AQMRC rolls out carbon support package for green SMEs

AQMRC have been working with South West SMEs on a range of carbon related business support activities through the Environmental Technologies iNet. Rose has been working one-on-one with selected companies to estimate the carbon emissions embedded in their products through lifecycle analysis and embedded carbon footprinting methods. This will help those companies with environmentally friendly products to capitalise on their green credentials, by being able to show commitment to environmental reporting and sustainability in their manufacturing and operations, as well as identify opportunities to further reduce their environmental impact and develop a carbon management strategy. It will also help emerging companies in meeting ever more stringent obligations placed on suppliers by major purchasers, themselves under increasing pressure to report environmental impacts.

For example, the results from one carbon assessment of an innovative new version of a product found that it:

• is responsible for 82% less carbon than the traditional product

• lasts four times as long as the traditional product, escalating the carbon saving to 95%

• has a transportation carbon impact of 97% less than the traditional product

• avoids 9.8 kg/CO₂e through the use of recycled materials

In addition to one-on-one support Rose, Enda and the Environmental iNet team also ran a two-day workshop on the carbon assessment of products, including lifecycle analysis, business incentives for reporting emissions, and ensuring legitimate 'green claims'. Businesses that attended varied from construction, biocrops, high-tech engineering to a zoo, but all went away with a bespoke lifecycle analysis carbon assessment inventory and toolkit and a framework for calculating the emissions from their products. 

The workshop was very popular and fully subscribed so will be running again soon – watch this space.

New Air Quality and Carbon Management Training

The Air Quality Management Resource Centre are now offering CPD training in the following Air Quality and Carbon Management courses (please click on the course name to access the webpage for descriptions and booking forms):

Introduction to Local Air Quality Management	08/11/2012
Review and Assessment: Updating and Screening Assessments & Progress Reports	09/11/2012
Environmental Permitting Regulations	22/11/2012
Review and Assessment: Detailed & Further Assessments	23/11/2012
Introduction to the Science of Climate Change	06/12/2012
Introduction to Climate Change Policy & Carbon Management	07/12/2012
Technical Guidance for LAQM: Monitoring, Modelling & Emissions Estimation	10/01/2013
Air Quality Action Plans and Action Plan Progress Reports	11/01/2013
Technical Introduction to Air Pollution Monitoring	24/01/2013
Integrating Air Quality Management into the Local Transport Planning Process	25/01/2013
Monitoring QAQC: Automatic Monitors and Diffusion Tubes	07/02/2013
Low Emission Zones and Strategies	08/02/2013
Dispersion Modelling & Model Validation, Verification & Adjustment	21/02/2013
Planning and Air Quality: Air Quality Assessments	22/02/2013
Consultation in Air Quality & Carbon Management / GIS for LAQM	07/03/2013
Sustainable Planning & Development: Local Development Framework & Healthy Urban Design	08/03/2013
Air Quality & Carbon Management: International Case Studies	21/03/2013
Action Planning: Behaviour Change & Innovative Technologies	22/03/2013

All of the Air Quality and Carbon Management short courses are run as single day sessions at the main Frenchay campus at UWE, Bristol, from 9.30 to 4.30 with one hour for lunch. The short courses are aimed primarily at professionals working in, or wishing to skill themselves to enter, the field of air quality and carbon management. However, they are equally applicable to those working in related fields such as transport, planning and energy management. The courses are accredited by the Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES) and the Institute of Air Quality Management (IAQM). The content of the short courses cover the breadth of air quality and carbon management including principles, policies, practices and integrated solutions. The fees are £150 per delegate with a 10% discount for three or more delegates from the same organisation.

For further information, contact Jo Barnes or the FET Short Course Unit.

MSc Air Quality and Carbon Management given the green light

The AQMRC, UWE's recently developed MSc Air Quality and Carbon Management was this morning accepted by the validation panel for delivery from September 2012. This qualification course is unique in drawing together the component aspects of air quality and carbon management, and the management-based and solutions-focused  approach is aimed at existing professionals or those wishing to enter the field. The course is also designed to cater for the flexible demands of this market with blended class/online learning and options to utilise work-based learning where appropriate. Details are available on the website, or contact Jo Barnes for further information.

