LEANING GREEN

Tariq Hussain, Leeds Chapter chair, and his plans for summer

It’s been an exciting few months for BITA, as I’m sure it has been for many of you. The end is in sight, and we have started planning face to face events to reach the Leeds business community.

It feels somewhat like we have been in a holding pattern since launching in September 2020, and while we have hosted a couple of very small face to face events when we launched, the whole Leeds board is looking forward to kick-starting our chapter!

Talking to contacts and colleagues, it seems (unsurprisingly) that people are even more keen to get out and network – the long months at home have ignited in us all a desire to meet up and build relationships.

I’m pleased to say that despite the restrictions, our membership has grown following joint online networking events with the Manchester Chapter of BITA, with whom we are delighted to be hosting a joint event on the 13th August at the Lowry Hotel. We are also planning to start arranging monthly networking events at a local venue – keep your eyes open for the monthly newsletter or check the bita.ie events page for more information!

These will be excellent opportunities for us to finally meet friends we’ve been speaking to for over a year online, and to celebrate as life returns to normal.

As a final thought, in the last magazine I mentioned that the Leeds Climate Innovation District was powering ahead, creating new green spaces and low carbon homes. Leeds seems to be at the forefront of green living, and in June started championing a new campaign: Walk it Ride it, which aims to boost healthier and greener travel across the city. The idea is simple, asking everyone to make just one small change to their routine when it comes to transport. To walk to the shop instead of driving, or cycle to work for a day a week, instead of getting a bus.

In fact, it’s such a simple idea I would like to suggest that everyone reading this article considers informal participation. Walking to the shops might take longer, but it’s better for you and your community.