Tallinn, Estonia - 1st of December the Estonian Minister of the Environment Jaanus Tamkivi has presented the Environmental Awards of the Year. The panel selected "Plastic bags kill! Choose cloth bags!" campaign as a winner of the award. The campaign organized by a non-profit organization JCI GO KODA will receive a prize of 50.000 kroons (3.200 Euro). The goal of the campaign was to draw public attention to the issues of plastic bag disposal and encourage consumers to purchase reusable cloth bags.

The panel selected the winners in three categories: Environmental Award 2009 (projects aimed at rising the public awareness about various environmental issues), Junior Environmental Award 2009 (projects aimed at environmental education of children and young people) and Environmental Award for Business 2009 (for the most eco-friendly company).

“Indeed, this year we had no projects on the scale of the last year’s Let’s Get It Done! global campaign. However, in 2009 many other good things were done for the environment,” - told Jaanus Tamkivi, the Minister of the Environment, and added, - “Big deeds always grow from smaller ones. This is the way to preserve our beautiful nature and our common environment.”

Junior Environmental Award and 10 000 kroons went to the project for promoting environmental thinking in Torma nursery Linnutaja and Ragn-Sells AS project that arranged for study visits to the company’s waste sorting stations.

Besides the aforementioned, the Ministry of the Environment has recognized a non-profit organization Ökomeedia for developing and operating an eco-lifestyle promoting website Bioneer, a non-profit organization Emajõe Lodjaselts for organizing boat study trips and a youth project NETT for promoting ecological thinking among the young people by organizing various activities.

Environmental Awards for Business this year went to two companies. AS Ecoprint was recognized to be the best in eco-friendly operations – the company has implemented the method that allows using precipitation water in the print-shop’s air humidifying system. Paekivitoodete Tehas won the prize in the nomination for eco-friendly goods or services. The company has developed the method of producing limestone sand from separated limestone.

The total of 18 works was presented for the competition. Candidates for Environmental Awards could be nominated by everyone. Nominations could be made by others or by the candidates themselves. Companies themselves could apply for the Environmental Award for Business and professional associations could nominate the candidates for this Award.

All the works presented for the competition can be found under envir.ee.

Quelle: Ministry of the Environment, Estonia

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