Jo to co-deliver EPUK ‘Planning and Air Quality’ Training

The South West Region are holding a workshop ‘Planning and Air Quality – appraising air quality assessments in line with the EPUK guidance’ at Bristol’s CREATE centre on 13th September. The training morning is aimed at anyone who needs to assess, evaluate and make decisions based on air quality assessments submitted to support planning applications.
The morning will start with presentations relating to planning policy, the 2010 update of the EPUK Planning and Air Quality Guidance, and issues relating to modelling and monitoring which might be pertinent to air quality assessments.
Following the presentations, there will be a workshop in which delegates will appraise an example of an air quality assessment, using a checklist based on the EPUK guidance. The workshop element will be undertaken in small groups, with plenty of opportunity for discussion and debate around issues which local authorities face on a daily basis. There will also be an opportunity for a Q&A session on the theme of air quality and planning.
The Workshop starts with coffee at 9:30am and will finish by 1pm, cost £25 members, £50 non-members. Attendees will be able to purchase lunch at the Create Café or in a nearby public house. Please contact Pete Fryer at peter.fryer@bristol.gov.uk for a draft program and to book a place.

AQMRC welcomes international delegates to LAQM training session

This Friday (14th January) the AQMRC will be holding the next in their successful series of Air Quality and Carbon Management CPD courses: Introduction to Local Air Quality Management. Registered delegates include local authorities in the UK, but also three delegates from the Osun State Environmental Protection Agency in Nigeria. There are still places available; if you would like to attend, please register your details online. Further information about this, and other sessions in the series, is available on the training pages of the AQMRC website.

Mo attends GIS training in Germany

Mofoluso recently visited Infoterra, located in Immenstaad, Germany. The visit provided opportunity for hands-on experience with Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Satellite Image Processing and Applications, with specific emphasis on applications to emissions monitoring and inventorying. High resolution TerraSAR-X images were used to identify point, line and area sources of air pollutants within the Niger Delta. Emission stacks were also identified from the satellite images. The techniques of estimating stack heights from TerraSAR-X was demonstrated. This is particularly useful for data gathering over cloudy and inaccessible regions. The experience will form an invaluable asset to his PhD research, especially in the area of data gathering, identifying sources of emissions for emissions inventorying, and estimating stack heights useful for dispersion modelling. Click here to access Mo’s research page.

AQMRC CPD training success continues

Following the success of this year’s Air Quality and Carbon Management CPD courses, AQMRC is pleased to announce that the training opportunities will continue into 2011. The next session will be Introduction to Local Air Quality Management on 14th January followed by Introduction to Carbon Management on 8th February. The full schedule of courses is available on the AQMRC website and you can book your place online. Book three or more courses to receive 15% discount!

Introduction to Air Pollution training day success

Attendees at last Friday's 'Introduction to Air Pollution' training day reported very positive feedback, commenting that the course gave "a very good introduction" and "both the food and venue were of a high quality". The course covered, sources and effects of air pollution, chemistry and meteorology.

This was just one of a series of one-day IAQM and IES accredited CPD courses run by the Air Quality Management Resource Centre at UWE, Bristol. Further details of other courses in the series are available on the AQMRC website. Click here to register your interest or book online. Book three or more courses and get 15% discount!

Please note that the next session will be Introduction to Local Air Quality Management on 14th January (Introduction to Carbon Management has been postponed to 8th February).

Air Quality and Carbon Management CPD available from UWE

With the recent multitude of changes to the LAQM process and the increasing predominance of climate change on the political agenda, now is the time for employers and staff to ensure that they are in command of all the facts.

The University of the West of England’s Air Quality Management Resource Centre (AQMRC) have developed a range of training and development opportunities to build skills and understanding in the fields of air quality and carbon management. Whether you are a recent graduate or needing to update your skills in an existing role, this training will give you the opportunity to focus your development in a way that is specific to your needs and requirements.

