| June 15th 2006
saw BioRegional Development Group win £15,000
for their ground breaking renewable energy project which turns wood
waste into renewable energy. The prize was given by the 2006 Ashden
Awards for Sustainable Energy. The money will help the charity set
up more renewable energy projects around the country – saving
CO2 emissions and reducing waste to landfill.
The Ashden Awards, the UK's leading
green energy award scheme, rewards outstanding and innovative projects
which tackle climate change and improve quality of life by providing
renewable energy and energy efficiency at a local level.
BioRegional’s TreeStation
Project has established a processing site in Croydon which converts
waste wood into 10,000 tonnes of woodchip a year, supplying much-needed
renewable energy for electricity and heating to the area and saving
the local council around £20,000 a year in waste disposal
costs.
Andrew Tofts, Forestry Manager
at BioRegional commented:
”It's a real thrill and honour to win an Ashden Award.
The prize will kick start the next phase of our work. We shall expand
wood chip production with local authorities and commercial partners
across London. The award is a very timely boost for us as we look
forward to a low carbon, biomass fuelled, bioregional future. And
a big thank you to our funders: Norlands Foundation, Carbon Trust,
Scottish Power Green Energy Trust and WWF UK.”
The awards presentation was followed
by speeches from leader of the Conservative Party, David Cameron
and former Chief Scientific Advisor to the government, Lord May.
David Cameron visited BedZED in Sutton earlier that day to publicise
the Ashden Awards and find out more about how renewable energy has
been addressed within the eco village.
David Cameron commented
“One of the most encouraging things about politics today
is that people are waking up to the reality of climate change and
the urgent need to tackle it. As leader of the Opposition, I have
no power to pass laws but there are some things I can do. I can
stimulate debate. But it is a real privilege to be able to reward
people who are making a difference on the ground. The people and
projects we are celebrating today are pioneers in a global quest
to save us from the consequences of our own actions.”
The Ashden Awards for Sustainable
Energy - now in its 6th year - highlights and rewards exemplary
and successful examples of sustainable energy use both in the UK
and the developing world. Through its awards scheme and related
activities, the Ashden Awards aim to persuade policy makers, funders
and the wider public to recognise renewable energy and energy efficiency
as a crucial tool for addressing the urgent global issues of climate
change, pollution and energy supply as well as the social and economic
needs of local communities across the globe.
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