Winners of eco-awards named

Leading environmental professionals were rewarded for their vital work at a glittering awards ceremony on Tuesday.


The inaugural edie Awards for Environmental Excellence, held at the Natural History Museum and hosted by comedian and presenter Marcus Brigstocke, aimed to highlight the role of environmental consultancies in the UK and further afield.

Hundreds of guests dined in style surrounded by some of the museum’s most iconic exhibits before celebrating the achievements of their fellow consultants.

The awards recognised trailblazing work in a number of arenas, from curbing climate change and pollution to increasing recycling and water quality.

For the majority of the awards, the winners were elected by those who know the consultants best – the clients who require their expertise.

Opening the ceremony, Carl Myers, director of edie, told guests: “You are all here tonight because you have made a difference – because it is your job to make a difference.”

International firms Atkins and ERM scooped the lion’s share of the accolades when the winners were revealed on the night.

One of those who accepted an award for Atkins, Guy Mercer, head of corporate sustainability, summed up the mood in his company’s camp.

He said: “It is fantastic. We are chuffed to bits to be fortunate enough to receive such a prestigious award.”

Keryn James, partner at ERM, picked up one of the company’s clutch of awards. Ms James said: “For us this is really exciting because it is a recognition of the efforts that all of our staff put in.”

Voters were also asked to nominate the individual who they felt had made the biggest contribution to global efforts to protect the planet and named Al Gore as the environmentalist’s environmentalist.

The awards also highlighted the success of major projects from around the world, offering concrete examples of how diverse organisations can cut their carbon footprint, boost recycling, and develop buildings which do not cost the earth.

These project awards were judged by an expert panel made up of Sir John Harman, chairman of the environment agency, Nicky Gavron, Deputy Mayor of London, Liz Goodwin, chief executive of Waste & Resources Action Programme (WRAP), David Vincent, technology director of the Carbon Trust, and Peter Bonfield, director of the Building Research Establishment.

The winners were:

  • Best Carbon Reduction Project: One Carbon for a methane-capture project in Honduras
  • Best Waste & Recycling Project: Nextek for ‘doing the un-doable’ and safely re-using hard-to-recycle plastics in milk bottles for Marks & Spencer
  • Best Sustainable Construction Project: Environ for a major mixed-use development at Caltongate, Edinburgh
  • Green Personality of the Year: Al Gore
  • Best Environmental Consultancy 2007: Atkins
  • Best Consultancy for Corporate Social Responsibility: ERM
  • Best Consultancy for Due Diligence: ERM
  • Best Consultancy for Environmental Impact Assessment: ERM
  • Best Consultancy for Waste & Recycling: Atkins
  • Best Consultancy for Climate Change and Renewables: AEA
  • Best Consultancy for Water & Wastewater: Severn Trent
  • Best Consultancy for Contaminated Land: Atkins
  • Best Consultancy to Work For: Atkins
  • For more information about the awards, go to http://www.edie.net/awards/

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