Green thumbs up for energy team win

28 November 2003

The University of New South Wales has once again been recognised for its outstanding achievements in energy management.

At the 2003 Energy Smart Green Globe Awards held at NSW Parliament House this week, UNSW won the Education and Awareness Award, one of several major awards presented by the Minister for Energy and Utilities, Frank Sartor.

UNSW was also a finalist in two other categories - the Green Power Advocate Award and the Renewable Energy Champion Award.

Created by the Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA), the Energy Smart Green Globe Awards are the leading greenhouse reduction awards scheme in NSW.

The Education and Awareness prize recognises the creative environmental awareness programs developed and run by the energy management team at UNSW.

The team has staged several successful campaigns in recent years, including the current Spot It and Stop It program to encourage people to report instances of energy and water wastage via the university's energy website.

Other accolades in recent years include the 2002 Small Generation Green Globe prize for the University's swimming pool cogeneration system and winning a place as a finalist in this year's national Greenhouse Challenge Awards.

"We've been working solidly on our energy management campaign since 2000 so this recognition is greatly encouraging," says UNSW's energy manager, Robert Grimmett.

"It's also fitting to win in a year when, for the first time in the history of the campus, our electricity consumption has declined by one percent despite a small increase in the number of students."