Closing date now extended to 16th July at 5pm!

This year’s Sustainable Swansea Awards were launched on Monday 17th May by Jane Davidson AM, Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing. The award scheme is run by Swansea Environmental Forum to recognise the achievements of local organisations, groups and individuals that demonstrate a genuine commitment to good environmental practice and sustainable development.

The launch was held at Swansea Community Farm, which won one of the first Sustainable Swansea Awards, back in 2005.

“The Community Farm provides many great examples of what sustainability is all about with practical demonstrations of composting, water conservation, using recycled materials and alternative energy, as well as setting very high standards for animal welfare and protecting wildlife.” commented Philip McDonnell, the awards scheme Coordinator.

“But sustainability is also about people and communities, and the Farm has developed a very strong reputation for working with volunteers of all ages and abilities and forging strong links with the local community, schools and training organisations.” 

Other previous winners include local businesses such as AB Glass and Pitstop Carwash and voluntary groups such as the Blaenymaes Drop-in Centre and the MOre Green Project. These have set great examples on issues such as energy and water efficiency, reuse of unwanted goods and supporting local communities.

There are seven award categories in the 2010 scheme, each aiming to reward a particular type of project, organisation or activity. These include the Community Project Award, the Waste Wise Business Award, the Sustainable Schools Award, the Biodiversity Award, the Champion Award and two new awards for reducing carbon emissions. The awards scheme is sponsored and supported by The Cooperative Membership, Welsh Assembly Government, Wales Green Business Centre, the City and County of Swansea, Countryside Council for Wales, Swansea Environmental Education Forum, South Wales Evening Post, Swansea Council for Voluntary Service, Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd. and the Environment Centre.

The launch event was chosen to mark the start of the first ever Wales Sustainability Week. This has been organised by the Welsh Assembly to celebrate what people, organisations and communities are doing across Wales to promote sustainability. Swansea is recognised as a hotbed for environmental and sustainability projects in Wales and the biennial awards scheme helps to highlight some of the best local examples.

Download an application form here, and a flyer here.