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News & Media > Awards

25:08:2010

Triple success in the Green Apple Awards

May Gurney enjoyed triple success in the Green Apple 2010 Awards, which recognise and reward environmental best practice around the world.

The Green Apple Awards were established in 1994 and was one of the first campaigns to be accepted as an accredited feeder scheme into the European Business Awards for the Environment (EBAE). Green Apple winners are automatically considered to represent their country in the Brussels-led EBAEs.

Two of the May Gurney award wins are in the Environmental Best Practice category and the other is in the Environmental Improvement category.

The Environmental Improvement award is for the on-going May Gurney Carbon Reduction Programme, which has achieved an 18% reduction in the company’s carbon footprint since April 2009.

Initiatives introduced as part of the programme include eco driver training offered to all 5,000 employees, speed limiters and tracking devices fitted to commercial vehicles and a high profile publicity and awareness campaign among employees.

The Best Practice awards are for the Avon WTW Support Scheme and Gulley Dewatering Bays developed by MGWSP*.

The Avon Water Treatment Works project (left), carried out on behalf of South West Water, involved installation of a 13km pipeline through woodland, parkland and agricultural land in rural South Devon, including two major river crossings.

The site team was committed to environmental best practice from the outset and there are numerous aspects of the project where baseline environmental targets have been greatly exceeded, environmental impacts reduced, and May Gurney and SWW’s reputations enhanced.

Earlier this year the scheme was one of only two recognised in the CIWEM 2010 ‘World of Difference’ Awards.

The gully dewatering bays (left) are a new way of dealing with a difficult waste stream.

MGWSP carries out roadside gully cleansing for the whole of Northamptonshire - approximately 1,800 tonnes of liquid gully waste was going to landfill each year. The new dewatering facilities remove the liquid from the waste, leaving behind solid organic waste.

The wet waste is deposited in the purpose built gully bays and the liquid allowed to drain away into the foul drainage system. The solid waste is then dried and taken for composting.

The Green Apple Awards are organised by The Green Organisation, an independent, non-political, non-activist, non-profit environment group dedicated to recognising, rewarding and promoting environmental best practice around the world.

The Green Apple Awards will be formally presented at the House of Commons in November. May Gurney will also once again be invited to join the International Green Heroes, an elite group of environmental achievers who use their experience to help thousands of others - and the environment - around the world. Green Hero status was first bestowed on May Gurney in 2009.

Footnote: MGWSP is a partnership between May Gurney and the design engineering and management consultancy, WSP. MGWSP is responsible for looking after more than 4,000kms of roads and 73,000 streetlights on behalf of Northamptonshire County Council.