Mon, Sep 29 2008
Champfleurie Estate, Maxi Construction and Bausch & Lomb, Scotland were all named as winners in the recent West Lothian Environmental Awards.
Following close competition from forward-thinking organisations in West Lothian, the winners of the 2008 awards were announced by West Lothian Council Leader, Cllr Peter Johnston and presented by Robin Harper, MSP, at a dinner on 25th September. Champfleurie Estate, a small family business near Linlithgow, won the small business category for their conversion of waste wood from off-cuts and tree surgery operations to provide fuel for wood burning stoves and wood chip for paths and amenity areas. They were also praised for their energy efficiency and recycling achievements. Maxi Construction picked up the medium-sized business category award for the effective waste management plans they use on construction sites to ensure wastes are minimised and recycling systems are optimised. The company also work hard to raise staff awareness, monitor fuel and water consumption and use responsible purchasing procedures. Bausch & Lomb, Scotland were winners of the large business category award. Providers of eye care solutions and contact lenses, they recycle around 80% (100 tonnes per year) of waste from their West Lothian site. The company have also reduced energy consumption by 10%, reduced transport impacts, and are certified to ISO14001 for their Environmental Management System. Dedridge Environmental Ecology Project won the Community Project category for their work to improve the Dedridge Burn Plantation. The James Young High School won the Eco-School category for the environmental improvement programmes and initiatives that have been running throughout the school. The James Young was also the first secondary school in West Lothian to achieve the Eco-schools Green Flag award. "The high standard of this year?s entries demonstrates the commitment shown by West Lothian organisations to the green agenda," said Aimee Weatherburn of the Business Environment Partnership which organises the event in partnership with West Lothian Council. "From international corporations to small companies employing a handful of staff, schools and community groups, a great cross-section of organisations have really engaged with environmental issues and made real steps to reduce their impacts. At the same time, these organisations have also seen significant business benefits from these improvements." The Awards, which are sponsored by West Lothian Council and local companies Mitsubishi Electric and Johnson & Johnson Medical Ltd, were established 10 years ago to recognise and reward good environmental practices in the West Lothian business community. They are also intended to raise awareness of environmental issues facing businesses and demonstrate the bottom line benefits which can be achieved by improving environmental performance. Businesses which have made significant improvements to the local or global environment were invited to apply. For more information on the Business Environment Partnership, see www.thebep.org.uk.
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