STUDENTS at the University Campus Suffolk (UCS) School of Business, Enterprise and Leadership are staging a special conference to engage local firms with a key “green” economy initiative.

The Sustainability: Take Control event, to be held at Trinity Park, Ipswich, in March, will focus on the New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) Green Economy Pathfinder project.

It will give local businesses an opportunity to share details of what they’re doing now, and what they plan to do in future, in order to seize the opportunities provided by the new green economy.

Following a networking breakfast, local business leaders will give several short presentations before delegates are invited to take part in a professionally facilitated “Open Space” discussion, with the event, on March 2, running from 7am until noon.

It will include an update on New Anglia’s Green Economy Pathfinder, which is working throughout Suffolk and Norfolk to identify and highlight examples of businesses contributing to the development of the green economy in the region.

UCS is holding the conference with support from several local businesses including Trinity Park, White Space Design, Archant, Adnams, Anglian Water, Greta Irving and Advancing Sustainability.

Confirmed speakers at the event include: Prof Mike Saks, University Campus Suffolk provost and chief executive; Dr Andy Wood, chief executive of Adnams and chairman of the New Anglia LEP; Mark Pendlington, group director of corporate affairs at Anglian Water and chair of the New Anglia Green Economy Pathfinder board; and Dr Chris Tuppen, founder and senior partner of Advancing Sustainability.

The Open Space event will enable delegates to voice their opinions in an informal environment within small groups sharing common interests. The format has been used by many leading organisations, such as Google, Microsoft and NASA.

To book a place at the UCS conference on March 2, visit www.eventelephant.com/ sustainabilitytakecontrol .