14 Jan 2010 10:01:13

Low carbon awards net communities £300K each

Winners of a £1 million prize to reduce carbon emissions in their community were announced yesterday evening.

NESTA's Big Green Challenge awarded £300,000 each to three community projects based in Brecon, the Isle of Eigg and Ludlow.

The three winners were selected from 100 entrants who developed their ideas with guidance from the technology and arts endowment body.

Household Energy Service in Shropshire managed to increase the reach of its free energy-efficiency advice service to over 15,000 houses across three counties in the south-west.

The Green Valleys project has put the Brecon Beacons on their way to become a key energy exporter with several community-based developments, the proceeds of which will be re-invested into further community energy saving schemes.

All the projects were dependent on volunteers. The Green Island project on the Isle of Eigg involved almost all of the isle's 38 households.

The successful teams were chosen by a panel including Chariots of Fire director David Puttnam, Energy Saving Trust chief Philip Sellwood and vice-chair of the UK Sustainable Development Commission Rebecca Willis.

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