cumbria rural business support

South Lakeland businesses get support to go green

South Lakeland District Council (SLDC) has teamed up with Green Small Business to offer a heavily subsidised deal for firms to get environmental advice and certification.

South Lakeland businesses can get a half-price rate on a package of environmental advice and support, along with 12 months Green Small Business certification. If you are a business based in South Lakeland, email [email protected] and we’ll send you a discount code.

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

Why bother?

The decisions of customers and employees are increasingly informed by environmental concerns so getting environmental certification is a smart business move. It can also be a requirement for grant applications, tenders and supply contracts.

The Green Small Business approach is designed specifically for small businesses and organisations. Certification provides confirmation for customers and potential customers that a business is aware of its environmental impacts and that they are being actively managed. Renewing certification costs £199 every year, which is a fraction of the cost of other schemes designed with bigger businesses in mind.

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.

We work with bigger businesses too and they are also eligible for SLDC funding support. If you are a medium-sized or large business (more than 49 staff), book a call to discuss your requirements.

What others have said

Here’s some feedback from South Lakeland business owners who have already benefited from this support:

Green Small Business has helped us to understand how to get started and progress on our sustainability journey. Taking the carbon consumption out of our business seems a huge and daunting task and now we have a plan I feel much more confident in making a real difference.

Serena von der Heyde, Victorian House Hotel, Grasmere

Tim managed to pull together what would have taken us up to a year to do as a team. Tim has given us the focus, structure and coordination that we needed to understand what net-zero is, how we are going to get there, and what our plan is. We hope to continue to work with him into the future.”

Dan Visser, Langdale Estate
cumbria rural business support