The Bath Business Improvement District proudly sponsors the Environmental category of the Bath Life Awards and is continually impressed by remarkable initiatives to conserve and protect our planet. We asked the finalists of this year’s awards to break confidentiality and tell us what they have been doing. The diversity of the responses is fascinating and well worth sharing.
Huskup® is tackling the UK’s disposable culture with a brand new reusable cup made from rice husk not plastic. Pure Planet is Britain’s first app-based energy supplier, offering 100% renewable electricity and 100% carbon offset gas to households providing green power for less cost than polluting equivalents. Harvest Natural Foods retails packaging-free vegetarian, ethically sourced, and GMO-free products and they are currently removing palm oil from their own-brand items.
The Natural Cleaning Company is the first environmentally friendly domestic cleaners in Bath and they significantly reduce single-use plastics and chemicals, using technology which allows them to clean with just water. The annual Festival of Nature, run by the Natural History Consortium, has grown from strength to strength, helping to connect people with the natural environment. The Iford Manor Estate is managed to protect the valley and its wildlife thrives – Natural England said it was one of the best schemes they had ever seen.
The 2019 winners, Freshford Church School, were noted by judges for their outstanding teaching about the planet’s challenges and for encouraging pupils to make positive changes to make the school more sustainable. Their ambition is to be a carbon neutral and single-use plastic free space. Part of their plan is to provide public electric charging units in the car park and to install solar panels on the roof of the school’s extension. Their solar panels have been temporarily thwarted at B&NES planning stage, but they are not deterred – vital lessons in resilience and determination are being taught in real time.
The award ceremony was a night to be proud of our city and its citizens; “Bath is the winner” – but for this category we think the winners are on a much more global scale.
