As illustrated by the floods, wildfires and extreme temperatures that have dominated this summer’s headlines both at home and internationally, we’re already seeing the tentative signs of what a less stable climate means for people, communities, and businesses.

The UK Government’s 2050 net zero and Nottingham City Council’s carbon neutral 2028 pledges have set ambitious emissions reduction targets, with the aim being to keep temperatures below a 1.5c rise vs pre-industrial levels – a threshold that scientists agree we really don’t want to cross if we want to avoid the full catastrophic potential of global heating.

Stepping up to this task, many businesses in Nottingham have either started their carbon neutral journey, or they’re wondering where to start. This is where NTU’s Sustainability in Enterprise programme comes in, providing practical support and funding to reduce the carbon footprint of eligible Nottingham SMEs.

At this networking lunch, we’ll ask a specially-curated panel how SMEs based in the Greater Nottingham (SUDS) area can drive sustainability in their organisations, including a grant towards the cost of hiring a university graduate to champion sustainability, a carbon audit, workshops and expert advice on designing to reduce waste.

Our panel includes:

Dr. Ana Rita Domingues PhD MSc – Lecturer in Sustainability at School of Architecture, Design and the Built Environment (ADBE) (Nottingham Trent University)

Declan Barker, Head of Programmes,  Nottingham Forest Community Trust

Adam Pickering – Environment Editor & Marketing and Partnerships Manager at LeftLion Magazine Nottingham

Charmaine Morrell MSc MIEMA CEnv – Head of Sustainability at Nottingham Trent University

Becky Valentine – Co-owner, Lead – Sustainability, Wellbeing and Building Health at Spenbeck