Winter 2023

GREENSCAPE
30 UNDER 30 AWARD WINNER
Green-tech is celebrating after
their key account manager has
been named as a winner of the Pro
Landscaper ‘30 under 30’ - The Next
Generation Initiative.
29-year-old George Barton has been
selected as a winner in the industry
awards that look to discover 30 of
the most impressive young people
within the arboriculture, garden design,
horticultural, and landscaping sectors.
George started at Green-tech in
2018 in the warehouse where he
learnt about the business from the
ground-up. Demonstrating a hunger
to progress and a keen interest in
sales, George moved into the sales
department where he flourished,
and his career has gone from
strength to strength. He has secured
several promotions and is today one
of only five key Account managers
at Green-tech. He is also an
ambassador for BALI GoLandscape,
and visits schools and colleges to
inspire the next generation into the
industry.
George explained: “I am absolutely
delighted to be a winner of the Pro
Landscaper’s 30 Under 30. I have
worked my way up in Green-tech
to the position I am in today and
I’m so proud that my achievements
have been recognised outside of
my organisation. This is a fantastic
industry to work in and these awards
reflect the high standards that we
work to.”
www.green-tech.co.uk
George Barton (l) with Kris Nellist,
Green-Tech MD
AXTER PARTNERS WITH LOCAL CHARITY TO HELP POWER
HOMELESS PODS
Axter Ltd has partnered with local
homelessness charity, Emmaus Suffolk,
to make their two new modular housing
units for vulnerable people energy billfree,
through the installation of solar
photovoltaic (PV) panels.
The new Emmaus pods were opened on
10th October by campaigner Sir Terry
Waite, a patron of the charity, at an
event marking World Homelessness Day.
Axter says it has been supporting
Emmaus Suffolk, a charity that works
with homeless and vulnerable people
in the county, over the last year.
Learning about Emmaus’s ambition to
create two pods, funded by Hopestead,
to offer accommodation behind its
Community Hub in Ipswich, the Axter
team recognised that they could help
support the charity by transforming the
modular building’s flat roofs to generate
electrical energy via a photovoltaic
array, producing sustainable electrical
energy to power the pods. The initial
specification called for 0.7 kilowatts
per roof, but Axter exceeded this by
installing nine panels across the two
roofs. The system now generates 3.2
kilowatts, which is over double the
planning requirements. Extra power
generated will lower the cost of
electricity bills and the carbon footprint
for this fantastic charity, including an
adjacent building used for offices and
the community café.
Axter donated nine Solar PV units, and
provided design and specification, whilst
covering the cost of installation by
Tamaris Roofing. The modular building
units were funded by the East of England
homelessness charity, Hopestead.
The Axter team also sponsors Emmaus
Suffolk’s One Pot Wonder scheme, which
aims to tackle food poverty by providing
low-cost hot meals from the charity’s
Royal Oak Community Café.
Claire Staddon, CEO at Emmaus Suffolk,
said: “We had no idea the kind of scale
that this project would involve, just
buying two modular units premade
seemed like a simple option, but there’s a
huge amount of additional work getting
the utilities set up.
“It was fantastic that Axter offered us
the opportunity to install solar panels
so they can be essentially net zero. We
can now house two vulnerable house
individuals in a real home setting, each
with the dignity of their own front door.
“Local businesses that care about the
community, like Axter, make such a
difference. I can only applaud them and
thank them for their ongoing support.”
Charlotte Saunders, Axter’s Head of
Marketing & Communications and
Climate & Community Manager,
commented: “Having been a Suffolkbased
business for 30 years, we are part
of the community and partnership with
Emmaus is one way we’re working to
make life better for people across the
county.
“Mental health issues and homelessness
are key concerns in the construction
industry, yet another reason this project
meant so much to the team. This work
is part of our Climate and Community
initiative, which puts our passion for the
environment and the local community
into action. Working with Emmaus, and
our five other charity partners, we not
only financially support these charities,
but also lend our specific expertise
where we can – as we have in this
project.” www.axter.co.uk
www.greenscapemag.co.uk • GREENSCAPE WINTER 2023 9