HERE is a plea to North Yorkshire bosses and staff to show a barrow-load of resolve for a leaner and more profitable 2007.

These sharp-suited "resource efficiency champions" were seen pushing wheelbarrows loaded with just a fraction of the total waste generated by companies in York and North Yorkshire, estimated at 2.6 million tonnes each year.

The plea comes from the Government-backed Envirowise programme, which gives confidential advice to UK businesses on how to reduce impact on the environment and make profits at the same time.

By visiting www.envirowise.gov.uk/mypledge, any employee in York and North Yorkshire can commit to one way that they will aim to cut waste at work this year.

Elin Crebbin, Envirowise's Yorkshire regional manager, said: "2007 has the potential to be the year that business is won and lost on the environmental performance of companies."