Supported by the Institute of Air Quality Management and the Institution of Environmental Science, these training opportunities are available from 2010 for CPD. A flexible package of CPD is available for delivery at your location or at UWE. For more information about the training opportunities and to discuss your specific needs, please contact Jo Barnes (aqmrc@uwe.ac.uk) and visit the training pages of the AQMRC website (http://www.uwe.ac.uk/aqm/training.html).

New LAQM training session in the south east

Due to massive demand, Air Quality Management Resource Centre, UWE, and Air Quality Consultants Ltd will be holding another LAQM Training session in the south east in addition to the previously advertised events in Bristol, Reading and York.

The new event will be held at the Hawth in Crawley on Tuesday 3rd March. Please click here to access further information and the registration form.

LAQM Training Days 2009 - booking form available

It won't have escaped your notice that air quality management in 2009 is set to see some changes with the imminent publication of the new Local Air Quality Management Policy and Technical Guidance and tools to facilitate report preparation and submission. To ease air quality professionals into this Review & Assessment year and help them to fully understand the implications of these changes, the Air Quality Management Resource Centre, UWE, and Air Quality Consultants Ltd will be holding a series of Training Days during March 2009. Sessions will be held throughout England (see dates and venues below) and will provide delegates with, among other things, advice on the preparation of LAQM reports (Review & Assessment Reports and Air Quality Action Plans) under the new Technical Guidance, the online USA template and the web submission tool and LAQM support tools. Please click here to access further information and the registration form.

10/3/09 Bristol (hosted by Bristol City Council)
19/3/09 Reading (hosted by the Environment Agency)
23/3/09 York (hosted by York City Council)

Further dates may be announced depending on demand. Click here to receive email notification of training sessions and other upcoming AQMRC activities and here to subscribe to the AQMRC Latest News for RSS feed updates.

The Welsh Assembly Government (10/2/2009) and the Scottish Government (13/2/2009) are also hosting LAQM training sessions in Cardiff and Edinburgh respectively. Please contact us for further information on these training sessions.

LAQM Training Days 2009 - booking form available

It won’t have escaped your notice that air quality management in 2009 is set to see some changes with the imminent publication of the new Local Air Quality Management Policy and Technical Guidance and tools to facilitate report preparation and submission. To ease air quality professionals into this Review & Assessment year and help them to fully understand the implications of these changes, the Air Quality Management Resource Centre, UWE, and Air Quality Consultants Ltd will be holding a series of Training Days during March 2009. Sessions will be held throughout England (see dates and venues below) and will provide delegates with, among other things, advice on the preparation of LAQM reports (Review & Assessment Reports and Air Quality Action Plans) under the new Technical Guidance, the online USA template and the web submission tool and LAQM support tools. Please click here to access further information and the registration form.

10/3/09 Bristol (hosted by Bristol City Council)
19/3/09 Reading (hosted by the Environment Agency)
23/3/09 York (hosted by York City Council)

Further dates may be announced depending on demand. Click here to receive email notification of training sessions and other upcoming AQMRC activities and here to subscribe to the AQMRC Latest News for RSS feed updates.

The Welsh Assembly Government (10/2/2009) and the Scottish Government (13/2/2009) are also hosting LAQM training sessions in Cardiff and Edinburgh respectively. Please contact us for further information on these training sessions.

Scottish Government LAQM Training Day 13th February 2009

AQMRC and Air Quality Consultants are running a Local Air Quality Management training day on behalf of the Scottish Government (for Scottish Local Authority Officers). The training events will cover updates to Technical and Policy Guidance, useful tips for undertaking Review & Assessment reports, an introduction to the Review & Assessment Online Report Submission Tool and advice for air quality action planning.

Scottish Government LAQM training day 13th February 2009 (click here for more details and registration form).

AQMRC awarded Higher Skills Development Fund

AQMRC has been awarded a Higher Skills Development Fund for the Development of Training Materials on Air Quality and Carbon Management for Air Quality Professionals in the South West Region. The project is for a one year duration. We will be asking your views, as air quality professionals, throughout the development of the training materials.