Enhancing reputation by demonstrating commitment to the environment to clients, customers and potential customers;

• Improving your environmental performance by reducing resource use, energy use and waste.

Councillor Dyan Jones, South Lakeland District Council’s Portfolio Holder for Climate Action and Biodiversity, said: “It is great to see so many businesses in South Lakeland taking their environmental impacts seriously and taking steps to reduce them.

“We at South Lakeland District Council are delighted to be able to extend our offer, through Green Small Business, of expert support which will see more enterprises become increasingly energy efficient and environmentally aware.”

Councillor Robin Ashcroft, Portfolio Holder for Economy, Culture and Leisure, said: “Working with the environment in mind should not be seen as a blocker to success in business.

“Becoming Green Small Business certified can enhance a business’s viability, profitability and attraction to customers, clients and partners, and I would encourage any small business which hasn’t already done so to consider South Lakeland District Council’s subsidised offer of help.”

If you are a business based in South Lakeland, email info@greensmallbusiness.com to receive your discount code.

To find out more, go to https://greensmallbusiness.com/south-lakeland-business-support.