2016 Green Globe Awards winners announced

The winners of the Green Globe Awards for 2016 were announced in a ceremony held at the Art Gallery of New South Wales last week.

Environment Minister Mark Speakman congratulated the winners and applauded the actions of business, community and government who are leading the way to build a cleaner, greener NSW and helping us and our environment to thrive.

The best of the best Premier’s Award for Environmental Excellence went to The Bower Reuse & Repair Centre. Cooperative Manager Guido Verbist said, “Being an award winner endorses our three objectives: to reduce waste to landfill; to show how easy it is to repair or upcycle goods; and to provide affordable goods to disadvantaged communities.”

The Bower is described as a non-profit re-use and repair centre that has relationships with local councils to provide a collection and re-homing service for furniture, household goods, building materials and bicycles. Through agreements with other community groups — such as Mums4Refugees, Newtown Asylum Seeker Centre and Pyrmont Community Cares — Bower provides furniture and household goods to asylum seekers and inner-city residents struggling to furnish their homes.

The Regional Sustainability Award went to Charles Sturt University. Professor Andrew Vann, Vice Chancellor & President, said he “hoped that we can inspire other organisations, both regional and national, to reduce their own carbon footprint and do their bit for the planet”.

The 10 Year Sustainability Achievement Award, a category open to 2006 Green Globe Award winners, went to BlueScope Steel for its sustained leadership in reducing and preventing pollution. The judges said it was clear that BlueScope has committed to consistently improving their performance and is to be commended for development and provision of new products, focusing on use of water, materials and other resources, all underpinned by a strong social focus on topics including health and safety, community and learning.

The full list of winners is available on the NSW Government’s website.