Green awards to be launched in Birmingham

Businesses, community groups and schools are being urged to submit entries to Birmingham’s new Sustainability and Recycling Awards, which will be launched next week.

Businesses, community groups and schools are being urged to submit entries to Birmingham’s new Sustainability and Recycling Awards, which will be launched next week.

Birmingham City Council’s new awards scheme replaces the Recycling Awards and Green Restaurant Awards to celebrate innovative green initiatives across the city.

Cllr James McKay, Cabinet Member for a Green, Safe and Smart City, will launch the awards at Ginger’s in Newhall Street, on Wednesday, 26 March 2014 at 10am.

He will be joined by Michelin-starred chef Glynn Purnell, whose restaurant Purnell’s won the Staff and Community category at the Green Restaurant Awards in 2012.

 In total 16 awards will be made across four categories:

  • Best Waste and Recycling Scheme
  • Best Energy Reduction Scheme
  • Best Food and Growing Scheme
  • Best Staff and Community Scheme.

An overall winner, whose entry completely embraces the ethos of these awards, will be announced at a ceremony at the Council House, in Victoria Square, on 18th July 2014.

Cllr McKay said: “I would like to urge all local people, businesses and schools who actively recycle, reuse and reduce waste to enter these new Sustainability and Recycling Awards. These awards give us the opportunity to highlight and celebrate the fantastic work that’s being carried out in our city, and which usually goes unnoticed.”

Glynn said: “It was fantastic to receive recognition for our efforts towards supporting sustainability and a greener community. Businesses need to realise that success shouldn’t just be driven by profits, but by overall business practice. It was a massive boost for the staff to be nominated, especially when we were told we had won an award for our own local community involvement. I encourage everyone in business to take part in the 2014 awards to help promote and adopt a greener, more sustainable way of conducting business.”