County council campaign clinches national award
The hugely successful Switch it Off campaign has come runner-up at a major national environmental awards ceremony.
The campaign aimed to encourage as many people as possible in Warwickshire, Coventry and Worcestershire to not leave electrical items on standby.
And more than 500 delegates from across the private and public sector, with representatives from the vast majority of local authorities, watched representatives from Warwickshire County Council collect the runners-up award from Government Energy Minister Malcolm Wicks, at the Sustainable Development UK Awards in London.
Switch it Off missed out on the top spot to the National Forest Company, the people behind Conkers in Leicestershire, for their project.
The awards followed the Sustainable Development UK national conference where delegates enjoyed a series of thought provoking and inspirational presentations from key environment chiefs including The Rt. Hon Hilary Benn MP, Government advisor Professor John Beddington and environmental champion Jonathon Porritt to name but a few.
Delegates at the prestigious SDUK conference were then treated to the launch of the SDUK Annual Award for Sustainability, which aims to recognise examples of excellence among public sector bodies in their bid to build for the future.
Presented by Minister for Energy Malcolm Wicks, this inaugural award reflected just how critical an issue sustainable development is becoming for those working in the public sector.
Commenting on the success at this year’s ceremony, Cllr Martin Heatley, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said:
"We are delighted with the recognition ‘Switch it Off’ has gained in the SDUK Awards. I believe this is a great independent endorsement of the work we are doing with partners to demonstrate that people can have a real impact and make a difference by thinking about their own home energy use, while also saving themselves money."
The winner was the National Forest Company for ‘Creating the Heart of the Forest in Ashby Woulds’. Ashby Woulds lies at the heart of the former Leicestershire and South Derbyshire coalfield. It covers 16 square kilometres in the centre of The National Forest and is one of the most ambitious environmentally focused landscape change projects in the UK.
For more information on Switch it Off see http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/switchitoff
Entities for this story
- Hon Hilary Benn MP , Government advisor
- Rt
- Government Energy Minister
- Governor
- Professor
- minister
- Coventry
- London
- Worcestershire
- Warwickshire
- John Beddington
- Martin Heatley
- Malcolm Wicks
- Jonathon Porritt
- Ashby Woulds
- Warwickshire County Council
- United Kingdom
- home energy use
- National Forest Company
- www.warwickshire.gov.uk/switchitoff