Wandsworth’s neighbours are green with envy after its environmental campaign won an award last month.
By George Pavlou, Adam Tait & Lydia Morton
Wandsworth’s neighbours are green with envy after its ‘Our Greener Borough’ campaign won a People and Environment Achievement award last month.
The initiative involves individual schemes promoting sustainable living to schools, residents and businesses in Wandsworth.
Council Waste Policy Manager, Michael Singham, was presented with the award in the Public Sector category on behalf of the council.
“I’m surprised and very happy mainly because we hadn’t entered the award,” he said.
“I didn’t know anything about it until the week before when someone told me we were nominated.”
PEA Awards founder and judge, Jarvis Smith, said: “Wandsworth won because they came up with an integrated useable system for their borough.
“If more boroughs could do that, the world would seem like a much greener place.”
Mr Singham explained the award-winning initiative was made up of various schemes including a Bi-Annual Green Champions Award celebrating an individual’s outstanding contribution to the local environment.
Tessa Willy, lecturer in teacher education at Roehampton University, won the 2011 Green Champion award for her work with the RU Outdoors collective at the university.
“I’ve always been supported by Wandsworth Council who have helped me fund the planting of an orchard as well as helping with the university’s compost initiative,” she said.
“It can be difficult to engage with people with this kind of thing but with some staff and students, they want to get involved.”
Ms Willy said RU Outdoors often invites local primary schools to the university grounds to learn about sustainable living from their project.
Mr Singham pointed to Wandsworth Council’s careful financial management as a reason for the initiative’s success.
Every tonne of waste avoided saves taxpayers £128 while every additional tonne of waste recycled saves £55.
Mr Singham said: “We’re very happy to have won. It is an endorsement for an initiative that encourages and enables our community to become greener.”
You can find out more about the scheme at: www.wandsworth.gov.uk/ourgreenerborough
