Green Awards For Leicestershire Social Enterprises
April 2008
Two Leicestershire social enterprises have been awarded Acorn Scheme certification for being eco-friendly.
Thorpete Gas Services, based in Ashby Road, Coalville, and Newlife Regeneration Construction, based in Glenfield Road, Leicester, have been given the award for striving to minimise their impact on the environment.
Thorpete, which provides gas servicing for house builders, social landlords and local authorities, and Newlife, which is a construction company, were audited last month.
The inspector found that they met the standards required for accreditation by the Acorn Scheme, which is designed to improve environmental practices in small and medium-sized businesses.
Some of the things that the organisations are committed to include promoting business and construction waste recycling, ensuring route planning for all drivers and training them to drive efficiently, using sustainable materials and methods of construction, promoting energy efficient boilers and encouraging energy efficiency in customers' homes.
Bev Thorp, Business Manager for Thorpete Gas Services, said: "Our environment is a precious resource and we must all strive to minimise our impact on it in anyway we can.
This certification shows that both Thorpete Gas Services and Newlife Regeneration Construction are committed to supporting all our customers to be as energy efficient as possible and in turn, saving them money."
Both organisations are part of The TREES Group, a group of social enterprises. A social enterprise is a business which is run to make a profit, which is invests surplus profit in community causes.
The TREES Group uses any surplus profit to set up new social enterprises in areas of social and economic deprivation to stimulate investment, regeneration and employment.
Newlife Regeneration Construction is a construction company which aims to create jobs in the deprived communities where it operates.
Thorpete Gas Services was founded to harness the skills and experience of British Gas engineers who had been made redundant.
The Group has recently spearheaded a national £1.5million competition, run in conjunction with the Department for Communities and Local Government and The Big Issue, to encourage social enterprise in the homelessness sector.
