George Ferguson is calling on businesses from across Bristol and Bath to sign up to attend a business breakfast on Wednesday February 27 at which he, alongside Colin Skellett, the Local Enterprise Partnership Chair, will outline his vision for Bristol as a European Green Capital City.
The business breakfast will outline Bristol’s approach to winning the Award for 2015, details of the programme of activity that would take place throughout the city should Bristol win, and explore the enormous potential that the Award presents for job creation and inward investment across all sectors of the West of England economy.
The European Green Capital Award is given to a city which can act as a role model to inspire other cities and share best practices. Bristol came second to Copenhagen last year and is confident that it can win this time.
If successful, the award would help to reinforce Bristol’s reputation as the UK’s most sustainable city and help make the case to Government for using Bristol as a test-bed for new ideas. It would also give the city a platform from which to lobby hard on behalf of businesses for more freedom to explore opportunities for low carbon jobs.
Darren Hall, partnership manager at Bristol Green Capital, which is running the bid, said:
“The business breakfast presents a fantastic opportunity for companies across the region to find out more about the bid and how their support can help turn Bristol into a role model to inspire other European cities, and increase inward investment.
“Being a green capital is far more than just a plaque on a wall; it is a step on the journey to the Mayor’s 2020 vision for a low carbon city, and businesses are central to that proposition.
“Winning the award will raise our profile in Europe as a champion of environmental issues, but we need the support of businesses to help us take the next step and win it for 2015.”
The award is judged in two stages – firstly, through a technical assessment that looks at 12 subject areas such as energy, water consumption, waste, transport and green spaces. Bristol has already submitted this information and, if Bristol is shortlisted in April, the city will make a presentation of its bid to a Jury in May. The winner will be announced in June.
The free event takes place at Clarke Willmott on Wednesday February 27, starting at 8am.
