A Cumbrian business is set to share how it has embraced low carbon innovation at a regional summit.
Barker and Bland, based in Penrith, is one of 80 SMEs working with universities as part of a £14 million research and development project – Eco-I North West.
The project aims to enable a transition to a low carbon economy in all sectors.
Barker and Bland is a leading provider of peatland restoration services.
It is researching solutions to improve the state of UK peatlands, which emit 23.24 Mt of carbon equivalent annually.
The free-to-access webinar, Disruption, Innovation, Transformation. Climate Change: It’s Now or Never, takes place on Wednesday, October 20 between 10am and noon.
Kicking off the event will be keynote speaker Duncan Pollard, former vice president for sustainability at Nestle and director of conservation practice and policy at WWF, who will share his expertise on how to integrate, engage, and operationalise sustainable practice in business.
Delegates will then be invited to participate in three themed breakout sessions to discuss shared challenges, opportunities and to hear about some of the businesses working with Eco-I NW.
Nature-based solutions, hosted by Helen Wilkinson from Lancaster University Management School, will hear from Barker and Bland about its innovative work with the University of Cumbria on peatlands, and Biotech Services, which is working with Lancaster University to research how biomaterials can be used for novel biotechnological applications.
The event will be chaired by Prof Jess Davies, Director of the Centre for Global Eco-Innovation at Lancaster University said: “This virtual summit will be the first time all the key partners involved in Eco-I NW have been able to come together to ask the difficult questions about how we can approach key global challenges such as water supply and quality, waste, energy, resource efficiency, natural capital, air quality, and food security.
“Eco-I NW is the first project of its kind to open up such a huge academic regional resource to businesses and offers the opportunity for the North West to take the lead and benefit from the transition to a low carbon economy.
“I would encourage leaders of small and medium sized enterprises in the North West to sign up to the event and come along to understand how Eco-I NW could help them, and the planet.”
To register for Disruption, Innovation, Transformation. Climate Change: It’s Now or Never visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/disruption-innovation-transformation-climate-change-its-now-or-never-tickets-170309043935
