Kingston Green Guardian Awards 2010

by | Jan 26, 2010

Last night saw this year’s local Green Awards ceremony, organised by the Royal Borough of Kingston and the Kingston Guardian newspaper.

We were delighted that Transition Town Kingston beat off around twenty nominees to win the Green Group award, and that I am now Kingston’s ‘Green Champion’!

(If they try to send me out to battle the mighty Red Champion of a neighbouring borough I’ll point out that they have the wrong man, as evidenced by the typo below)

My Green Champion certificate

Last year we were also nominated for both awards, but demurred, as we felt that we hadn’t yet done enough to deserve them, and that there were more worthy recipients. This year we were happy to accept our nominations, and even happier to win! Two other members of TTK also received commendations for their individual efforts over the past year (congratulations Marilyn and Elise!), and it was great to see how intertwined TTK has already become with other Green initiatives across the Borough.

The prize of an apple tree was very well-chosen too, and I will soon be planting mine in pride of place in our front garden. Any suggestions from locals as to where the TTK tree should go are very welcome.

I must confess I have sometimes wondered what the usefulness of such awards ceremonies is, but nonetheless I found I was gladdened by both wins, and have decided to abandon cynicism and treat the awards as tools for raising the profile of the work we are doing, and hopefully amplifying our impact.

Awards - Green Champion category

As local winners we now go forward to the regional awards in February. I will admit to more misgivings about that, featuring as it does a lavish dinner at a five star hotel, an HSBC sponsorship and a range of prizes including the most surreal ‘green’ prize I’ve yet come across…

This picnic sponsored by Waitrose

“A picnic activity bench made from recycled Waitrose ‘Bags for Life’ bags, worth £500” (to who, one wonders?)

Still, we’ll see how it goes!

3 Comments

  1. Bex White

    Congratulations to TTK and yourself on winning their awards – both very much well deserved.

    I look forward to some apple crumble from that little tree 🙂

    Reply
  2. Shaun Chamberlin is . . . « GenerationNext

    […] Presentations have been made at venues ranging from community groups and Climate Camps to the London School of Economics, the UK and Scottish Parliaments and the European Commission. Shaun was shortlisted for the Sheila McKechnie Foundation Environmental Campaigner Award, and named Kingston’s ‘Green Champion’ for 2010.  […]

    Reply

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