Green Globe Awards in NSW highlight leadership and innovation

Friday, 29 July, 2011

Investa Property Group has taken out the NSW Premiers Award for Sustainability Excellence at this year’s Green Globe Awards. The NSW Government’s annual environment awards were held on 26 July at NSW Parliament House, hosted by the Minister for the Environment and Heritage Robyn Parker.

Investa also won the Built Environment Sustainability Award and the Climate Change Leadership Award. Parker said: “From establishing the Investa Sustainability Institute to improve research and engagement across the industry, to innovative trials to save energy while improving office worker comfort, Investa has taken a systematic approach to better environmental performance.

“With the launch this year of Australia’s first commercial building tri-generation precinct in North Sydney, Investa is continuing to demonstrate improvement in sustainability performance.”

In keeping with the Green Globe Awards aim, to recognise leadership and innovation, this year’s winners showcase a number of environmental ‘firsts’ for NSW.

“Water Award winner Cameron’s Nursery overcame the company’s unique watering needs by designing a new capillary watering system saving 3.5 million litres of drinking water a year,” Parker said.

“Housing NSW has built the first 5-star green rated social housing project in Australia to win the Public Sector Sustainability Award.

“And the Farming the Sun project, a joint winner in the first Green Globe Regional Sustainability Award category, established the largest community-driven solar technology initiative in Australia.

“The great work of OzHarvest in collecting and distributing food waste from restaurants, food outlets and corporate kitchens to provide for those in need is also recognised through their Community Sustainability Award win,” Parker said.

enLighten won both the Energy Award (Energy, Water and Waste Excellence Awards category) for its collective contribution to date in commercial energy savings as well as the Environmental Innovation Award (Excellence in Leadership and Innovation category) for the recently launched multifunction LED light - the Chamaeleon - which is said to be capable of delivering 93% energy savings.

The Green Globe Awards began in 1999 as the Energy Smart Business Awards and have since expanded to include water, waste and sustainability achievements.

Parker also presented 10-year ‘hall of fame’ awards to three past winners who are continuing a decade later to build on their sustainability performance. They are Amcor, City of Sydney and The Grace Hotel, Sydney.

2011 Green Globe Award Winners include:

Energy Award - enLightenAustralia
Water Award - Cameron’s Nursery
Waste and Recycling Award - Dunlop Flooring
Business Sustainability Award - The GPT Group
Small Business Sustainability Award - Instyle Contract Textiles
Public Sector Sustainability Award - Housing NSW, Department of Family and Community Services
Built Environment Sustainability Award - Investa Property Group
Local Government Sustainability Award - Willoughby City Council
Community Sustainability Award - OzHarvest
Regional Sustainability Award - Joint winners: Starfish Enterprises, Farming the Sun and Charles Sturt University
Sustainability Champion Award - Amanda McCluskey
Climate Change Leadership Award - Investa Property Group -Tri-generation precinct
Environmental Innovation Award - enLighten Australia - Chameleon Multi Function Light
Premier’s Award for Sustainability Excellence - Investa Property Group