Sustainability West Midlands names Top 50 green leaders for the region
THE TOP 50 GREEN LEADERS IN THE WEST MIDLANDS
(in alphabetical order)
Janet Bailey
Staffordshire Business & Environment Network provides environmental support, training and awareness raising to business members across the whole of Staffordshire.
As Chair, Janet has encouraged the adoption of good environmental management systems and sustainable development.
She was instrumental in developing the networking side of the organisation, in particular the adoption of best practice.
Richard Baines
Through Richard, Black Country Housing Group has pioneered many of the technologies that today’s green innovators are only now installing, from heat pumps, rain harvesting and super-insulation in 1997 to the world’s first fuel cell based CHP system in 2001.
Richard was appointed director of sustainable development in 2006 and continues to tackle the challenge of sustainability – his latest success being the establishment of the region’s first fuel cell manufacturing business.
Richard Beard
Under Richard’s leadership the Jericho Foundation works with people who experience significant barriers to employment, training or social inclusion.
He brings private sector experience to Jericho, developing new businesses with a commercial eye and social purpose.
Hundreds of clients go through Jericho’s processes each year, gaining experience and confidence that permits them to get back into more normal social life.
Phil Beardmore
Phil established the climate change team in Groundwork and has directed its various activities effectively and strategically.
He was chair of the climate change partnership for three years and has done as much as possible within that role to bring forward the city’s climate change action plan.
He was instrumental in setting up the Faith and Climate Change project and has maintained a steering group role in this.
He also contributes significantly to Balsall Heath Is Our Planet, Susmo and Castle Vale Environment Trust.
Cllr Anthony Blagg
Since being elected in 2005 Anthony has been a Member Sustainability Champion for Worcestershire County Council and is now Cabinet Member for Waste and Sustainability.
Worcestershire has gained Beacon Status for Climate Change.
Cllr Blagg was Chairman of a Scrutiny Task Group entitled “Tackling Climate Change.”
He was instrumental in setting up Bromsgrove Transition Town and worked with other successful examples as Malvern and Worcester Transition Towns.
David Brown
As CEO of IChemE, David has strongly promoted the sustainability agenda as a major driver for chemical, biochemical and process engineering professionals and for the companies that depend on these areas of engineering.
He is actively involved in Science City, where low carbon energy is a major theme of the Research Alliance, and is chairman of the steering group for CABLED, the largest of the current set of electric vehicle trial projects in the UK.
Keith Budden
Over the past five years Keith has stood out as a pioneer and visionary in bringing sustainability into the mainstream across all sectors within Birmingham.
As the BeBirmingham local strategic partnership lead on Sustainable Development, Keith has pursued a daring and ambitious campaign of bringing sustainability into the board rooms of both regional and local government, the third sector, the Chamber of Commerce and the educational sector.
He chaired the Birmingham Environmental Partnership which oversaw development of the Birmingham Climate Change Strategy.
Michele Campbell
Michele was the key lead in the Cross Street South development in Wolverhampton; Bromford developed 30 eco-friendly homes in a very disadvantaged part of Wolverhampton.
Michele has been very enthusiastic about showcasing the scheme to partners and other regeneration practitioners, bringing together other members of her team involved in the development, to share the successes but also the challenges and the lessons learnt.
Michael Chesshire
Michael works for BiogenGreenfinch whose anaerobic digestion plants process food waste and other organic wastes and use it as a fuel to make renewable energy and a biofertiliser rich in nutrients.
Michael is a director of the Renewable Energy Association and a visiting professor at the University of Southampton.
He has served as a member of AWM’s environmental business cluster opportunity group and was a member of the DEFRA Anaerobic Digestion Task Group in 2009. Michael also lectures at the Centre of Alternative Technology (CAT).
John Christophers
John’s home is the UK’s first zero carbon retrofit to Code for Sustainable Homes level 6, showing that it is possible to convert existing stock into zero carbon housing.
Throughout the project he has shared information and involved the local school, students and community groups.
The scheme has just received an RIBA Award for Architecture. At Associated Architects, he has designed many low energy buildings.
These include Cobtun in Worcester, using sustainable clay construction and winner of the RIBA national Sustainability Award in 2005.
John Daft
John has driven the sustainability agenda in Birse Civils’ construction project in Selly Oak, Birmingham.
