UKSA HOPING TO PLUCK A GREEN APPLE

United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA) based at Cowes, Isle of Wight are on the brink of success in an international campaign to find the greenest companies, councils, communities and countries.

UKSA have progressed through the early rounds of the Green Apple Environment Awards and have been chosen as a National Green Apple Award winner.

They will definitely be receiving a coveted Green Apple Environmental Award (to add to the one that they won at last year’s awards for Environment Best Practice 2004 – National Silver Award) and have been invited to the House of Commons to be presented with a Green Apple trophy at a special presentation ceremony in early November.

This is always a prestigious occasion, with winners flying in from all over the world.

The Green Apple Awards are in their eleventh successful year, well established as the biggest and most extensive scheme of its kind in the country – and probably in the world.

The campaign is run by The Green Organisation; an independent, non-political, non-activist, non-profit environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.

They are supported by the Environment Agency, the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management, Municipal Journal and various other professional bodies and organisations.

National Organiser Roger Wolens commented: “It is a tremendous achievement to get on the short list because the competition gets tougher and fiercer every year. “Contenders are continually reaching new levels of environmental success and this campaign helps and encourages others to follow their good example; with the aim of improving our environment for generations to come.”

Rob Reed, the Facilities Manager at UKSA, who is responsible for driving UKSA’s Environmental Policy said, “That Staff and Students alike had supported and contributed immensely to our ongoing Environmental aims. The motto that we have tagged to this is: TOMORROW IS TOO LATE! and you only have to look at the news lately to see that we are reacting too slowly to climate change - what’s been happening in Mississippi and Texas (being part of the extended hurricane season), the forest fires in Spain and Portugal and a new report on how the Polar Ice caps are melting faster than at first anticipated, is all pointing to our inability to change things around fast enough. Anything that we do at UKSA is a mere drop in an ever rising ocean – everybody should be doing their bit and quickly” he added.

UKSA have also been short listed in the Medium Business Category in the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Sustainable Business Awards 2005 – up against the likes of Southampton Airport and the brewers George Gale & Co. Ltd of Horndean.

The Awards Presentation for this will take place in Winchester Guildhall (the day after the Green Apple Awards) so UKSA are hoping to do the double.