23 February 2010
Sustainable City Awards name this year’s green champions
The great and good of the green world gathered last night at
Mansion House for the City of London Corporation’s annual
Sustainable City Awards. Winners ranged from Britain’s first
organic gastropub and a zoo combating CO2 emissions, to innovative
climate change initiatives by multinational corporations.
Green Tomato Cars, the UK’s largest eco-friendly taxi service,
was named the overall winner of the night and presented with the
Sustainable City Awards Trophy.
Dubbed the ‘Green Oscars’, this year winning projects reflect
how the business community’s ambitions have grown since the award
scheme began in 2001, as early gestures towards more sustainable
practices have been replaced by all-encompassing climate change
initiatives that overhaul traditional business models. Despite UK
businesses experiencing one of the most challenging years in 2009,
the high calibre of nominees is further evidence that the
environmental and financial benefits of sustainable business
practice have remained high on the business agenda.
Simon Mills, Head of Sustainability at the City of London
Corporation, said: “It makes business sense to go green, and the
range of sectors represented by our winners this year shows how
this spirit is being widely embraced. Sustainable business practice
is no longer a niche, but a mainstream movement across the whole
spectrum of the business community. Whether it’s an international
bank or a small start-up, businesses want to do their bit towards
the one common goal.”
Hosted by David Kennedy, the Chief Executive of the UK’s
Committee on Climate Change, the 12 category winners were chosen by
a judging panel consisting of environmental and sustainable
experts, including the Rt Hon. John Gummer, MP, Conservative MP for
Suffolk Coastal, Samantha Heath, CEO of London Sustainability
Exchange, and Penny Shepherd MBE, CEO of UK Social Investment
Forum.
The 2010 winners
Sustainable City Award Trophy: Green Tomato Cars
The first private hire company in the UK to exclusively use low
emission vehicles in its fleet, the business also installed
telematics in all of its vehicles enabling sophisticated assessment
of driver performance, and a ride-sharing option to improve
operational efficiency while reducing fares for customers.
Leadership in Sustainability: Land Securities
In association with Sustain magazine
Awarded for their mandatory carbon-offset programme for energy
usage associated with common parts of shopping centres owned by the
company, including lighting, car parks and ventilation.
Access to Goods and Services for Disadvantaged Communities:
Roots & Shoots
In association with the City Bridge Trust and the Worshipful
Company of Patten Makers
Awarded for their environmental education programme on issues
such as sustainable food production and biodiversity within local
communities in Lambeth and Southwark.
Sustainable Building: John Thompson & Partners
In association with BRE and the Worshipful Company of Chartered
Surveyors
A practice of architects and urbanists recognised for the green
refurbishment of their office space in Islington, including natural
ventilation, low flush toilets and work surfaces made from plastic
derived from yoghurt pots.
Environmental Management in SMEs: Paper Round
In association with the London Sustainability Exchange and the
Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners
Managing the recycling for 3,700 London offices, this small
business encourages green action amongst its workforce. On-site
showers and a bike lock-up encourage staff to cycle to work, and
Energy Saving Trust “Smarter Driving” courses are compulsory for
its truck drivers.
Tackling Climate Change: Land Securities
In association with Pure, the Clean Planet Trust, and the
Worshipful Company of Fanmakers
Awarded for their mandatory carbon-offset programme for energy
usage associated with common parts of shopping centres owned by the
company, including lighting, car parks and ventilation.
Resource Conservation: Newquay Zoo
In association with the Worshipful Company of Launderers and the
Worshipful Company of Water Conservators
A Thermal Imaging Report of every building on the Zoo site
supported a programme to insulate or rebuild these buildings
wasting energy in the complex. An Eco Map and Plan is in place for
every area of the zoo, with energy reduction targets.
Sustainable Travel and Transport: Easit
In association with Better Transport
Created a number of networking partnerships representing over
115,000 employees in the South East to ease congestion and tackle
commuting transport issues, ranging from a bespoke car share
website to shuttle buses carrying an average of 2,000 workers each
week.