His initiatives include the use of over 1,000 tyre bales to construct a canal diversion instead of traditional materials, saving over 1,000 tonnes of virgin material usage and 375 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
By sourcing 130,000 tonnes of recycled aggregate from a nearby construction project, he saved 130,000 tonnes of virgin aggregate and over 13,200 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Barry Davies
Barry established a continual improvement process to allow AF Blakemore to measure and minimise its environmental impact.
The company has witnessed year-on-year improvements across its environmental impacts which have been achieved through the introduction of a number of key initiatives including a £750,000 investment in a company owned recycling centre.
Barry has also led business-to-business study tours of the Blakemore recycling centre to promote the work that Blakemore do and inspire other companies to follow this example.
Paul Davies
For Wates, Paul promotes the green agenda in the social housing industry.
He produced a Resident Green Guide to help educate them on the impact their behaviour has on the environment.
Paul has led staff in developing standardised solutions to comply with the code for sustainable homes to deliver more cost effective solutions.
He also acts as an advisor to the Wates Group on carbon reduction.
He has reduced his personal carbon footprint by 40 per cent from 2007 and targets at least a 10 per cent reduction year on year towards his goal of being a “zero carbon citizen.”
Richard Davies
As executive director of Marches Energy Agency Richard created and developed its five core project delivery teams which have each amassed a portfolio of successful projects in sustainable energy, many of which are recognised as examples of best practice.
The development, design and delivery of training, to disseminate best practice and build capacity of organisations, has been one of his key roles.
He is also a Sustainable Energy Beacon Council Coach & Mentor and a Lead Local Improvement Advisor in climate change and environmental leadership for the national Regional Improvement & Efficiency Partnership.
Laura Davis
Laura leads the community agriculture initiative in Sandwell and has enabled the creation of a successful, sustainable, award winning community agriculture initiative, Growing Opportunities.
With her team, she established high quality therapeutic and market gardens which are fully accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds and has developed a cohort of skilled community agriculture practitioners.
She developed Sandwell’s Growing Healthy Communities Strategy which has been adopted by Sandwell Partnership.
Alys Fowler
Alys is the head gardener for BBC Gardeners World and has a TV series The Edible Garden based on her garden and community work in Birmingham.
In this programme Fowler explores the possibilities and limitations of community self-sustainability in the urban environment of South Birmingham.
This has inspired a range of people to live lower impact lifestyles through community gardening, and growing food as part of a small garden.
Natasha Giaquinto
Natasha has set up a group she called The Hive which is attempting to advance education on sustainable issues, for example permaculture, sustainable shopping and relieving unemployment.
This involves helping to give volunteers new skills they would not gain anywhere else, employing local people and providing recreational and leisure activities for young volunteers.
The Hive is constructing an ‘earthship’, a carbon neutral building designed to be completely sustainable.
Maud Grainger
Faith and Climate Change (FCC) works with people of faith to engage them in environmental issues.
As the project manager, Maud has created FCC and built the project to be a regionally and nationally recognised exemplar of interfaith working.
The project works with all 11 recognised faith groups within Birmingham and is explicitly multi-faith in its delivery.
Russell Granville
As a product development manager for Amcor, a multi-national company, Russell makes an impact on the packaging produced by them and influences new products developed at their site in Ledbury and other Amcor sites.
He also visits Amcor’s major customers where his passion and enthusiasm for the green products he and his team create is totally infectious, but backed with hard facts which have resulted in the company winning many prestigious accounts.
Russell is also a founder member and Chairman of Amcor’s voluntary Environmental Action Committee where he has been instrumental in altering the culture of the company.
Jane Green
Jane has been strongly involved in several campaigns.
She is currently coordinating the ‘2020 Zero Waste’ project.
This arose from the campaign for a low carbon sustainable alternative to the proposed replacement incinerator for Coventry, Solihull & Warwickshire.
Jane has been very instrumental in helping to push waste sustainability up the agenda.
She has given press, radio and TV interviews, presentations at the scrutiny boards of all three involved councils and spoken at the Innovative Futures Conference.
She has helped organise a first meeting with relevant academics and practitioners with the aim of establishing a ‘2020 Zero Waste’ network.
