Encourage, reward and recognise sustainable Cornish businesses
The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Sustainability Awards (CSA) have been running since 2002 when they were launched by Sir Jonathon Porritt. Having consistently grown year on year, CSA has become Cornwall’s leading initiative for rewarding and celebrating organisations for their contribution to environmental growth, resource efficiency, circular economy and carbon neutrality.
The numbers are striking. In 2019 alone over 115 applications were received across the 16 award categories, with over 250 business representatives attending the ceremony event in December.
Likewise, levels of sponsorship and support from likeminded partners have grown to record levels in recent years.
We took a pause for review in 2019 and launched a brand-new website in 2020. This year we will be hosting the awards ceremony on Friday 6th December, from 6-10pm at The National Maritime Museum, Falmouth.
Entries for 2024 are NOW OPEN until 31st October.
You can either apply yourself or nominate another organisation for an award this year, as long as the organisation is based in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.
Applications can only be made in one of the following categories:
- Most Sustainable Organisation – sponsored by Truro & Penwith College, Cornwall College and Foot Anstey.
- Trees for Nature and Growth – sponsored by Forest for Cornwall and DEFRA via the Nature for Climate Fund.
- Circular Economy – sponsored by TBC.
- Environmental Growth – sponsored by Local Investment in Nature Cornwall (LINC) and Cornwall National Landscape (AONB) Trust.
- Carbon Positive – sponsored by University of Exeter and Carbon Sense.
- Overall Winner trophy (chosen from the winners of all the categories) – sponsored by Business Cornwall
The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Sustainability Awards (CSA) are run by Cornwall Council in association with a range of stakeholders.
Andrew Moss Robinson, Managing Director, Carbon Sense:
“We are excited to support the awards this year and are honored to sponsor the Carbon-Positive category. At this crucial time, carbon mitigation and an embedded strategy to achieve Net Zero are vital to avoid further climate change catastrophes. Every effort to remove and balance emissions in our daily activities while supporting nature is worthy of recognition.”
Annie Surtees, Lead Programme Officer, Forest For Cornwall:
“The Cornwall Sustainability Awards celebrates all aspects of environmental growth and nature recovery in Cornwall. The category Trees for Nature and Growth, highlights the extraordinary contribution that trees will make towards creating a carbon neutral Cornwall and helping us to adjust to climate change. Forest for Cornwall supports everyone across Cornwall to plant trees in their gardens, trees, parks, hedgerows and fields. This award will bring a spotlight on the projects that have had the most impact on a community or landholding. The criteria includes all scales of tree planting, creating new woodland, improving existing woodland habitat, creation of new tree nurseries or community orchards, increasing tree numbers in urban areas, supporting flood prevention, and the benefits to local communities. Entry for the award is open to everyone – landholders, businesses, communities, parishes, and organisations – so let us know about the amazing work you have been doing!”
John Catchpole, Partner at Foot Anstey:
“At Foot Anstey we have an unwavering commitment to acting in an environmental and socially responsible manner. We are delighted to be sponsoring the Cornwall Sustainability Awards as we take pride in supporting local communities and initiatives, and the awards take an active approach in tackling carbon reduction and celebrating the very best in sustainability initiatives within the Cornwall region, something we are very passionate about as we work with businesses across the country towards achieving net zero.”
Judging will take place in November and the judges for this year are:
- Kim Conchie, Chamber of Commerce
- Lord Robin Teverson, CIoS Local Nature Partnership
- Clare Parnell, CIoS Local Enterprise Partnership & CIOS Local Nature Partnership
- Gitty Ankers, Cornwall Community Flood Forum
- Cllr Martin Alvey, Cornwall Council Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Environment
- Matt Hocking, LEAP
- Justin Olosunde, Chair of the Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Climate Commission.
- TBC, Council of the Isles of Scilly
Meet the judges
Kim graduated from University College, Cardiff with joint honours in English and Economics, an academic grounding that played to his interest in narratives, people and numbers. After travelling and experience working in hospitality, he developed a career in publishing, progressing through the ranks in a number of commercial roles at Haymarket and other magazine publishers.
In 1986 he co-founded Brass Tacks Publishing which, under his stewardship, became one of the top ten UK customer magazine and website publishers. Somerfield, Royal Mail, the RAC, British Gas and the RFU numbered among its many blue-chip clients. He sold the business to Chime Communications in 2000, remaining as MD of the Bristol office until 2009.
Returning to live in his native Cornwall in 2002, Kim has been CEO of Cornwall Chamber of Commerce since April 2012. His visionary yet highly pragmatic approach has seen him develop the Chamber into an organisation that is firmly at the forefront of Cornwall’s business community. Cornwall Chamber of Commerce has grown to encompass a specialist team that offers an extensive range of services, from export market expertise to a vibrant mix of networking events, as well as being very much the voice of business in Cornwall on a regional, national and international scale.
Today Kim is also a member of and chairs, several business and education boards. He is a director of South West Investment Group (SWIG), a director of Creative Kernow, a trustee of Cornwall Community Foundation, a member of Truro & Penwith College Employment & Business Board, on the FEAST steering group and an advisory board member of Golden Tree Productions, Smartline and Cornwall Place Board. Kim was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Cornwall in 2019.