Sustainable Procurement: Cafédirect plc
In association with London Remade Solutions
Cafédirect’s entry concerned ‘Adaptation for Smallholders to
Climate Change’, a three-year public private partnership that
supports small scale coffee and tea farmers in four countries to
adapt to the effects of climate change that are already affecting
them.
Sustainable Food: Duke of Cambridge
In association with Sustain: the Alliance for Better Food and
Farming
Britain’s first organic gastropub keeps food miles as low as
possible with 80% of fresh produce sourced from the Home Counties
and a seasonal menu.
Responsible Waste Management: Land Securities
In association with the Clean City Awards Scheme
Awarded for their mandatory carbon-offset programme for energy
usage associated with common parts of shopping centres owned by the
company, including lighting, car parks and ventilation.
Sustainable Finance: Jones Lang LaSalle
In association with UKSIF
Launched the industry’s first portfolio-level sustainability
risk mapping service (The Third Dimension), which reinvents
traditional property investment decision making by enabling
investors to compare forecast risk and total return with
sustainability. Over £30b worth of assets are signed up to this
service.
The Farsight Award: Société Générale
In association with Gresham College, the University
Superannuation Scheme and Z/Yen Group
Awarded for research conducted by the international financial
services provider examining the immense opportunities available to
investors in the field of sustainable goods and services - from
green cars to renewable energy and waste disposal.
David Kennedy, who presented the awards to the winners at the
Mansion House awards ceremony last night, said: “It’s crucial we
recognise the lengths many businesses are going to in their efforts
to combat climate change and reduce their carbon footprint. They’re
setting an example that others are evidently following, as
applications and interest in the awards grow year on year, and the
scale of businesses’ sustainable practice continues to exceed
precedents.”
The highly respected, RSA-accredited awards are staged by the
authority for the Square Mile financial district and have grown to
become the most prestigious sustainability awards in the UK, since
their launch nine years ago. The Sustainable City Awards are run in
partnership with 20 organisations including livery companies, trade
bodies, voluntary sector organisations and businesses, with
representatives from each joining the judging panel to select
winners and runners-up across the award categories.
The awards are part of a feeder scheme for the European Business
Awards for the Environment, which means the winners have the chance
to gain international recognition for their efforts.
Ends
Notes to editors
Further information and judging criteria for the Sustainable
City Awards, along with an application form can be found at:
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/sca. Entrants are
strongly encouraged to submit applications using the online
application forms. An MS Word version of the form is also available
on request by e-mailing
sca@cityoflondon.gov.uk
and completed forms can be returned to the same address.
There is no fee for participating in the Sustainable City
Awards. For more information on the European Environmental
Awards, visit
www.defra.gov.uk/environment
/internat/euroawards/
The Sustainable City Awards are made possible through
partnership with the following organisations:
- Better Transport
- BRE
- Clean City Awards Scheme
- Gresham College
- London Remade Solutions
- London Sustainability Exchange
- Pure
- Sustain magazine
- Sustain: The alliance for better food and farming
- The City Bridge Trust
- The UK Sustainable Investment and Finance association
(UKSIF)
- 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
- Universities Superannuation Scheme
- Z/Yen Group
The City of London Corporation:
As the body providing local government services to the Square Mile,
the City of London Corporation’s primary role is to support and
enhance the business City – a world-leading international financial
and related business services centre. The City of London
Corporation is also committed to working with its neighbours to
support the regeneration of local communities. The City of London
or “Square Mile” shares its borders with some of the country’s most
deprived boroughs where unemployment remains high. The City of
London Business Traineeship programme brings together these two
objectives; helping the City to attract high calibre, well
motivated staff able to meet its skill needs, whilst also looking
to local sources to attract talented individuals as future members
of the workforce.
Press enquiries
Lizzie Boylan Ward or Neil Cassley at Rain Communications
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T: 020 7222 4345 E:
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