Students at Scottish universities are being given the opportunity to help businesses become more eco-friendly by taking part in a summer placement programme run by the Business Environment Partnership (BEP).
Students at Scottish universities are being given the opportunity to help businesses become more eco-friendly by taking part in a summer placement programme run by the Business Environment Partnership (BEP).
The BEP was established in 1998 to provide free assistance with environmental management to businesses throughout Scotland, and its Environmental Placement Programme offers work experience opportunities for Scottish students by linking them with host companies. For eight weeks the students undertake environmental projects to help firms realise cost savings by improving their environmental management.
Over the seven years that the scheme has been running, 461 students have benefited from taking part and have helped local businesses identify over £6.2 million in savings.
The BEP is now calling for students to get involved in a number of different placements over the summer of 2007. Previous projects include energy efficiency, waste minimisation and renewable energy.
During the placement, each student is allocated a Business Environment Adviser from the BEP as a mentor who will assist them to achieve the aims and objectives of their project. At the end of the eight weeks, the students are required to write a full report for their company, detailing the key recommendations made as a result of their project. An awards ceremony is held at the end of the summer for all participating students and a prize of £500 is given to the most innovative project.
James Phillips from the University of Aberdeen was placed with Gordon & MacPhail to focus on the areas of waste, energy and water.
Several annual cost savings were identified by James's research – £1,636 on lighting recommendations, £9,300 on heating, and £666 on reduction in waste sent to landfill. James discovered the company could reduce the amount of waste that is sent to landfill through recycling by15 Tonnes a year, and in total, James identified savings of up 95 Tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Zoe Stirton, Project Manager at the BEP, said: "The placement programme has enormous benefits – for students and businesses alike. The students are given hands on industry experience which provides them with invaluable knowledge, and businesses benefit by having a student dedicated to their specific project for a whole summer.
"The EPP is also good news for the environment. Students who have taken part in the programme have succeeded in reducing carbon emissions by 1,794.92 tonnes and have diverted 14,628 tonnes of waste from landfill sites. It is thanks to the commitment and dedication of the students that the results have been so successful."
The EPP is open to all students from 2nd year onwards, regardless of degree subject. Please note that the BEP cannot accept PhD students. For further information or to discuss a potential project, please contact Zoe Stirton on 0845 129 4826 or email: href="mailto:zoe@thebep.org.uk" title="mailto:zoe@thebep.org.uk">zoe@thebep.org.uk</a></p>