Green Gateway
Local institute steals a march on climate change
Thames Gateway Institute for Sustainability (IfS) brings together leading companies and academia to tackle UK climate change
The unique partnership between leading private companies and academic institutions will help to educate the UK in waste management, dispel myths surrounding the industry, investigate sustainable construction and develop a skills base for the waste industry.
Private and public sector heavy weights and members of the IfS; Marks and Spencer, Veolia, Imperial College London, Southampton University, University College London, Biffa, construction companies Laing O' Rourke and Arup, and the Environment Agency will be hotly debating climate change on a regular basis.
Set to become a world class centre of excellence for delivering sustainability research and demonstration projects, the IfS aims to develop practical solutions to climate change and sustainability issues which will, in turn, creating jobs. Energy, waste, water, communications technology and transport will all be addressed by the collaboration.
The IfS is hoping to facilitate £50 million of demonstration activity over the next two years.
Veolia Environmental Services Managing Director and IfS Board Member Keith Riley said:
"We want to stop the myths and try to spread the understanding about how some technologies are used and why they are used. For example, as soon as the word ‘incineration' is said people draw breath but actually, there is a lot of sustainability in using thermal treatments. We need to get these barriers down through education."
He added: "My personal view is that we need to communicate on all levels of society. I think the big waste management issues now lie in the private sector such as factories and firms."
Other plans include helping to make people aware of funding streams and supporting applications for facilities. The group is also interested in developing a skills base within industry to encourage sustainability, and help construction become more sustainable by ensuring more recovered materials are used.