Outside of work his family, wife Sarah and three children, his garden, boat, Falmouth Rugby and walking the Coast Path are sources of great enjoyment.
Robin is Chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Nature Partnership. He is a member of the House of Lords where he speaks on climate change and biodiversity issues.
Until earlier this year he chaired House’s EU Environment committee. Robin is also involved in the energy storage sector, and is a trustee of the company that holds the green share in the Green Investment Bank. He lives near Tregony in Cornwall.
Gitty has a degree in Public Health Engineering from Tehran University and has settled in England since 1979, after gaining an M.Sc. in Occupational Medicine from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. After working for Cornwall Council she transferred to the Environment Agency (EA) in 1996 where she worked in waste planning, pollution prevention, waste minimisation, resource management and sustainable good practice. She recently retired after working as a Catchment Co-ordinator for the past 5 years in the Environment Agency (EA), where she worked closely with Flood Defence colleagues, landowners, SW Water, Cornwall Council and other interested parties on water management.
Gitty has 37 years’ of experience and has a broad knowledge of environmental issues including Climate Change, Pollution Prevention, Sustainability, Waste and Resource Management, Environmental Legislation, Environmental Impact Assessments, Land Remediation and Management, Environmental Management Systems, Habitat Creation and Enhancement and Water Management.
Gitty was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the Queen’s Birthday 2010 Honours List “For services to the Recycling and Waste Industries in Cornwall”.
As part of International Women’s Day in 2018, 2019 and 2020 Gitty was cited in the press as one of 60 inspirational and remarkable women who have made major contributions to Cornwall. She has worked closely with a range of Government Departments on both preventing and responding to the climate emergency and brings a focus on how we put people at the heart of that thinking. Gitty combines extensive regulatory experience with the ability to think creatively and strategically about the future and to engage others on that journey. She is very effective at networking and bringing people from all walks of life together.
Martyn was born and brought up in Falmouth, leaving Cornwall in 1985 to join the Royal Air Force where he served as an Administration Officer on bases throughout the UK and on Operations overseas, including the Persian Gulf and Kosovo. He retired from the Royal Air Force as a Squadron Leader in 2004 and returned to Cornwall when he first became involved in local politics as a Parish Councillor. Having made his home in a small hamlet prone to flooding, this is where he first became interested in the environment and aware of the impacts locally of Climate Change.
Between 2004 and 2013 Martyn worked in various management roles within Cornwall’s Voluntary and Community sector, primarily supporting the long-term unemployed to prepare for and find work. In 2013 he saw a job advertised by Cornwall Council who were seeking an individual to project manage a DEFRA funded Flood Resilience Pathfinder Project across the Duchy. The project ended in 2015 but saw the creation of the Cornwall Community Flood Forum (CCFF) as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation. As Chairman of the CCFF he oversaw the development of a modular syllabus to support the training of community emergency volunteers that has now been rolled out Nationally as ‘Communities Prepared’. He was first elected to Cornwall Council in 2017 and in 2019 seconded the Council’s Motion to declare a Climate Emergency and the setting of a ‘Net Zero by 2030’ target. In May 2021, Martyn was appointed to the Council’s Cabinet as the Environment and Climate Change Portfolio holder.
Matt Hocking is the Founder and Creative Sustainability Officer for B Corporation, Leap – the creative agency for the planet, founded in 2004 with the mission to ‘design for change’. Pathfinder, creative activist and enabler, a B Corp Ambassador for the UK, Co-founder of Goodfest – a ‘creative conversations on the beach’ festival.
Clare is a dairy farmer and agri-food specialist and has the role of rural lead on the Board. Clare has long championed the agri-food sector and land-based industries in Cornwall, managing a number of trade organisations and a farm visitor centre. She is Chair of the LEP’s Rural Advisory Group and also Vice Chair of the LEP’s Employment and Skills Board. Clare is also a Board member on the CIoS Local Nature Partnership.
Justin is a Senior Funding & Investment Manager working within the Environment Directorate of the West of England Combined Authority
Justin also acts as the finance lead for the Department of Energy Security & Net Zero (DESNZ) Local Net Zero Accelerator Pilots supporting Greater Manchester, West Midlands and York and North Yorkshire Combined Authorities.
Justin has an extensive background in investment banking (capital markets and hedging infrastructure finance), education management, curriculum development, consultancy, social enterprise, and sector specialisms in renewable energy and environmental goods & services.
Justin was born into an engineering and farming family in Cornwall and educated at a range of UK universities before working across the world in various roles before returning to his native Cornwall with the birth of his son.
Justin is currently Chair of The Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Climate Commission and a Director of South West Business Council, and he has previously served as an (Associate) Non-Executive Director of Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Chair of the Senior Executives Forum, a Special Advisor to The Office of the Third Sector in the Cameron-led coalition UK Government, the DEFRA representative of the South West Regional Flood and Coastal Committee (RFCC), Treasurer of Volunteer Cornwall and as a member of the Co-op’s National Member’s Council as well as a school governor for academies in both Devon & Cornwall in addition to serving on a number of other not-for-profit Boards aligned to his professional expertise.