Green Living: Base at Excel

For many organisations the period of corporate belt tightening has led to budgets being scrutinised and any optional extras being axed. Sadly, in many cases this has meant that environmental and corporate responsibility programmes have been first to go.

Now that there is some light at the end of the tunnel, many companies are reassessing their approach to sustainability and a progressive few are realising that a more balanced approach to the environment, community and finance can lead to bottom line benefits.

These issues come under the spotlight at a huge new event taking place a stone's throw from the Wharf.

Base, taking place at Excel, stands for Business and Sustainable Environment, and aims to showcase the business benefits of a more environmentally friendly approach.

The speaker list reads like a who's who of sustainable leadership, with presentations and keynote speeches from Hilary Benn MP, Justin King from Sainsbury's, Vince Cable MP and Charlie Mayfield of John Lewis.

The focus of the event is on the business benefits of sustainability - so less tree hugging, more sustainable tipping points.

It's ironic that this event was itself postponed from last year due to the financial climate. Hopefully its return heralds a revival in the fortunes of sustainable business as a focus for the future.

As businesses in the Wharf work to recover from the effects of the recession this could be a great opportunity to see the benefits of a more sustainable corporate approach.

- Do you or your company have an environmentally friendly product or service you'd like featured in this column? Let us know by contacting Seventeen, a sustainable alternative for your event management needs, at andrew@seventeenevents.co.uk.