Phil Harris
Phil’s career has spanned 38 years in building services engineering and energy management in the healthcare and local authority sectors.
A chartered manager and an active member of several professional institutions, he serves on the Energy Institute West Midlands branch committee, acts as a volunteer assessor of Chartered Environmentalist candidates, and is vice-president of the national society of Local Government Chief Engineers, SCEME.
Ian Housley
Ian has singlehandedly raised the profile of sustainability across the whole of Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service work programmes.
This has gone from high profile work such as the installation of a 50kWp solar PV system at the headquarters in Stone to setting up the Cycle To Work scheme with 25 per cent of staff now cycling to work on a daily basis.
Ian made sure that sustainability and renewables were at the heart of the rebuilding or refurbishing of ten fire stations across the County.
Dr Susan Juned
She is a Senior Consultant for Greenwatt Technology and is involved in a number of initiatives including co-ordination of the Warwickshire Low Carbon Vehicles Forum, project advisor for the first UK trial for an electric public transport bus system, senior researcher for the Warwickshire County Council Construction Waste Recovery Programme and renewable energy projects.
She founded the BREW Centre for Local Authorities aimed at supporting local authorities and the small business community with recycling infrastructure.
In her community, she has led on Fairtrade and local food initiatives and important work on flood prevention and recovery.
Gerald Kells
Gerald’s first campaign was with local residents in Sandhills concerned about development in the Green Belt.
He chaired the alliance against the Birmingham Northern Relief Road working with communities up and down the route of the Toll Road.
He also advised campaigners on the Kidderminster Hagley Bypass and Western Orbital Motorway.
More locally he has given advice freely to Walsall residents who want to understand their environmental rights. He was a founding member of the West Midlands Regional Sustainability Forum.
Adam Kennerley
Adam co-founded the Household Energy Service (HES) to give local communities responsibility for managing the performance of the energy they consumed.
He trained volunteers to carry out home energy surveys that a qualified energy officer turned into energy saving recommendations.
Light Foot Enterprises was created by him to develop and deliver HES and to bring to life other social enterprises that allow communities to take on activities that help bring about their sustainable future.
Farm Carbon is the latest of his developments and aims to work with farmers across south Shropshire to help them cut emissions.
Professor Julia King CBE
Julia has been instrumental in developing a realistic and workable university environmental sustainability strategy at Aston.
The Sustainable Aston Working Group, an interdisciplinary group of academics, support staff and students, reports to the university executive and was established on the personal initiative of Professor King with a corporate Environmental Policy adopted in December 2007.
Aston’s ranking in the Universities Green League has improved from 93rd in 2007 to 5th in 2010.
Jacky Lawrence
Jacky is Warwickshire County Council (WCC) energy manager who wrote their first energy policy and contributed with many colleagues to WCC’s increasing activity on sustainable development.
She arranged renewable energy study tours for members and the first energy security of supply public debate with members.
She worked with colleagues to secure funding for energy efficiency invest-to-save schemes.
She led the development of the Warwickshire Climate Change Partnership (WCCP) and initiated the successful award winning Switch it Off campaign across Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Coventry.
Peter Laybourn
Peter is chief exeuctive of International Synergies Limited (ISL) which delivers the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) which Peter devised from the industrial symbiosis model.
ISL’s global portfolio has led to the West Midlands hosting delegations from across the world, bringing industrial tourist revenues and opening up prospects for environmental technology companies to access international export opportunities.
Professor Quentin Leiper CBE
Quentin initiated and led the development of Carillion’s first sustainability strategy and ensured it was embedded into the overall business strategy process.
He is a regular lecturer and speaker on sustainability and engineering matters at universities and conferences.
Sustainability was a key focus of his year as the president of the Institution of Civil Engineers.
He was the founding editor of the Institution of Civil Engineers Proceedings journal Engineering Sustainability.
He was awarded a CBE for his services to the sustainability agenda and civil engineering.
Michael Lilley
Michael is the founder of the social enterprise, My Time, a sustainable mental health service that embraces the concept of representing the communities that it serves.
Michael developed the use of garden and nature in therapy that enables people experiencing trauma to benefit from non-talking therapies in a garden based in inner city Birmingham.
The garden and his methodology have been promoted in numerous countries.
