London, UK: The City of London Corporation has thrown open a challenge to all businesses; from global multinationals to SMEs, the public sector and voluntary organisations alike, to compete for the renowned, “Green Oscars”, awarded as recognition for achievements in sustainable business practice.
There are now only six weeks to go with a deadline for entry of 12.00 on 3 December, 2007.
Available to enter via the city of London website, the awards are open to organisations UK-wide and will be judged 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, they have grown to become the most prestigious sustainability awards in the UK. They are one of only six feeder schemes for the European Business Awards for the Environment, which means all category winners have the chance of international recognition for their efforts.
Winners will be chosen by a Panel of Environment and Sustainability experts across eight categories with one overall winner who will be presented with the “Green Oscar” - the Sustainable City Trophy. Previous winners include; The London Fire Brigade, the Carbon Disclosure Project and F&C Asset Management (formerly ISIS Asset Management).
"Winning a Sustainable City Award offers a platform of recognition for organisations and creates ambassadors of best practice who set the standard for others to follow"
Simon Mills, the City of London Corporation’s Sustainability Co-ordinator
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 also the sole trustee of The City Bridge Trust.
Award Categories
This year’s award categories (open to applicants from across the UK unless otherwise stated) are:
- Sustainable and Responsible Finance – in association with UKSIF
- Sustainable Travel and Transport - in association with Better Transport, EAST Journal and the Worshipful Company of Carmen
- Resource Conservation – in association with the Society for the Environment, the Worshipful Company of Launderers and the Worshipful Company of Water Conservators
- Sustainable Procurement – in association with London Remade
- Sustainable Buildings – in association with the BRE and the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors
- Adapting to and mitigating Climate Change – in association with the CarbonNeutral Company and the Worshipful Company of Fan Makers
- 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)
- Environmental Improvements in SMEs – in association with the London Sustainability Exchange and the Worshipful Company of Environmental Cleaners (Greater London only)
Simon Mills, the City of London Corporation’s Sustainability Co-ordinator says:
“Winning a Sustainable City Award offers a platform of recognition for organisations and creates ambassadors of best practice who set the standard for others to follow. Since the launch of the awards over seven years ago, we have seen that organisations are already reaping huge rewards from embracing environmental opportunities, allowing them to reduce costs, reduce risks, improve competitiveness and innovate new products.”
Zac Goldsmith, who presented the awards to last year’s winners, comments:
“Climate change represents the biggest threat we’ve ever faced as a species and it is good to see the broad range of companies, organisations and individuals that see it as their responsibility to take sustainability to the heart of what they do. Whilst in the past, the received wisdom was that ethics cost money, now it’s understood that it is a lack of ethics which is the expensive option.”
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. Winners will be announced in a prestigious awards ceremony during which exemplary green credentials will be shared with an appreciative audience at Mansion House, the Lord Mayor’s official residence, in February 2008.
Further information
Further information and judging criteria for the Sustainable City Awards, along with an e-enabled application form can be found at: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/sca. Entrants are strongly encouraged to submit applications electronically. An MS Word version of the form is available on request by e-mailing sca@corpoflondon.gov.uk and completed forms can be returned to the same address.
The closing date for entries is 3 December 2007 at midday. 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:
· 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