A new web-based ‘eco-street’ has been launched by sustainability experts Envirowise to help a wide range of businesses identify resource efficiency hot spots and cost saving opportunities.
The Envirowise Virtual Tour, known as Green Street, has been created using advanced web technology and allows users to explore an animated world via their computer. It is complete with a virtual pub, restaurant, hotel, engineering company and office.
The tour can be accessed at www.envirowise.gov.uk/greenstreet and has been designed to be as visually captivating and user-friendly as possible, offering simple but effective advice to help businesses implement practical environmental measures.
Points of interest along the virtual tour are supported by quick links to useful publications offering further free advice on tackling common resource efficiency hot spots, including ways to combat waste and practical tips for reducing water consumption and energy use.
Green Street consists of a hotel, restaurant, public house, office and factory. Each building has up to six different rooms relating to the type of services each establishment provides. Within the different rooms there are a variety of hotspots containing tips and advice on how to make that item more resource efficient and where to find more information.
Visitors click on the building they wish to visit, then use the navigation bar at the bottom of the page to enter specific rooms, they then click on the hotspots to access the information.
Registering and logging onto the Envirowise website will enable users to access the array of publications and case studies highlighted in Green Street.
Green Street aims to be a novel and fun way to help businesses consider their environmental impact, improve their knowledge of resource efficiency and save money.
Simon Drury, Envirowise Strategic Partnerships Director, said: “Green Street users have the freedom to explore any area of the street, whether it’s the bar in the Cost Cutters Arms or the kitchen area of The Green Leaves Hotel – gaining valuable resource efficiency tips along the way. This includes everything from simple tips on minimising lighting and heating, to more detailed advice on developing a formal environmental management system.
“We know the internet is an integral part of the business working day so we have created this new animated tool in order to make this free advice as accessible as possible.”
ABOUT ENVIROWISE
Envirowise is a Government-funded programme dedicated to putting the sustainable use of resources at the heart of UK business practice. Since 1994 Envirowise has helped UK businesses save over £1bn by enabling them to significantly reduce their environmental footprints. Envirowise offers businesses of all sizes and sectors a wide range of free, independent and practical advice designed to genuinely improve their processes, profitability and competitiveness. Services include:
* The Envirowise Advice Line on 0800 585794
* An encyclopaedic website (www.envirowise.gov.uk) of valuable and relevant information
* Over 200 events each year, from Product Design Workshops to major exhibitions
Posted on Environment Times online on 2nd March 2009.
