LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Across the country there are thousands of people who are doing their bit to help the environment. To recognise their efforts, today marks the launch of the 2012 Future Friendly Awards, a nationwide search for communities and individuals committed to making a difference by promoting sustainable living through their actions.
Future Friendly is a consumer education programme by P&G, supported by leading sustainability experts the Energy Saving Trust, Waste Watch and Waterwise. It seeks to inspire and enable people around the country to contribute to a better tomorrow. P&G is committed to sustainability and using its trusted Future Friendly brands - Ariel, Lenor, Fairy, Flash and Pampers - can help us to save energy, save water or reduce waste by up to 50%.
Future Friendly wants to encourage every household in the UK to do their own little acts so they can save resources and money and also appreciate how small, everyday changes in the home can turn into a united wave of sustainable change from street, to town, to region.
We want to reward local community projects championing grassroots ‘green’ initiatives to enter. Two shortlisted entries will each receive £500, and one national winner will be awarded a £10,000 bursary to help support their efforts.
However, we also want to recognise ‘Little’ and ‘Big Heroes’, aged under and over 18 respectively, for their sustainable efforts too. The Little and Big Hero categories celebrate individual efforts that demonstrate how simple changes and starting small don’t just help the environment; they also encourage others to do the same. An overall winner in each category will receive a sustainable holiday for five worth £1,000.
Past community winners have ranged from an online ‘swap shop’ for baby equipment, an invention to help measure water consumption and last year’s winners, Dig Deep To Help Us Grow, an innovative scheme to support Teesside Hospice through sales of donated locally grown fruit and vegetables in its charity shops.
Irwin Lee, Vice President and Managing Director of P&G UK said: “We have set a bold vision for the future of P&G and how we embed sustainability in every part of our business. This includes our operations but also how we help the billions of people who use our products to be more sustainable too. Our Future Friendly campaign and the Future Friendly Awards are a central part of this. –They’re our way of recognising people who are doing their bit for the environment - either as part of a community group or as an individual. Future Friendly is all about encouraging and educating people to take those small steps towards sustainable living – because the little things really do make a big difference.”
Previous Future Friendly Community Winner, Tracy O’Donnell, Retail Area Manager of Dig Deep To Help Us Grow, said: “We were thrilled to win the Future Friendly Award in 2011, particularly as we were up against such impressive finalists. Thank you to everyone who supported Dig Deep To Help Us Grow and who believe in our fundraising efforts. We used the £10,000 bursary to invest in more seeds and equipment including a polytunnel to grow more exotic things to sell in our shops around the area.”
No matter what your eco-friendly activity, the Future Friendly Awards openly invites entrants from those promoting ‘green living’ among their community groups or nearest and dearest.
The awards: we’re looking for local community groups and individuals who have taken steps to be more sustainable. Entries close at midnight on 21 May 2012. To find out more about Future Friendly, enter the awards, or to nominate a group or Little or Big Hero you think deserves recognition, visit www.futurefriendly.co.uk.
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About Future Friendly partners
The Energy Saving Trust is the independent organisation providing advice for all householders in the UK to help reduce their energy use in the home. Founded in 1992 it exists to help people reduce their energy consumption and live a greener lifestyle in a bid to curb the harmful carbon dioxide emissions that cause climate change. It provides a consumer advice service that is tailored, free and impartial and available to everyone across the UK through its nationwide network of 21 advice centres. One of its biggest challenges is to ‘normalise’ energy saving behaviour, so people just do it as a matter of course. The Energy Saving Trust is proud to support Future Friendly. For more information visit www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
Karen Lawrence, Director of Delivery at the Energy Saving Trust, said: “As a partner of the Future Friendly Awards, the Energy Saving Trust is keen to recognise the outstanding work by communities and individuals to reduce their environmental impact. We can all do our bit to save energy and reduce our carbon footprint and we welcome this opportunity to acknowledge the sustainable actions, big and small, of people around the country.”
Waste Watch is a leading UK environmental charity working to change the way people use the world's natural resources. Their vision is of a world in which people use resources effectively, live sustainably and make a positive contribution to the environment. Through their education programmes, communications, training and research Waste Watch has persuaded millions of people to reduce, reuse and recycle their waste.
Waste Watch aims to champion the case for sustainable resource use at every point, including extraction, production, consumption, recycling and beyond. They show that by being more sustainable we can all benefit environmentally, economically and socially. By making changes to our daily lives and by changing the world around us – at home, in school, and in the workplace – we can collectively make a big difference. Waste Watch exists to show everyone how they can make that difference. To find out more visit www.wastewatch.org.uk
Claudia Kuss-Tenzer at Waste Watch, said: “Being less wasteful is a win-win. It’s not only good for your pocket, but it’s good for your health, it’s good for other people - and it’s good for the planet. That’s why Waste Watch supports Future Friendly and we look forward to learning about the inspirational community groups and individuals who are making a difference through this year’s awards.”
Waterwise is the leading authority on water efficiency and is focused on reducing the amount of water we all waste at home and at work. Waterwise believes the key to water efficiency is reducing waste not restricting use. It is working together with Future Friendly to help people adopt positive changes to lead a more sustainable life. Waterwise is an independent, not-for-profit non-governmental organisation. It is committed to sustainable development and works with key partners in water companies, governments (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and local), manufacturers, retailers, NGOs, environmentalists, regulators, agriculture, business, domestic consumers and the media. For more information visit www.waterwise.org.uk
Ryan Millar, Communications Manager at Waterwise, said: “This year our water resources will be strained more than ever before, so it’s vital that we all use our resources as responsibly as we can. Now in its fifth year, the Future Friendly Awards do a great job of identifying inspirational communities and individuals who promote sustainable living through their actions.”
About Procter & Gamble (P&G) in the UK and Ireland
P&G touches and improves the lives of about 4.4 billion people around the world with its portfolio of trusted, quality brands. The Company's leadership brands include Pampers®, Ariel®, Always®, Pantene®, Fairy®, Pringles®, Lenor®, Iams®, Oral-B®, Duracell®, Olay®, Head & Shoulders®, Wella®, Gillette®, Braun®, Ace®, Febreze®, and Ambi Pur®. With operations in about 80 countries, P&G brands are available in more than 180 countries worldwide. Please visit www.pg.com/en_uk for the latest news and in-depth information about P&G and its brands.