If your business or organisation has made impressive strides with implementing sustainable initiatives and educating others in this field, then the East Anglia Clean & Green Awards are for you.
Now open for entries, both the Educational Trailblazer award, sponsored by East Coast Energy Training Academy, and the Circular and Recycling Award offer an opportunity for innovative businesses in the East of England to shout about their successes.
Read on to find out more about these two categories.
Educational Trailblazer - Sponsored by East Coast Energy Training Academy
Award criteria
The judges will be looking for programmes that effectively raise awareness and promote sustainability through education, training or communication.
Innovation, engagement and measurable outcomes in knowledge or behaviour change will be key factors.
Entries should have the potential for wider reach and scalability.
Meet Rachel Bunn, skills director, East Coast Energy Training Academy
I have worked at East Coast College since 2001 in a variety of roles, but skills and innovation is at the heart of my work. I am also the college STEM lead and CSR champion. Having studied a Masters in Environmental Science, it is great to use my training to support such exciting regional projects.
Why were you keen to get involved in the Clean & Green Awards?
We need to shout about the great work that is taking place in the region and showcase East Anglia for its great clean and green initiatives. We are leading in clean energy, and this is at the heart of the work we do at East Coast College’s Energy Training Academies.
Have you ever been judged for an award yourself?
Yes, in the past the academy and college have been nominated for the East of England Energy Group (EEEGR) awards linking our work and skills.
How will you use that experience when judging this award?
We understand how hard a nomination submission can be when you are trying to encapsulate every key point!
Our experience in nominations and judging will ensure we examine each one in detail for the Clean & Green Awards.
What will you be looking for in the winner?
The winner will need to stand out from the crowd and be doing work outside the norm. Creativity and passion must shine through in the application, as well as driving the clean and green agenda.
What advice would you give to anyone that’s considering entering?
Don’t just think “Should we?” – get those applications in, as there are so many great green practices taking place in region that people need to know about. Be clear and shout about the great things you are doing!
What will you be expecting to see in terms of ‘audience engagement’?
We welcome applications from a range of sectors that have encompassed an element of sustainability, clean energy or green projects that have made a positive difference to learning.
The target group could range from primary schools through to universities, as well as firms offering learning in the workplace. Projects can be wide ranging, including new products, supporting and inspiring learning or the development of skills.
Circular and Recycling Award
The judges for the Circular and Recycling Award category will be looking for a project or initiative backed by strong leadership which has bolstered an organisation’s resource efficiency. This could include circular economy practices, energy conservation, waste management or recycling schemes.
Evidence should be provided of novel approaches to waste reduction and entrants should be able to clearly show how these initiatives have lowered their waste output and promoted the reuse of materials within the business.
In addition to the projects carried out internally, the judges are also hoping to see evidence of businesses involving consumers, other organisations or even other industries in their work, and will be keen to see the proposed scalability of ideas.
Entries for the East Anglia Clean & Green Awards 2025 close at midnight on Sunday, December 15. To enter, visit cleanandgreenawards.co.uk
To find out more about the awards, please click here.
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