Environment Awards 2015 Application Booklet

County Durham Environment Partnership

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Information to guide you in your application

Nominations close on: Categories Built environment Climate change

Community partnership Craftsmanship

Greener business

Natural environment Places and spaces

Schools and colleges

Volunteer group of the year

Volunteer of the year - under 18 Volunteer of the year - over 18 Waste management

www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/envawards

Rewarding great design, environmental guardianship and community spirit in County Durham.

Use these application guidance notes to help with your submission. Self nomination is permitted in all but the two individual volunteering categories. All projects or work must have been undertaken within the Durham County Council area.

If you have any queries about the applications process or how to submit your project for the awards, contact: Jonathan Seymour Environment Awards Administrator on 03000 265 545 or email: design.conservation@durham.gov.uk

www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/envawards

Built environment

Covering complete new builds and extensions to commercial or residential buildings, which enhance, or improve, their surrounding streetscene, or local environment. Paving and lighting schemes are also accepted.

Successful schemes will: l respond appropriately to local and national policies l fit their setting in terms of design, scale, massing and use of materials l exceed statutory requirements.

Climate change

Rewarding groups and individuals carrying out schemes which maximise energy efficiency, minimise energy use and have adopted renewable energy sources. Projects which address the wider issues of climate change in an innovative way will also be considered.

Successful schemes will: l illustrate the benefits in terms of climate change mitigation measures l be examples from which others can learn. www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/envawards

Community partnership

Presented to schemes which demonstrate how a partnership approach has achieved much more than a single organisation could have done alone. Submissions to other categories which have been delivered through this approach will automatically be considered for this award.

Successful schemes will: l be judged to inspire others to work collaboratively l demonstrate an ongoing benefit to the community.

Craftsmanship

Encouraging the continuation and development of traditional skills such as joinery, stonemasonry and signwriting.

Successful schemes will: l demonstrate skilful craftsmanship using traditional materials l

show how the work has contributed to the long term preservation of the building or structure. www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/envawards

Greener business

Acknowledging businesses which support their communities in maintaining a clean environment. Only businesses operating in County Durham will be eligible. Companies with numerous branches must be site specific.

Successful schemes will: l demonstrate good practice in environmental matters l exceed statutory requirements l demonstrate they have worked with communities to create a cleaner environment.

Natural environment

Rewarding schemes that conserve natural areas of existing high quality, restore existing natural areas to their full potential or create new habitats that enhance biodiversity interest.

Successful schemes will: l make a significant positive contribution to the range and extent of species and habitats in County Durham l l

display an understanding of the context in which they are set, reflecting local wildlife priorities further public understanding of the importance of nature.

www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/envawards

Places and spaces

This new category will reward schemes which create cleaner and greener surroundings and that enable communities to focus on initiatives that are most relevant to their own needs. They may include the creation of new public spaces or the regeneration of neglected areas to create vibrant new spaces for the whole community.

Successful schemes will: l create a stronger sense of community l increase civic pride with people engaged in the improvement of their own community l regenerate run down areas and create safer environments l demonstrate a commitment to the sustainable resource management l have a positive effect on the local economy, tourism and the health and wellbeing of the local residents and visitors.

Schools and colleges

Recognising environmental initiatives within schools and colleges, such as wildlife gardens, recycling or re-use projects, transport schemes and environmental awareness programmes. Schemes where the school or college is working in partnership with the wider community are also accepted.

Successful schemes will: l demonstrate a link to curriculum delivery l include links to wider benefits, or other school based environmental initiatives such as eco-schools.

www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/envawards

Volunteer group of the year This category recognises the contribution of a community group in delivering activities that improve and inspire the lives of others.

This category is open to applicants of all ages.

Self nomination is permitted in this category.

Successful groups will: l consist of two or more people doing volunteering work that is an environmental service to the local community l l l l

have a local management structure

have been running for two years or more have made a demonstrable impact on their local community be able to demonstrate longevity in completed and future work.

www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/envawards

Volunteer of the year l l

under 18 years old over 18 years old

Two categories, rewarding individuals who give up their time to improve the environment for the benefit of their community.

All nominees must live or volunteer in County Durham.

Self nomination is not accepted.

In the under 18 category all nominees must be under the age of 18 at the 31st October, 2015.

Successful applicants will: l have given outstanding service to their community by supporting a local group or delivering a volunteer service or project which improves the environment l

have contributed a minimum of 10 hours to an environmental volunteer service or project between June 2014 and June 2015.

www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/envawards

Waste management

Recognising high quality restoration and reclamation schemes. Waste reduction, re-use and recycling systems and anti-pollution schemes will also be considered.

Successful schemes will: l demonstrate waste minimisation l show sustainable management principles l be examples of innovation and good practice which could be replicated.

Outstanding award

The outstanding award recognises those schemes which go beyond exemplary status in their own category. They will display elements which cut across a number of categories and not only fulfil the criteria of the Environment Awards, but set an example of sustainable and environmentally friendly activity on a regional or national basis.

Outstanding awards will be given at the discretion of the judging panel.

www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/envawards

AWARD

About the County Durham Environment Partnership

The Environment Partnership aims to develop innovative approaches to addressing environmental issues across County Durham, pooling collective resource and sharing best practice. The strength of the partnership lies in its ability to engage with, and harness, the commitment of communities and key organisations to work together to both improve the natural and built environment through enhancing existing assets, and to engender behavioural change in businesses and neighbourhoods to consider the environmental impact of their actions.

Our vision is for an altogether greener Durham which makes efficient use of energy resources, has built resilience to extreme weather events, protects its natural assets for all to enjoy and conserves and makes best use of its heritage.

We are working towards the following objectives: l Deliver a cleaner, more attractive and sustainable environment. l Maximise the value and benefits of Durham’s natural environment. l Reduce carbon emissions and adapt to the impact of climate change. l Promote sustainable design and protect Durham’s heritage. www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/environmentpartnership

www.countydurhampartnership.co.uk/envawards

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design.conservation@durham.gov.uk 03000 265 545