Climate change heroes applauded

According to Kevin James, of the Carbon Protocol of South Africa, who convened the adjudication, "This year the judging panel were blown away by the ingenious initiatives undertaken in South Africa to fight climate change. This is certainly reassuring and an indication that, with a little foresight, climate change can be countered."

Winners

1. 2011 CCLA Climate Hero Award for Communities and/or Individuals:

   • First Place: Natural Balance for its Wonderbag initiative and for contributing to greenhouse gas emission savings and healthier lifestyles. The Wonderbag is a heat-retention/insulation cooker that cooks, while saving energy, helping to conserve the planet.
     
   • Second Place: Lyzette September for her Climate Change Diary.
     
   • Third Place: Blouberg Eco-Schools Node for its commitment to continuously improving its environmental performance and its work towards better environmental learning and better environmental management.

   These winners walked away with prizes to the value of R100 000 courtesy of the South African Post Office and Post Bank.

   According to Motshoanetsi Lefoka, CEO of the South African Post Office, "Investing in the communities where we do business is one of the organisation's core values. Combating climate change is everybody's business and these community winners have shown that we all can make a difference to the health of our planet."

2. 2011 CCLA Climate Hero School/Youth Group Award:

   • First Place: Piet N Aphane High School in Limpopo Province for its impactful feeding schemes in the community, climate change education initiatives and for its introduction of tree planting, permaculture food gardens and water conservation measures. The Piet N Aphane High School was awarded R20 000 in Pick n Pay vouchers.
     
   • Second Place: Dikolobe Primary School in Limpopo Province for its promotion of indigenous habitation, food security, renewable energy and energy efficiency, as well as its comprehensive recycling programme.
     
   • Third Place: Lentegeur School for LSEN in Mitchells Plain for the education of learners with specific educational needs (LSEN) from the ages 6 - 18 years, and for implementing sustainable food gardens and environmental initiatives.

3. Private Sector winners of the Climate Change Leadership Award:
   1. Agriculture and Food:

      • Winner: Backsberg for its inventive use of a light weight plastic bottle and its ongoing leadership around climate change mitigation and adaptation.
        
      • Special Mention: Villiera for embracing renewable energy by using solar power to run its cellar, and for converting green waste into natural compost-soil.
        
      • Special Mention: Soil & More for converting green waste into natural compost.
        
      • Special Mention: Bartinney who endeavours to be a climate change leader within the wine sector by planting indigenous trees amongst their vineyards. Bartinney also uses a gravity fed, man-made wetland to treat waste water from their water efficient cellar and used carbon neutral corks for this year's harvest.
        
      • Special Mention: Tongaat Hulett for positioning itself to take advantage of the opportunities in renewable energy through the cogeneration of natural gas in the starch operation.

   2. Energy, Minerals, Industrial:

      • Winner: Barrows for creating sustainable and innovative ideas and products internally, and for its customers.
        
      • Special mention: Eva-Last for providing unique products to curtail deforestation by utilising wood scraps, sawdust and waste plastic in the manufacturing process.
        
      • Special mention: Goldfields for the inception of energy efficiency projects which resulted in an excellent score under CDP.
        
      • Special mention: Biogreen for the conversion of spent oil into biodiesel and for the supply and distribution of biofuel for use in trucks and generators for some of the largest companies in South Africa.
        
      • Special Mention: Group 5 for its strategic commitment to building a greener future by developing green building and renewable energy projects and for its contribution of expertise to the technical working groups setting the standards for the various green star rating tools.

   3. Financial Services:

      • Joint-Winner: Nedbank for twenty years of weaving sustainability into the fabric of the organisation.
        
      • Joint-Winner: Santam for having identified and positioned the company to manage the risks and threats associated with climate change.
        
      • Special Mention: FirstRand for continuing to show leadership by employing environmental best practise and integrating climate change mitigation initiatives into its business.

   4. Corporate Services:

      • Winner: Avis for extending its sustainability initiatives beyond carbon offsetting to include innovation in improved water, energy and fuel efficiency.
        
      • Special Mention: CTICC for going beyond the norm by hosting green events in a green building which has differentiated the venue among competitors.
        
      • Special Mention: Medi-Clinic for developing a sound sustainability strategy and venturing into co-generation.
        
      • Special Mention: Imperial Logistics for its contribution to the green logistics evolution as a supply chain leader by its focus on on greater vehicle, driver, electricity and waste efficiency, including valuable support various initiatives with Government, industry and academia.

   5. Retail:

      • Winner: Woolworths for leading the retail sector through its Good Business Journey initiative, sourcing sustainable and local food produce and energy efficiency at its green stores.
        
      • Special Mention: Pick n Pay for its significant strides in making their operation more energy and fuel efficient.

   6. SME:

      • Winner: Rocking the Daisies for providing green initiatives and raising significant environmental awareness among party goers, and improving their initiatives and impacts annually.
        
      • Special Mention: Cullinans for being the first carbon neutral law firm in South Africa.

      • Special Mention: Olympus Flowers Solar Cookers and Managed Care Environmental Solutions for showing great leadership.

Collaboration called for by guest speaker

Dr Kumi Naidoo, the executive director of Greenpeace International was the guest speaker at the awards ceremony. He said, "It is an honour to be a part of the CCLA, which recognises outstanding unsung heroes. This event is a clear sign that unless we understand that we must come together in communities, in rich and poor countries and cut across the range of divides that keep us apart, unless we recognise that we are all in this together, unless we get up and act today, we will not be able to address the environmental challenges that we face, and we certainly will not be able to address the devastating problem of climate change that is happening now."

In addition to leading the organisation to critical campaign victories and driving its influential participation in international political discourse, Dr Naidoo has been responsible for promoting considerable growth and activity by Greenpeace in the global south. In addition, he has promoted cooperation between Greenpeace and many branches of civil society in the fight to avert catastrophic climate change and promote environmental justice. He also serves on the board of Food & Trees for Africa.

Carbon neutral event

The CCLA was a carbon neutral event and greening social enterprise supported by The Carbon Protocol of South Africa. The menu was locally sourced, seasonal ingredients were used and fish on the SASSI endangered species list was avoided. In addition, the wines used were organic and the décor was local, indigenous and live plants. Food & Trees for Africa will plant trees for disadvantaged communities to offset the carbon footprint generated by the event.

Avis provided ground transport, kulula.com sponsored winners and adjudicators air travel. Talk Radio 702 and Cape Talk 567 are the CCLA media partner and the CCLA is a LEAD SA initiative.