Students in the North-east are being offered the chance to spend the summer working with local businesses to help them identify how to save money by improving their environmental performance.
The North East Environmental Placement Programme is run by the Business Environment Partnership North East (BEPNE), which works with local businesses free of charge to assist them to identify and implement practical ways to manage waste and cut costs in material, energy and water use.
Students can apply for full-time or part-time placements, which will run for eight weeks in July and August.
Placements are available with a wide range of host companies and organisations, including Aberdeen City Council, AMEC, Senergy, Turriff Contractors and the Leys Estate, near Banchory.
Each host has a specific project lined up for the students, such as carbon offsetting, waste management, ethical disposal of furniture and feasibility studies into the use of biomass heating.
Last year's 22 students identified cost savings of more than £228,000, as well as measures to avoid generating 6,528 tonnes of waste and 1,217 tonnes of carbon dioxide.
At the end of the programme, the students and host companies are invited to attend a final awards ceremony.
The two winners from the North-east go forward to a Scottish final, where they will compete against regional winners from Tayside, Fife and the Borders.
Last year's local winners were James Roebuck and Vikki Snedden. Vikki also went on to win the national final in Edinburgh.
A University of Aberdeen student, she worked on an energy project with Fearn's of Laurencekirk, which grows organic swedes. The project looked at ways in which the company could reduce its carbon footprint through energy efficiency measures and renewable energy technologies.
She said: "The placement gave me the chance to have hands on work experience that you wouldn't get anywhere else."
Inga Garrioch, Business Environmental Adviser with BEPNE, took part in the EPP herself in 2006, when she was tasked with investigating business waste recycling in south Aberdeenshire.
Inga said: "The EPP is both hugely beneficial to the students, who gain fantastic workplace experience, and the companies who take part, as it highlights the real value to businesses of examining where they can make savings on waste.
"The programme is also about creating a real impact on the environment. Since it began six years ago, the EPP has identified annual cost savings of more than £1.2million and has generated at least 10 new 'green' jobs that are dedicated to environmental issues.
"I would encourage students to spend their summer taking part in this worthwhile and interesting placement scheme, which will give them a real insight into the world of business as well as giving them the chance to put into practice what they are learning at university or college."
Anyone who is interested should apply online as soon as possible.
For more information, log on to http://www.thebep.org.uk/epp or contact Inga Garrioch on 07966 766673 or email href="mailto:inga@thebep.org.uk">inga@thebep.org.uk</a>
The EPP in the North-east is supported by Shell, Scottish Enterprise, SEPA, the Scottish Executive, European Regional Development Fund, Midlothian Chamber of Commerce and HIE Moray.