Competition was fierce, but the entries have now been whittled down to the finest few, which will now be considered by our panel of environmental luminaries.
The awards were established last year because we felt the good work being done by environmental consultancies as part of the wider efforts to reduce our global impact was going largely unrecognised.
As with last year, the shortlists throw up some interesting results, with the projects of global giants and household names often pitted against those of smaller outfits who are also doing cutting edge work.
According to Government, the environmental industries employ over 400,000 individuals in the UK and the consultants play an important role across a wide range of sectors.
In an effort to celebrate that broad variety of work being done, we ask companies to put forward the projects they are particularly proud of in five key areas.
The resulting shortlists are as follows – with projects listed in alphabetical order. To view the entries themselves in full, please click on the name of the category you are interested in which links to a page detailing the shortlists.
Carbon Reduction
Scott Wilson for work on a school building for autistic children using passive solar, solar thermal panels, a ground source heat pump and water saving devices.
Green Structures for a project highlighting the potential to save energy through the refurbishment of existing buildings, focusing on loft conversion.
TNEI for implementing a resource efficiency programme helping businesses in the North East reduce their use of energy, water and raw materials.
Waterman for its role in the development of a technology which converts waste plastics to diesel.
Green Corporate Initiatives
Carbonplan for the development of an environmental accounting system developed at Bristol Zoo and taken up by big business throughout the South West
Environmental Resources Management for the development of a tool designed to help make decisions on sustainability issues, working in conjunction with companies including Duchy Originals, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Cadbury.
Debut Services for hosting a series of workshops and exhibitions for Defence Estates and other clients which led to the implementation of renewable energy schemes at military installations.
Lauder Stewart for its involvement in a joint venture between ScottishPower and Lafarge which takes ash from coal-fired power stations and uses it to make cement, grout and other building products.
Mitsubishi for its Green Gateway Initiative which it believes will help reduce the UK’s CO2 emissions by millions of tonnes by focusing on the use of heating and cooling in buildings.
Siemens Transportation Systems for its Green Mile training programme which seeks to inform all employees about environmental good practice both at work and at home.
Sustainable Construction
Atkins for its design of new buildings at Northumbria University including a ‘Solar Veil’ which reduces the need for air conditioning while providing heating from the power of the sun.
Environment Agency for its development of a flood alleviation scheme outside of Lancaster designed to withstand even the biggest surges in water levels.
Hyder Consulting for its flood defences at a site in Somerset which will protect both existing flood-prone properties and allow for the development of new buildings.
Wolseley for its Sustainable Building Centre in Warwickshire, which will allow decision makers in the construction industry to see the demonstration of environmental best practice and products at work in a completed building.
Waste & Recycling
Coca Cola for its Talent from Trash project which uses the popularity of league football to promote an interest in recycling.
CPS Environmental for its development of a process which reduces the impact of leachate from both closed and active landfill sites.
Eastex for its materials exchange programme which allows businesses, councils and community groups to post adverts online for available or wanted items, thus encouraging reuse rather than disposal.
Environment Agency for development of a flood defence scheme which sought to demonstrate best practice in both the use of recycled materials and the minimisation of waste produced by the development itself.
Kirklees Council for an innovative scheme which engages local fast food retailers and encourages them to take responsibility for the litter produced by their businesses.
Anglian Water for an initiative which helps recycle sewage sludge into biogas and agricultural fertiliser.
Water & Wastewater
Environmental Resources Management for its role in the development of a water treatment plant which both improves the quality of water pumped to thousands of Glaswegian homes while reducing environmental impact.
QSCD Ltd for a process which significantly reduces the water consumption of metal pressing in manufacturing.
Severn Trent Services for its role in the development of a smart metering system which will identify leaking pipes and encourage more efficient water use.
Waterman Environmental Services for a scheme which significantly reduces the amount of water required to wash the National Express coach fleet and minimizes the levels of contamination of the waste water.
The project awards will be judged by Environment Agency chairman Chris Smith, chief executive of the Waste Resources Action Plan (WRAP) Liz Goodwin, director of the Building Research Executive (BRE) Peter Bonfield, Peter Stansby of the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research and Tom Stephenson, head of applied sciences at Cranfield University.
Sponsors include National Laboratory Services, Siemens, Landmark Information Services and Allen & York Recruitment.
The awards will be presented at a gala dinner at London’s Natural History Museum on November 13.
General information on the awards can be found at www.edie.net/awards
Published 28th August 2008
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