Businesses where saving the planet's just as important as making a profit

Jun 10 2008

Reducing carbon emissions can only be achieved if everyone gets involved. Businesses across the region are finding innovative ways to do their bit. PATRICE JOHN spoke to some of them to find out what they were doing to improve the environment and go green.

FIFTEEN years ago landscaping company Jack Moody decided to branch out into recycling and composting at its Hollybush Garden Centre in Wolverhampton.

However, this was not enough of an environmental leap for the company which was concerned about the energy efficiency of its heating system.

Bosses opted to install a small biomass-fired combined heat and power plant to heat the garden centre and produce electricity for the whole site which would run off wood fuel from the green waste already produced.

To meet the high costs they applied for an interest-free loan from the Carbon Trust and since then have reported massive cuts in fuel bills and carbon emissions.

Robert Moody, of Jack Moody Ltd, says: "We have about 25,000 tonnes of surplus woody residue each year following the composting cycle at our recycling unit.

"Utilising this waste as a bio-fuel was an obvious way of not only reducing wastage but also harnessing eco-friendly energy.

"Despite the project costing a great deal, the interest-free loan from the Carbon Trust helped immensely and helped us to invest in our future in more ways than one."

The total cost of the project was £450,000 and the Carbon Trust awarded £100,000 towards the cost of it.

Jack Moody Ltd decided to go ahead with the scheme as they estimated they would save £48,370 and 431.5 tonnes of CO2 per year.

Based simply on the money saved on energy costs, the £100,000 interest free loan would have a payback of just over two years.