Premier’s Sustainability Awards Attracts Broad Field of Entries
The finalists across 10 categories have been announced in this year's Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards in what the interim chief executive of Sustainability Victoria, Stephanie Ziersch, described as an "outstanding" field.
“Not only is the quality impressive, but we’ve had the broadest range of entries in the program’s 15 year history,” she said.
“As the world faces increasing environmental fragility, the Victorian Premier’s Sustainability Awards have never been more important.”
The Premier’s Sustainability Awards celebrate sustainability shown by educational institutions, businesses in every sector, health organisations, government and community groups right across the State.
This year’s finalists showcase an array of diverse innovation. They include a project that recycles hotel soap then sends it to developing countries; innovative education programs for school kids, TAFE students and disadvantaged jobseekers; a campaign to save an endangered parrot; recycling of oyster shells to save shellfish reefs; repurposing of single use metal instruments used in medical procedures; plus a selection of initiatives that treat waste, grow green in unexpected places and produce industry-specific sustainability solutions.
Finalists in the Built Environment Category
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Glen Eira City Council – Booran Reserve. An unused and inaccessible 1.6Ha old reservoir, decommissioned in the late 1970’s, is transformed into a stunning, vibrant and sustainable recreational space providing community health and wellbeing benefits.
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Nightingale Housing – Nightingale 1. The Nightingale model is a new housing development system that enables like-minded architects to develop design-led, multi-residential housing that is environmentally, financially and socially sustainable.
Nightingale 1 prototype building for Nightingale model in Brunswick
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The Cape – The Cape Sustainable Housing Project, Cape Patterson. A housing project harnesses energy efficient design principles and construction techniques to build sustainable, affordable, attractive, carbon neutral, climate adapted, healthy and comfortable homes and communities.
In the Education category:
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Box Hill Institute – Box Hill Institute CLT Timber. Final year building design students explore the emerging sustainable construction technology of Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) by designing a sustainable mixed-use, predominantly residential building.
In the Government category:
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Municipal Association of Victoria on behalf of Council Alliance for a Sustainable Built Environment (CASBE)
CASBE represents councils dedicated to sustainable built form outcomes, resulting in significant projects such as local ESD Planning Policies and a Built Environment Sustainability Assessment tool.
In the Large Business category:
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Exemplar Health (NBH) Partnership - New Bendigo Hospital. The largest regional hospital in Victoria integrates sustainable thinking into all elements of its design, construction and systems to create a healing and therapeutic environment for all users.
In the Small and medium enterprises category:
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Kingfield Galvanizing – Most Sustainable Hot Dip Galvanizer in the Southern Hemisphere. A large, sustainable and highly automated galvanizing plant produces significantly low emissions through a fully enclosed facility that re-uses waste, reclaims furnace heat and recycles water.
Victoria Minister for Energy, Environment and Climate Change Lily D’Ambrosio said, "Each finalist is a testament to the world class sustainability work we do in Victoria and the prestige of the Premier's Sustainability Awards program."
“We’ve had the broadest cross section of entries in the Award’s 15 year history and it’s great to see such ingenuity and innovation in the way Victorians approach sustainability.”
"I congratulate each finalist for their exemplary work to mitigate the impact of climate change and reduce emissions."
Main image: Glen Eira City Council – Booran Reserve
