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CARE4AIR AND ECO STARS WIN GREEN APPLE AWARDS
September 2009
Having been on the giving end of so many awards this year, it was with great excitement that the Care4Air team found out they have won a Green Apple Award for Local Authority Environmental Best Practice. The good news was swiftly followed by the announcement that ECO Stars had won a Green Apple Award too!
The prestigious Green Apple Awards are one of the biggest, longest established environmental award schemes in the UK. All winners are put forward to represent the UK in the European Business Awards for the Environment.
Care4Air, currently in its fifth year, is a unique campaign that has achieved a consistently high profile and is recognised as best practice across the UK. The campaign has an award winning website, holds an annual national conference in Sheffield and is recognised by Defra as an example of best practice in communications around air quality.
Care4Air contributed significantly towards Sheffield�s successful bid for Beacon status in 2007 and has achieved widespread sector recognition in terms of raising awareness of a �technical� issue in a highly accessible and engaging way.
In January 2009 Care4Air launched the ECO Stars Fleet Recognition Scheme - the first of its kind in the UK. The free South Yorkshire-wide scheme encourages commercial operators of buses, coaches, HGVs and LGVs to implement operational best practice in fleet management.
This is supported by tailormade recommendations on how to reduce fuel consumption and lower vehicle emissions to reach a maximum five-star operational rating for environmental performance. Over 3200 vehicles across the region are currently signed up to the scheme.
The annual Green Apple awards are organised by the Green Organisation (www.thegreenorganisation.info) and supported by the Environment Agency, The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, The Ecology Building Society, Go4Green, the MJ (Municipal Journal) and several other environment bodies.
Both the Care4Air and ECO Stars teams will now attend the awards ceremony at the House of Commons on 17th November to receive their gongs.