NESTA's Big Green Challenge Winners

Posted by: Mark Marich on January 18, 2010 Source: Policy Dialogue on Entrepreneurship

The UK’s National Endowment for Science Technology and the Arts (NESTA) has announced the winners of its Big Green Challenge. The Big Green Challenge is NESTA’s £1 million challenge prize designed to stimulate and support community-led responses to climate change.

The winners, who had until October 2009 to reduce CO2 emissions in their community, will each receive £300,000 to develop further their community-based carbon reduction schemes. The winners are:

•    The Green Valleys, Brecon Beacons: The Green Valleys is aiming to make the Brecon Beacons region a net exporter of energy, by developing Community renewable energy schemes and supporting communities to reduce their carbon emissions. All revenue from community-owned installations will be reinvested in community-based carbon reduction projects such as electric bike sharing or community woodlands that provide managed wood fuel.
•    Isle of Eigg, Green island: Residents of the Isle of Eigg are working together to create a green island by halving their carbon emissions. The initiative involves a wide range of projects, from generating renewable electricity and installing insulation and solar panels to producing local food and developing low-carbon community transport schemes.
•    Household Energy Service, Ludlow: Household Energy Service (HES) helps households to reduce carbon emissions, improve energy efficiency and save money on fuel bills. It does this by providing free energy surveys - conducted by volunteer energy surveyors - that identify practical energy-saving measures along with estimates of the financial savings they could generate.

The runner-up, receiving £100,000, is:
•    Low Carbon West Oxford: Low Carbon West Oxford (LCWO) is a network of local people working to reduce their individual and community carbon emissions by taking practical action on renewable energy, traffic, food and waste.

Category:  Environment  General