Cornwall & The Isles of Scilly Sustainability Awards 2024

Entrants for this category will demonstrate best practice for the benefit of the environment, their employees and the wider community.

Entrants will show how they have addressed some or all of the following:

• Energy, pollution, waste and resource management
• Water
• Transport
• Purchasing and the local economy
• Buildings and land use
• Community participation
• Employment practices (including equality and diversity)
• Environmental management

This category has two separate awards (with one winner and one runner up each). One award for farmer and landholder plantings and one award for communities groups.

Award One: Farmers and Landholders

Entrants for this category will have demonstrated one or more of the following, with the proviso that new tree planting needs to have been carried out in the last year:

• New tree planting including projects such as orchards, hedgerows, in field trees, agroforestry and planting on all scales.
• Additional planting and improvement to existing woodland to include the restoration of natural habitats, natural regeneration, improving connectivity, biodiversity and wildlife benefits.
• Tree planting to protect and improve water courses to increase buffering, support flood prevention, increase amenity and wildlife benefit

Award Two: Communities and Groups

Entrants for this category will have demonstrated one or more of the following:

• New tree planting – this includes community or local group projects such as orchards, hedgerows, schools, and planting on all scales.
• Creation of a new tree nursery – and supporting local enterprise (either commercial or community based).
• Tree planting projects in urban areas – this includes street trees, parks and green open spaces.
• Additional planting and improvement to existing woodland to include the restoration of natural habitats, natural regeneration, improving connectivity, biodiversity and wildlife benefits.
• Tree planting to protect and improve water courses to increase buffering, support flood prevention, increase amenity and wildlife benefit.

Entrants for this category will have demonstrated one or more of the following:

• Circular product design and innovation
• Repair, re-manufacturing, re-purposing or re-use of products
• Innovative business management models
• Efficient supply chain and/or cross-sector collaboration
• The re-use of material waste, heat or energy

Entrants for this category will have demonstrated one or more of the following:

• Creation or restoration to wildlife habitat- e.g. orchards, ponds, wildflower meadows/verges, native hedges, street trees or woodlands
• Environmental improvements to buildings or ground- e.g. installation of bee bricks, bug hotels, swift boxes, nest boxes, tree planting etc
• Sustainable land management such as agri-food, nature recovery, tree planting, water management and nature-based solutions to climate change such as flood alleviation.
• Schemes to reduce invasive species, litter, noise or light pollution in the environment, (including marine coastal areas)
• Initiatives to help people connect with their environment, encouraging them to grow nature and increase public understanding and enjoyment of wildlife- e.g. Forest schools, ecotourism, training programmes
• New environmental products and services.

Note: Applications will be compared in terms of space (amount of land), people (number of employees) and turnover.

Entrants for this category will have demonstrated one or more of the following:

• Reducing carbon emissions from households, businesses or organisations
• Promoting sustainable choices and behaviour change
• Reducing emissions from transportation including people and goods
• Creating new opportunities for renewable energy
• Supporting climate resilient communities and spaces
• Promoting the removal of carbon from the atmosphere through nature-based solutions
• Going beyond carbon net zero and carbon neutral to becoming carbon positive.