Press Release for Immediate Release – 3rd March 2021
CARLOW’S BUSINESSES ENCOURAGED TO GO GREEN WITH NEW PROGRAMME
Carlow’s small businesses are being encouraged to become more sustainable this year following the launch of a new programme to green your business was launched this week by the Local Enterprise Offices as part of Local Enterprise Week.
The Green for Micro programme is an initiative from the Local Enterprise Offices, with support from Enterprise Ireland, being rolled-out nationwide to help prepare small businesses for the low carbon, more resource efficient economy of the future. It now available to businesses across County Carlow via the Local Enterprise Office.
With the help of a Green Consultant, small businesses with up to ten employees can get free advice and technical support on resource efficiency, how to better understand their carbon footprint and how to implement an environmental management system to reduce costs and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
An Tánaiste Leo Varadkar T.D. officially launched Green for Micro on the opening day of Local Enterprise Week as part of a ‘Spotlight’ event on the new programme. He said; “I’m really happy to launch this year’s Local Enterprise Week. I know this past year has felt like constant firefighting for many businesses. I hope this week is an opportunity to take a bit of time out, to reflect, network and grow. This year’s theme is ‘Making It Happen’. Our Local Enterprise Offices across the country are always there to help no matter what challenge a business is facing. I’m also launching a new ‘Green for Micro’ initiative to help small businesses decarbonise and become more sustainable. Making your business more sustainable, is not just the right thing to do from an environmental point of view, it also makes good business sense.”
Kieran Comerford, Head of Economic Development & Enterprise with Carlow County Council, Local Enterprise Office said “The new programme is an opportunity for small companies to change the way they do business and to benefit significantly from those changes. Companies becoming more sustainable is very much the future of how we will do business and if businesses can make those changes now then they will see the benefits down the road. It is becoming more and more prominent within business that companies want to work with companies that have sustainability at the core of what they do and that is the same with customers. This new programme will put companies on the right track and in many cases will significantly improve their bottom line, so green for business is definitely good for business.”
Welcoming this new support for SME’s, Cllr. Tom O’Neill, Cathaoirleach of Carlow County Council said “I welcome this support for the SME business community and I believe it is essential that we support companies to plan to factor in the green agenda into their business plans for 2021 and beyond”. The Cathaoirleach continued to say “We in Carlow County Council understand that with the effects of Brexit and Covid having a significant impact on our business community we as a local authority must play our part in supporting the SME community and this scheme is very welcome and further enhances our relationship with Enterprise Ireland in the provision of practical on the ground business supports via our Local Enterprise Office Team”.
To find out more about the new Green for Micro programme contact your Local Enterprise Office or go to www.LocalEnterprise.ie/Green for more information and to apply.
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For further detail contact Kieran Comerford on 086-8252037 or e-mail kcomerford@carlowcoco.ie
