Nick Smith25 May, 2010
Environment Minister
Nick Smith today announced the 27 finalists
for the 2010 Green Ribbon Awards which honour
outstanding contributions to protecting
New Zealand's environment.
"This year marks
the 20th Green Ribbon Awards. During this
time more than 100 environmental champions
have been awarded for their initiative,
commitment and dedication to tackle environmental
issues," Dr Smith said.
For the 2010 awards
143 nominations were received across 12
categories. The categories reflect the broad
range of environmental challenges that New
Zealand faces and the extraordinary range
of actions taken to address them. The nominations
recognised individuals, businesses, communities
and youth as well as larger organisations.
"The large number
and diversity of the nominations is a testament
to the hard work and the many different
ways that New Zealanders are working to
protect our environment," Dr Smith
said.
The winners of each
category and an overall supreme winner will
be announced during an awards ceremony at
Parliament on Thursday 3 June.
"With so many outstanding
and compelling nominations, it was difficult
to pick out these finalists. I wish them
all the best of luck."
The finalists are:
•Accor Hospitality (Auckland)
•Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust (Christchurch)
•Buller High School (Westport)
•Charlie B's Backpackers (Christchurch)
•Environmental Education for Resource Sustainability
Trust (EERST) - Paper4trees programme (Tauranga)
•Envirofert Ltd (Auckland)
•Friends of Flora Inc (Tasman)
•Henley Trust 2003 (Masterton)
•Hukanui Primary School - Eco-classroom
(Hamilton)
•Kaharoa Kokako Trust (Rotorua)
•Karen Warren (Nelson)
•Landcare Research - carboNZero programme
(Canterbury)
•New Zealand Pork (Wellington)
•North Shore City Council - Corporate Sustainability
Team (North Shore City)
•Palmerston North City Council - Awapuni
Sustainable Development Centre (Palmerston
North)
•Plastics NZ - Best Practice Energy programme
(Manukau)
•Resene Paints Ltd (Lower Hutt)
•Sleepyhead Manufacturing Co Ltd (Auckland)
•Splashroom Ltd (Dunedin North)
•Sustainable Coastlines Inc (Auckland)
•Taikura Rudolf Steiner School (Hastings)
•Te Wai Pounamu Foundation (Dunedin)
•Thames Coromandel District Council and
Tairua/Pauanui Community Board (Thames)
•The New Zealand Wine Company (Marlborough)
•Waitakere City Council - Project Twin Streams
(Waitakere)
•Wellington Zoo Trust (Wellington)
•Whangateau Harbour Care (Warkworth)
+ More
Waste reduction schemes
receive accreditation
Smith19 May, 2010
Environment Minister Nick Smith today announced
the Government's accreditation of two new
product stewardship schemes for recycling
and reducing harm from used farm plastics
and glass packaging.
"Product stewardship
schemes are an excellent way of getting
all parties involved in the production and
distribution of a product to take responsibility
for its environmental impact at the end
of its life," Dr Smith said.
The Plasback farm plastic
recycling scheme is a voluntary scheme for
the collection of farm plastic waste for
recycling or reuse.
"We know that farm
plastics are often disposed of in ways harmful
to the environment such as burying or burning.
The Plasback scheme instead provides a cost
effective and environmentally friendly alternative
and will see farm plastics collected and
recycled into new products such as piping
or bins," Dr Smith said.
The Glass Packaging
Forum, which comprises more than 100 companies
that produce or import, fill or sell glass
containers in NZ, has developed a voluntary
scheme for reducing the amount of glass
packaging sent to landfill.
"Recovered glass
can either be used to make new glass containers
or for alternative uses such as vineyard
mulch and roading aggregate. This means
a reduction in waste sent to landfill as
well as the amount of energy and carbon
emissions from the production of new glass
containers," Dr Smith said.
"Under the Waste
Minimisation Act, as Minister for the Environment,
I have the ability to accredit product stewardship
schemes who meet the criteria for reducing
waste and environmental harm. I would encourage
other industries to recognise the economic
and environmental benefits of product stewardship
and get accredited."
