How sustainable is the Urdd Eisteddfod?

This year the importance of being green, and doing more to tackle climate change, was emphasised at Welsh youth organisation Urdd Gobaith Cymru’s annual Eisteddfod – the largest competitive youth festival in Europe. The environment is, however, only part of the sustainability story - being truly sustainable means giving consideration to a wide range of issues related to people, planet and profit. So, in order to ensure that it addresses the bigger picture, the organisation asked us at SBBS to conduct our Sustainability Health-check for the Eisteddfod. The report was launched at a press conference held on the festival site on May the 26th, where a speech was made by the Deputy First Minister for Wales, Ieuan Wyn Jones

Efa Gruffudd Jones, Urdd Gobaith Cymru’s Chief Executive said:
"We are grateful to SBBS for carrying out this assessment on our behalf. Ensuring that the Urdd develops its sustainability for the future is key to our work. We will condider the recommendations and act upon them as we prepare for future Eisteddfodau."

More information about our report, and the Urdd’s response to it can be found in their press release.

Click here to download an abridged version of our report

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Come to our conference to be inspired by companies who are successfully embracing sustainable development

Synnwyr Busnes – Business Sense has joined forces with the Institute of Welsh Affairs and the Institute of Directors to organise a conference:

MAKING BUSINESS SENSE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVE LOPMENT
Thursday 12 June 2008
Parc (Thistle) Hotel, Park Place, Cardiff

The conference will be chaired by Peter Davies, the Sustainable Development Commissioner for Wales, and speakers include:

• Dr Einir Young, Director of Synnwyr Busnes – Business Sense
• Dr Stewart Davies, Managing Director, Serco Integrated Services and Business Commissioner, Sustainable Development Commission
• Angharad Davies, Head of Public Affairs and Policy, BT
• Rhiannon Rowley, Managing Director, Abaca
• Jan Cliff,  Director, Sundance Renwables
• Chris Hillyer, Director, Twelfth Man Marketing
  
• Phil Cooper, Venture Wales
  
• Naresh Giangrande, Transition Towns
• Frank O’Connor, Ecodesign Centre Wales
• David Boomer, Head, Energy Efficiency and ClimateChange, IoD Policy Unit

More Information

Fees are: conference and lunch £85, (£75 for Institute of Welsh Affairs and Institute of Directors members) or Institurw of lunch only £20 (£15 IWA and IOD members)

The Institute of Welsh Affairs is taking care of all the administration, so if you’re interested give them a ring on 029 2066 6606, email wales@iwa.org.uk or go to their website www.iwa.org.uk.

Hope to see you there!

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EISTEDDFOD RISES TO THE SUSTAINABILITY CHALLENGE

The Eisteddfod invited Synnwyr Busnes Business Sense to carry out an appraisal to assess its current performance in relation to sustainability, from waste and recycling issues, to wider social and economic considerations.

Synnwyr Busnes Business Sense held a very successful reception at the National Eisteddfod in Flint to announce the results of the Eisteddfod Sustainability Appraisal. It was chaired by Dafydd Wigley and the Deputy First Minister and Eisteddfod CEO Elfed Roberts were present as were many AMs and MPs. Professor Siân Hope Pro Vice-chancellor of the University was present and emphasised UWB’s commitment to excellence and working with businesses and the community for a sustainable future.

Dr Einir Young, Head of Sustainable Development, University of Wales, Bangor and director of Synnwyr Busnes Business Sense revealing the results of the Eisteddfod sustainability appraisal. Dr Young, said: 

"A very positive story has emerged from the appraisal. Overall the Eisteddfod scored exceptionally well on the social, cultural, business and environmental elements. Although much hard work and innovative ideas are needed in order to solve the challenging issues of transport and energy there is much more to celebrate regarding the Eisteddfod’s contribution to Welsh sustainability. As a Nation we should be very proud of the Eisteddfod’s achievements."

More about the Eisteddfod's Sustainability Appraisal »

Elfed Roberts, Eisteddfod Chief Executive said:"This report is an important step forward in terms of assessing how the Eisteddfod responds to the sustainability challenge. The results are very encouraging but we must now look to the future and develop our approach to sustainability even further."

The Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones was positively up-beat. "'I know that there are many challenges to living our lives more sustainably. I believe the people of Wales are eager to respond positively to this challenge..that's why this report is so important. It demonstrates the value of having clear leadership to help everyone to take positive and practical action to improve their own communities."

 

BACK ROW
Gruff Edwards, Iwan Jones, Michelle Jones all from Synnwyr Busnes Business Sense.
FRONT ROW
Dr Einir Young, Ieuan Wyn Jones, Deputy First Minister, Jennie Jones (Synnwyr Busnes), Professor Siân Hope, Pro Vice-chancellor UWB, Dafydd Wigley

More about the Eisteddfod's Sustainability Appraisal »

Download the Press Release

'Contribution to the Community' Award sponsored by Synnwyr Busnes Busnes Sense as part of the Gwynedd Business Awards

Galeri Cyf. was the winner of the ‘Contribution to the Community’ prize sponsored by ‘Synnwyr Busnes Business Sense’ as part of the Gwynedd Business Awards. Gwion received the prize on behalf of Galeri from Dr Einir Young, Synnwyr Busnes Business Sense director at the Gwynedd Business Week Gala dinner on 24th May 2007.

Sustainability is not a posh word for recycling. It’s about paying attention to people and the planet as well as making a profit. Galeri is an excellent example of a company at the heart of a community and initiatives such as Pas Pobl Peblig are groundbreaking.

If you run a small or medium sized business it’s very likely that many of your activities contribute to this wider definition of ‘sustainable’ – our message to you is that you should be profiting from them. Being able to demonstrate that you are running your business in a way that considers people and the planet is an excellent way of retaining brilliant staff, happy suppliers and loyal customers. We are here to show you how, with expert advice for free.