Fiona Loveland
In Birmingham’s Brindleyplace, Fiona has implemented an innovative waste management scheme and has embarked on ISO 14001 accreditation.
This has improved communication and heightened awareness of the importance of environmental management and the variety of benefits that this type of programme can deliver, both with the on site team, tenants, contractors and suppliers.
George Martin
As head of sustainability for Willmott Dixon, George has led on sustainability workshops for staff for every project and developed a DVD to educate all staff.
He plans that by 2012, the organisation will send zero waste to landfill.
For 2007 they measured that 60 per cent of waste had been diverted from landfill.
He is also developing a sustainable procurement strategy.
He has undertaken an award-winning low-carbon renovation of his own home.
Tony McNally
For 25 years Tony has organised conferences, exhibitions, seminars, training and other projects on environmental engaging business, public sector and NGOs.
His conferences and other events have brought some of the UK’s and Europe’s highest profile academic institutions together with multi-national businesses to speak on this agenda in the West Midlands.
He founded the campaigning not for profit company Climate Change Solutions.
He also contributed to the promotion of fuel cells and of the academic and business members of the fuel cell community in the West Midlands.
David Middleton
David formed the Midlands Environmental Business Club to raise awareness of best practice and highlight business opportunity in operating sustainable business policies across the Midlands.
He is the chief executive of the Business Council for Sustainable Development – UK which has 40 member companies and is very active in promoting sustainable values.
In 2009 David was responsible for organising 20 workshops/seminars nationally, bringing together prominent speakers to share their messages and hold debates.
Tim Pollard
As Head of Sustainability for Wolseley UK Tim delivers the company’s strategy for sustainable construction products and development of the most low impact supply chain in the industry.
He was instrumental in creating the concept of developing Wolseley’s purpose-built facility to showcase sustainable construction products.
The result has been the provision of a completely unique facility which attracts construction professionals from all over the UK to visit Leamington Spa to both experience the products and to understand the possibilities and supply chain implications.
Sue Prince OBE
Sue developed a global award winning eco-tourism business, which endeavours to demonstrate best sustainable practice to guests and other businesses.
She is an eco-tourism consultant, Chair of the Sustainable Tourism Action Group for Staffordshire within Destination Staffordshire and sustainable development champion of the Governing Council of Keele University.
She led and influenced the development of sustainable principles of several business groups.
Vijith Randenija
As the chief fire officer for West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) Vijith has pursued environmental issues and one of the first major projects was to have an award winning, BREEAM excellent rated Headquarters building.
Following his leadership, the service has implemented many supporting strategies and projects on the environment.
WMFS work to prevent fires reduces the subsequent release of CO2.
WMFS works in partnership with Birmingham & Black Country Wildlife Trust and the Environment Agency to limit the negative effects of fire fighting on the environment.
Matthew Rhodes
Matthew founded Encraft to provide impartial, technically-meaningful advice to homeowners on energy efficiency and small-scale renewables projects.
He has grown the company into a unique consulting engineering organisation, focused on small-scale and community energy projects.
He authored the strategy document ‘The Birmingham Green New Deal’ and is helping to bring two TSB Retrofit for the Future projects to the West Midlands, and is leading Encraft’s contribution to AWM’s RESCO project.
Mark Sitton-Kent
Mark became the Environment Agency’s (EA) Midlands regional director in 2006.
He has initiated and supported a series of wide ranging initiatives and activities benefiting staff, communities, the public sector and businesses in the Midlands.
He led EA Midlands to reach its water reduction target of 25 per cent and to reduce energy use by 17 per cent.
He initiated the Faith Leaders Roundtable project to bring together local and regional faith leaders to improve their local environment.
He ensured that EA Midlands addressed many of the recommendations made in the Pitt Review of the 2007 Floods.
David Smith
As chief executive of Jaguar Land Rover, David made environmental innovation one of three strategic passions.
He set internal targets to improve product and business footprint emissions by 25 per cent over five years.
He encouraged his team to develop an ambitious £800 million research and technology agenda with close links to local universities and supplier partners to introduce a wide range of CO2 reduction technologies.
He championed a company-wide environmental innovation communications program and annual environmental innovation awards.
Paul Sutton
Paul has worked tirelessly to promote the issues of climate change and the solutions that can be deployed across new and existing housing stock.
