Raymond Blanc Reveals the Organisations Flying the Flag for Sustainability

March 2, 2012 - PRLog -- The triumphant trailblazers included the Castle Climbing Centre housed in a sprawling Grade II Victorian pumping station; and Invisible Dust, supported by the Wellcome Trust, a collaborative project between visual artists and world leading scientists which encourages awareness of air pollution.

Feng Sushi took home the ‘green gong’ in the Sustainable Food category, run in conjunction with Sustain, which was judged by Raymond Blanc himself. The modern sushi restaurant with seven branches is working with local farmers to grow produce traditionally found in Asia such as mooli and edamame beans.

With 130 more entries to the eleventh annual Sustainable City Awards, organised by the City of London Corporation, it is apparent that sustainable business practice is now a critical ingredient to commercial success as organisations of all sizes seek national recognition for their efforts in greater numbers.  

Last night’s winners also divulged that sustainability is key to business efficiency and provides a unique selling point in a challenging economic climate. SME contractors the Alumet Group, who took home the Overall Winner Award, have reduced their costs and become a more attractive business to their clients through their ‘Sustainability Drive’.
Simon Mills, Head of Sustainability at the City of London Corporation, says, “With the spread of winners of this year’s Sustainable City Awards including an art project, small businesses, big businesses and a hospital, it is the clear the UK is now far savvier about sustainability. It is clear that  the current hostile economic climate is stimulating sustainability amongst UK businesses and organisations as they are driven to innovate, standout from their competitors and maximise their efficiency in order to survive.”

Raymond Blanc, host of the awards, says, “Initiatives like the prestigious Sustainable City Awards are vital in bringing issues of sustainability to the forefront of the agenda which is why I was so keen to get involved in this year’s awards. It is clear from the spread of winners that businesses and organisations of all sizes with a range of resources are leading from the front and positively transforming their environmental impact. Having judged the Sustainable Fish category myself, this trend is certainly apparent within the restaurant issue. For Feng Sushi, a restaurant group, to win shows that the world is changing. In the past restaurant groups have been driven by profit margins but Feng Sushi’s success demonstrates that both businesses and consumers are willing to change their habits to support sustainability.”

The Royal Society for the Arts-accredited Sustainable City Awards recognises only the highest quality environmental initiatives. Two of last year’s winners – Hackney-based Arcola Theatre, which aims to be the world’s first carbon neutral theatre and Avalon, which insulates buildings via abseiling – are now up for international recognition at the European Business Awards for the Environment, taking place in June 2012.

Winners Included:
•   Invisible Dust, supported by the Wellcome Trust winner of the Air Quality award, encourages awareness of air pollution by facilitating a dialogue between visual artists and leading world scientists to create large scale art and science projects. Air pollution is mostly invisible but artists can make things visible through sound, video or installation which can enable people to understand complex scientific ideas. Last summer, artist Faisal Andu’Allah explored the effects on Olympic athletes of air pollution in east London and worked with local young people to produce their own film.

•   The Castle Climbing Centre in Hackney, winner of the Sustainable Buildings and Sustainable Procurement awards, is housed in a Grade II Victoria building and has worked hard to make the centre as energy efficient as possible with numerous environmental refurbishments. The one acre waste ground at back of the centre has been transformed into a market garden which provides fresh, organic produce for the centre and local community.

•   Social Finance, winner of the Sustainable Finance award, has pioneered the Social Impact Bond in the UK, which utilises the power of private investment to benefit the public space, both financially and socially. Social Finance is currently running a pilot project with ex-offenders from Peterborough Prison in light of 73% of offenders going on to re-offend multiple times. £5million has been raised from 17 private investors to fund community support initiatives, with a potential 30% return if Government-set targets for reduced re-offending rates are achieved.  

•   Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, winner of the Leadership in Sustainability award, has been recognised for their success in encouraging the public sector to work collectively in purchasing local, seasonal and organic food. This has not only resulted in the quality and taste of food improving but also lower costs, lower food wastage and customer satisfaction is now 20% higher than in comparable hospitals nationwide. The hospital hopes to take the collaboration of local food procurement and sustainable attitude to all London Hospitals and purchase collectively with schools, prisons, care homes and universities.

•   Sustrans, winner of the Sustainable Travel and Transport award, has been operating the Bike It project in London since 2006. Bike It works directly with schools, getting thousands of children on their bikes and cycling to school every day. On average the project trebles the number of children cycling to school in one year. Over the past five years the Bike It project in London has operated in 20 London boroughs and over 120 schools.
•   The Alumet Group, the overall winner, aims to reduce carbon emissions across every department in order to benefit the environment, reduce costs and become a more attractive business to their clients.  They have achieved this via a spectrum of different initiatives including the appointment of specialist staff, reduced water consumption, low vehicles emissions commitment, lighting reduction, cycle to work scheme, use of sustainable materials, reducing waste and encourage biodiversity including transforming an area of disused wasteland into a wildlife garden which was officially opened by TV botanist Dr David Bellamy OBE.


For further information please refer to the website: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/sca

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 at Mansion House, the Lord Mayor’s official residence, in March 2012.  

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