National Industrial Symbiosis Program (NISP)
Industry Webinars to be held July 20 and August 3
July 15, 2016 – Light House Sustainable Building Centre, with the support of the City of New Westminster, City of Surrey, BC Innovation Council, and BC Ministries of Environment; Energy and Mines; Agriculture; Community Services & Community Development; Technology, Innovation and Citizen Services; and Jobs, Tourism and Skills Training, is launching a National Industrial Symbiosis Program (NISP) pilot in the BC Lower Mainland.
Industrial Symbiosis can be thought of as business synergies, especially where the waste or by-product (solids, liquids or energy) from one business becomes a useful input to another. Industrial symbiosis ultimately reduces cost to businesses and strengthens competitiveness all while diverting waste and reducing greenhouse gases. The NISP model has been audited and proven to deliver dramatic economic and environmental benefits to participating businesses. For example, in the first 5 years of the program in the UK, businesses saved £156 Million (~265 Million CAD). Every single symbiosis opportunity represents a cleantech solution, and, based on international experience, 20% of those involve innovation, such as new product development or tech transfer across sectors
Developed in the UK in 2005, the NISP model has since been successfully adapted to 21 countries. Businesses of all sizes, from micro-enterprises to multi-nationals, and from sectors as diverse as construction, agriculture and manufacturing are benefitting from the program internationally. Businesses come together at free, facilitated workshops to identify symbiosis opportunities. Locally-based, NISP-trained practitioners then work with businesses to shepherd symbiosis opportunities from idea to implementation.
Please join Light House for webinars to introduce the program, and how you may get involved once the Pilot begins. Space is limited and advance registration is required. Please select one of the following:
For more information, please contact Katherine Bergeron at [email protected].