He led South Shropshire Housing Association to adopt its first sustainable buildings strategy which committed the organisation to a carbon neutral position by 2033.
As a director of Sustainable Housing Action Partnership he has been the voice of rural communities.
Cllr Paul Tilsley
Paul is Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council and leads on promoting sustainability.
He was instrumental in the development of the Birmingham District Energy Company.
He ensured that the Birmingham Climate Change Action Plan was approved and that the target of a 60 per cent reduction in the city’s overall carbon emissions by 2026 was endorsed.
He supported the development of the Green New Deal pilot programme and the first-ever Climate Change Festival.
Peter Ulleri
Peter has his own logistics consultancy, 2050 Logistics Limited, which helps businesses of all sizes to become more resource efficient and reduce their environmental impact.
He has produced the UK’s first comprehensive Glossary of Green Terms, presented at various conferences and seminars on sustainability, and has offered expert support and advice to Sefton DC regarding their Local Transport Plan.
He has also developed a behavioural change programme, SCO2RE, aimed at football clubs.
Chris Vaughan
Chris played a key role in establishing Summerfield’s Residents’ Association which advised that the regeneration of Summerfield should include energy conservation.
This led to Birmingham’s first eco village which has had over 2,000 visitors to see what has been achieved.
He is a community representative on the Urban Living Board and is Chair of the Summerfield and Winson Green Patient Network.
He is on the advisory committee for the Resident University who run seminars, lectures and courses on community empowering know-how.
Kevin White
Kevin has led a number of groups and projects for several years including Redditch Freecycle to rehome unwanted items, Redditch Green Fair to promote eco-friendly sustainable living, Redditch Veggies & Vegans to promote healthy compassionate eco-friendly living and regional fairs and festivals including the annual West Midlands Vegan Festival in Wolverhampton and Veggie Pride UK.
Kevin also founded The Campaign for Eco-Veganism and has played a key role in many other groups including Redditch Friends of the Earth & Redditch Trade Justice Network.
Andy Whyle
As environment officer of Ricoh UK Products, Andy instigated their corporate membership of the Shropshire Wildlife Trust, leading two conservation projects.
As Chair of Business Environment Support Scheme Telford, he launched a pilot project involving three organisations carrying out biodiversity surveys to improve the area’s wildlife corridor.
He is a member of the Re:Think Energy Organisers group in Staffordshire and the NISP West Midlands Professional Advisory Group. He also supports various universities and schools with visits and presentations.
Gareth Williams
Gareth is the owner and managing director of Caplor Farm, a rural business in Herefordshire with the vision to ‘develop, diversify and positively contribute towards enhancing a sustainable community’. Gareth is an early adopter of microgeneration technology setting up a renewable energy installation business, Caplor Energy and installing a 15kW onsite wind turbine and a 9.7kW solar PV system.
He has created employment for two local graduates and has provided three green placements for unemployed graduates.
He is leading a carbon offsetting project in The Gambia.
He is active in pioneering sustainable farming practices such as fuel efficient tractors and using minimum tillage.
Andrew Thomas Woods
Over 36 years Andrew has worked on many projects all delivering new trees for the future and useable timber products for many uses.
He has led his partnership to plant in approximately 50,000 trees this year and well over a million since the start of his career.
He organised a community project under the ‘living spaces’ scheme at High House Wood in the parish of Lickey and Blackwell to turn a neglected woodland into a valuable nature reserve and green living on the edge of Birmingham.
Peter Woodward
Peter is Chair of the Coventry Partnership Environment Theme Group which has projects that include a detailed aerial thermal survey of the city shortly to go public, over £4 million in funding for district heating schemes and a successful garden organic programme.
Peter also led on the establishment of the Coventry 2020 Low Carbon Task Group consider how to make the city low carbon by 2020. Peter also facilitated work with the major carbon emitters in the city to pilot a carbon management process with Energy Saving Trust.
Alan Yates
Alan and his team created “Green Tendering” in order to maximise environmental benefits through procurement. He also led on the establishment of an Environmental Consultancy, e2s, which provides environmental and other services across the Social Housing sector.
As director of regeneration at Accord Housing Association, he has actively led staff and Board members to expand environmental commitment across all of its activities leading to Accord achieving the ISO 14001 Environmental Standard.
