MORE than 60 people, including 40 businesses, descended on the Boathouse in Wisbech last week for a wide-ranging seminar on how companies can benefit by becoming more environmentally friendly.

It underlined the increasing importance of the building as the focal point of the whole Nene Waterfront Regeneration Project.

The Richard Young Suite was packed to hear four speakers tackle a series of practical issues, from how to calculate a business’s carbon footprint to current environmental legislation.

The speakers were Adam Leaver of the Carbon Trust, Tim Taylor from Ricoh, Rob Bresler from the National Industrial Symbiosis Programme (NISP) and Paul Gardner of Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Services (NWES).

They focused on ways that firms could save money by reducing their energy consumption and waste disposal costs and stressed that good environmental practices also made good business sense.

Afterwards, all the participants shared knowledge and tips over a full English breakfast.

The event was organised jointly by Fenland District Council’s Green Business Club and Enterprise Fenland. It was introduced by Councillor Peter Murphy, FDC’s portfolio holder responsible for the environment.

He said: “It was great to see such a big and enthusiastic turnout. It demonstrated how successful the Green Business Club is proving in bringing people together to learn and share their experiences. That can only be good both for them and for the environment as a whole.”

The seminar was one of 650 events that have been held at the Boathouse already this year.

Nearly two thirds of the building’s offices are now occupied – 64 per cent – ahead of the target for the end of this year of 60 per cent.