Have your say: who is the environment's best?

With the launch of the Banksia Environmental Foundation's People's Choice Award, Australians were given the power to decide who has delivered the best environmental project in the country.

"Australians now have the power to decide on the environmental project that is making a constructive and unquestionable difference in preserving Australia's natural biodiversity," said Graz van Egmond, executive director, Banksia Environmental Foundation.

The nine contenders for the Banksia People's Choice Award have been selected from the 49 finalists of the 10 Banksia Award Categories.

Voting opens on Tuesday 12 June and closes on Thursday 12 July. Votes can be placed online at www.banksiafdn.com where visitors can access detailed descriptions of each nominee before selecting their favourite.

The recipient of the Banksia People's Choice Award will be announced at the Banksia Environmental Awards on Friday 20 July 2007 at a gala dinner at the Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour.

Finalists of the People's Choice Awards include:

• Carpentaria Ghost Nets Programme: People from (Indigenous) communities all around the Gulf of Carpentaria are finding ways to work together to get rid of marine debris in their sea country.
• Eco House Challenge: A reality TV program that challenges two families to change the way they live in order to help create a sustainable future and educate viewers about how they can make their own home more sustainable.
• GridX MiniGrid Tri-generation System at Mirvac Vision Estate Glenfield: Mirvac Vision Estate is generating three forms of energy from one resource. The technology uses natural gas to produce electricity while capturing hot and cold water to re-use in houses for climate control.
• Kimberley Toad Busters: A volunteer group working actively to stop the cane toad from crossing the WA border into the Kimberley.
• Paintback: A free service to drop off unwanted paint and paint packaging for recycling. The recovered paint is used in the manufacture of fence paint, while the steel paint cans are recycled.
• Paradise Protected "“ Magnetic Island: Is improving recycled water quality through a new wastewater treatment facility involving state-of-the-art technology. This paves the way for re-use of up to 90% of Magnetic Island's waste water by 2010.
• Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos, AM and the Vanadium Redox Battery: Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos is the principal inventor of a battery for storing renewable energy from sources such as wind generation and solar power. The energy is stored when generated and then delivered to the grid during peak demand times and is the first of its kind.
• Strahan Primary School Azure Kingfisher Project: Strahan Primary students were involved in a series of practical-based educational activities designed to foster and reinforce appreciation and ownership of their natural environment to save the habitat of the Azure Kingfisher and guarantee its survival.
• The Falls Festival: With no sustainability standards for festivals in Australia, the Falls Festival has found solutions for the waste and environmental management of large events making it a truly green music festival.