14 February 2008
Sustainable City Award winners revealed
The winners of the “Green Oscars”, The City of London
Corporation’s Sustainable City Awards were announced last night in
Mansion House. The judges, selected from the great and the good of
the green world, were impressed by the level of the winners’
commitment to tackling climate change, their passion for
sustainability and their achievements of tangible improvements to
their company’s environmental performance.
Says Simon Mills, Sustainable Development Co-ordinator, City of
London Corporation, “Many of the winners are small companies. It’s
easier for large businesses to tackle these issues as they have
resources to spare. For SMEs life is harder, especially in today’s
economic climate, it takes commitment, grit and determination for
environmental champions to make a significant impact. This year’s
entries have shown that SMEs are leading the way in sustainability,
that it’s not enough to tick boxes in the annual report but that
real commitment is needed to achieve change.”
Small family run Beales Hotel beat bluechip companies including
Sainsburys, Royal Mail, GlaxoSmithKlein and Avis Rent a Car, to win
top prize, The Sustainable City Award Trophy. Beales Hotel is one
of the oldest family businesses in London, dating back eight
generations to 1769. The firm was chosen by the judges as it takes
environmental and social responsibility seriously and in addition
to an ambitious programme to source produce locally, has achieved a
60% reduction in landfill waste, 40% reduction in water use and a
huge reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. Judges felt Beales
Hotel is a shinning example of what can be achieved when small
businesses take their environmental responsibilities seriously. The
other eight category winners are as follows:
Category winners:
Resource Conservation
In association with the Society for the Environment, the Worshipful
Company of Launderers and the Worshipful Company of Water
Conservators.
- Reed is
one of the UK’s leading recruitment, training and HR consultancies,
employing 2,700 staff across the country. Judges were impressed by
the systematic approach that Reed has taken and the commitment
shown by staff at all levels within the organisation. The judges
felt Reed had achieved an incredible result by reducing its energy
consumption by almost a quarter over the last three
years.
Sustainable Travel and Transport
In association with Better Transport, EAST Journal and the
Worshipful Company of Carmen.
- The London Borough of Bromley is the largest London Borough
with the highest level of car ownership and use in the country. A
small team of three, within the School Travels Plan office,
convinced parents to walk rather than drive to school with
incredible results. They achieved the highest reduction in car
usage across all the London Boroughs with a huge dip in carbon
dioxide emissions. The judges felt that their success deserved
recognition and that other councils across the country will learn
from their achievement.
Access to Goods and Services for disadvantaged
communities
In association with The City Bridge Trust and the Worshipful
Company of Patten Makers (Greater London only).
- New
Horizon Youth Centre supports over 2,000 young people
preventing them from ending up on the streets. The centre enables
some of the most disadvantaged young people in the country to
develop the skills, confidence, self esteem and motivation to move
into adulthood and become active participants in their communities
and society in general. Through its work in conserving the most
precious resource of all, the country’s young people, judges felt
that the New Horizon Youth Centre is an inspiration to us
all.
Sustainable Procurement
In association with London Remade.
- One
Planet Products is a buying club that enables housing
associations, contractors and developers to buy and use high
quality sustainable building products affordably. In assisting
organisations to make the right choices, One Planet Products has
tremendous influence over the behaviour of a large number of
organisations, and those they provide services for.
Sustainable Buildings
In association with
the BRE and the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors.
- White Young
Green, winner of the Sustainable Building Category, is an
international multi-disciplinary consultant to the built, natural
and social environment. Their expertise in sustainable design and
construction is illustrated by the £1.25 million Cockermouth School
Eco Centre, designed in consultation with pupils, parents and
teachers to minimise its environmental impact, it acts as a
showcase for sustainable design. The judges felt that the way in
which sustainable development was woven into the fabric of this
project from the very start is an inspiration for others to
follow.
Sustainable and Responsible Investment
In association with UKSIF.
- Opportunity International, also winner of the
2008 British Council for Officers Leadership for Sustainability
Award, has a mission to provide opportunities for underprivileged
people. It enables them to transform their lives by creating jobs,
reducing vulnerability, stimulating small businesses and
strengthening communities. They provide financial services to those
excluded from formal financial systems and have over one million
active loan clients, 86% of whom are women.
Adapting to and mitigating Climate Change
In association with the CarbonNeutral Company and the Worshipful
Company of Fan Makers.
- The
Berkeley Group is one of the UK’s foremost development
companies and a leader in the business of urban regeneration, with
over 95% of its developments taking place on brownfield land. In
2007 the group adopted a tough climate change policy which set out
to address the climate change impact of its product and operations.
As the built environment is the single largest contributor to the
UK’s carbon footprint, judges felt that the Berkely Group are
worthy ambassadors of best practice in how to significantly reduce
emission.
Environmental Improvements in SMEs
In association with the London Sustainability Exchange and the
Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners (Greater London
only).
- Bovince is one of the largest screen process and digital
printers in Europe. They demonstrated their passion for
sustainability by delivering tangible improvements to the firm’s
environmental performance as well as taking the green agenda to the
heart of the firm’s philosophy.
Awarded as recognition for achievements in sustainable business
practise across eight categories, the City of London Corporation’s
Sustainable City Awards were presented by Harriett Lamb, Director
of The Fairtrade Foundation and were attended by the Lord Mayor of
the City of London, David Lewis.
The awards were judged by a panel of respected environmental and
sustainability experts across three areas of sustainability: the
environment, social issues and the economy. The highly respected
RSA-accredited awards are staged by the authority for the Square
Mile financial district and since launch seven years ago have grown
to become the most prestigious sustainability awards in the UK. The
awards are part of a feeder scheme for the European Business Awards
for the Environment, which means the winners have the chance of
international recognition for their efforts.
The Sustainable City Awards were established in 2001 by the City
of London Corporation and are run in partnership with 20
organisations, including livery companies, trade bodies, voluntary
sector organisations and businesses. Representatives from each of
these organisations join the judging panel to select winners and
runners-up across the award categories.
Ends
Notes to Editors:
Further information and judging criteria for the Sustainable City
Awards can be found at:
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/sca. More information on
the European
Business Awards for the Environment.
The Sustainable City Awards are only made possible through
partnership with the following organisations:
- BRE
- The City Bridge Trust
- The British Council for Offices (BCO)
- The CarbonNeutral Company
- CESMB, Middlesex University
- EAST Journal
- GEMS
- Global Action Plan
- London Remade
- London Sustainability Exchange
- The Society for the Environment
- The UK Social Investment Forum
- The Worshipful Company of Carmen
- The Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors
- The Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners
- The Worshipful Company of Fanmakers
- The Worshipful Company of Launderers
- The Worshipful Company of Patten Makers
- The Worshipful Company of Water Conservators
- Better Transport
City of London Corporation
The ancient City of London Corporation has a 21st-century role
supporting the business City as the world's leading international
financial and business centre. The City of London Corporation
provides local government services for the City of London “Square
Mile” at the heart of London - but its responsibilities also extend
far beyond the City boundaries and include paying for and running
the Barbican Centre, Epping Forest, Hampstead Heath, and three
wholesale food markets, as well as acting as the London Port Health
Authority. The City of London Corporation is the sole trustee of
The City Bridge Trust.
For more information on the Sustainable City Awards please
contact Simon Mills on 020 7332 3598
For press enquiries, please contact Melissa Brown at Rain
Communications UK Tel 020 7222 4345 Email
Melissa.Brown@raincommunications.co.uk