Stroud District wins Green Award

Stroud District Council has won the 2010 Green Energy Award for being the south west’s Most Proactive Local Authority.

Photo:award being presented

The award – which is designed to recognise the crucial role local authorities can play in supporting sustainable energy – was presented to the council at a ceremony in Bath last week. I was asked for a comment by The Citizen - here's what I said on Sunday early (well it wasn't so early but I was still in bed!): "Huge congratulations this is a significant award for measures that Greens have been pushing for locally. However as Jonathon Porritt said at the award ceremony we need to go much further: this is only a small step to where we need to go. It is vital we scale-up energy efficiency and renewables work. Lloyds of London predicted recently that oil could go to $200 a barrel in 2013 and warned of “catastrophic consequences” if we fail to prepare for a world of increasing oil scarcity, increasing fuel poverty and a lower carbon economy. Now is the time to build on our success locally."

Here is the rest of the news release from the awards ceremony:

Head judge of the category, Dermot Grimson of the Crown Estate, said: “Stroud is increasingly seeing things happen ‘on the ground’. There has been tremendous improvement in the district over the past 12 months, and its model is an exemplar to all smaller local authorities.”

The council was particularly noted for its three-year Climate Change Programme “Target 2050”, which has helped over 180 householders, 66 businesses and 20 community buildings to reduce their CO2 emissions. Their ‘cross tenure’ project in an off-gas area has delivered 48 renewable heating solutions, and their involvement in the ‘DECC PAYS’ pilot finances tailored local solutions with local suppliers and installers.

Stroud District Council beat off strong opposition from other shortlisted entries including previous winners Bristol City Council, and Gloucester City Council. Now in their seventh year, the South West Green Energy Awards recognise, reward, and pay tribute to the outstanding achievements of individuals and organisations operating in the south west sustainable energy industry.

Leading environmentalist Jonathon Porritt, who hosted the South West Green Energy Awards, said: “Forget two, five, ten or even fifteen percent – we need at least 70 or 80 per cent of our energy to come from renewable sources – as fast as we can deliver it. It’s therefore essential that we get spread that message, so that people understand the power of what lies behind a renewable future. What we are celebrating here at the South West Green Energy Awards are the decisions and actions of people working towards that kind of future. The people here tonight have demonstrated what the potential is for building the future in a completely different way; for creating wealth in completely different ways; and for bringing forward new technologies in completely different ways.”

See more about the awards here.