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100 UK groups close in on £1m prize to save the planet

18/04/2008

"Moving forward we want to see local communities getting behind the innovative projects in their areas, as they demonstrate how their ideas could really have an impact in the fight to combat climate change."

Shortlist announced for biggest ever community environment challenge

The National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts (NESTA) today unveiled the 100-strong shortlist of UK groups competing to grab a slice of its million-pound Big Green Challenge prize fund, by coming up with innovative ideas to tackle climate change in their communities.

The shortlisted groups’ big green ideas range from a ‘Carbon Watchers’ club to monitor CO2 emissions in Yorkshire and a Sussex prison’s bio-fuels production scheme, to the creation of a volunteer workforce in the West Midlands to help local people take energy-efficient measures in their homes and a virtual farmer’s market in Bristol*.

Selected from hundreds of initial entries received by NESTA, the shortlist comprises a diverse array of groups including 28 local network organisations, 15 proposed community-owned energy supply companies and 10 schools, and ranges from those who have been together for more than 20 years to some which have been especially set up to take on the Challenge.

The groups span the length and breadth of the country with London leading the way for the sheer number of green-minded groups to have made it onto the list, with 21% of innovative entries. The South West and South East follow, with 13% each, while one in ten of the ideas come from Scotland and the North West. Some even boast a virtual address, including CBook, a new Facebook community to help members from across the nation reduce their emissions.

Those on the shortlist have from now until the beginning of June to complete more detailed plans about how their ideas will work, receiving access to a range of experts to help them.

Each group will be hoping to make the cut when the top 100 are whittled down to ten finalists in July, each of whom will receive up to £20,000, plus advice and support to get their green projects up and running over a year. The groups with the most imaginative and successful approach to cutting carbon emissions at the end of the competition will win a share of the £1m prize up for grabs.

Commenting on the shortlist, NESTA Chief Executive Jonathan Kestenbaum said:

“We launched the Big Green Challenge to encourage people to get together and come up with great ways to save the planet, and we’ve had an amazing reaction from groups right across the country. This is the first time a model like this has been used to encourage people to tackle climate change and we’re keen to show how the approach can incentivise new forms of community-led action across the board.

“Moving forward we want to see local communities getting behind the innovative projects in their areas, as they demonstrate how their ideas could really have an impact in the fight to combat climate change.”

Those interested in learning more about groups from their region on the Big Green Challenge shortlist should go to www.biggreenchallenge.org.uk.

Notes to editors
• * Skipton group Carbon Watchers plan to reduce carbon dioxide emissions implemented through a ‘Carbon Watchers Club’ based on the Weight Watchers concept. Club members’ annual CO2 emissions will be aggregated and reviewed regularly against a reduction target.
• Work This Way aims to set up of a bio-fuels production programme in conjunction with Ford Prison in Sussex, collecting used vegetable oil from other prisons in the region to offer to local communities.
• Light Foot Enterprises in Bishop’s Castle, West Midlands will set up a number of community-owned and operated volunteer workforces to help people install the maximum number of measures at the lowest costs and provide ongoing contact and support.
• The Virtual Farmers’ Market aims to facilitate the distribution of local food and drink from producers and allotment owners to communities in Bristol, reducing emissions at every stage of the food chain. VFM will offer communities an easy way to order, online, the exact food and drink they want and have delivered to their doorstep. Suppliers will benefit from a wide marketing campaign, combined distribution.

About The Big Green Challenge
From the beginning of June to the end of July, NESTA and a panel of expert judges will whittle down the 100 shortlisted ideas to the strongest 10. These finalists will then be given a year to put their ideas into practice, with financial support and advice from NESTA. The groups with the most imaginative – and proven – approaches at the end of the competition will win a share of the million pounds up for grabs.

How will it be judged?
In the second year of the Challenge, short-listed finalists will have to achieve a measurable reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, involve the group or community and prove that their ideas can be expanded or copied in a different area or setting.

About the NESTA
NESTA is the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts. Its mission is to transform the UK's capacity for innovation by investing in early stage companies, informing innovation policy and encouraging a culture that helps innovation to flourish.