Chartered Environmentalist of the Year Award Given at the House of Lords Summer Reception

This year’s Chartered Environmentalist of the Year has been announced as Professor Martin Bigg, who helped Bristol win ‘European Green Capital 2015’.  Martin is Professor of Environmental Technology at the University of the West of England, Bristol and is the Director of the Environmental Technologies Innovation Network (iNet), a £2.4m EU joint programme with the Universities of Exeter, West of England, Royal Agricultural University and City of Bristol Council.

Society for the Environment President Tony Juniper awarded the prestigious trophy at the Society’s Annual Reception at the House of Lords on Monday 23rd June, in front of a capacity audience of 250 VIPs, saying: “Martin is a great example of a Chartered Environmentalist making significant things happen locally; he has helped put the City of Bristol on the world map by winning the title of European Green Capital for 2015."

Professor Martin Bigg follows in the footsteps of David Stubbs, who won Chartered Environmentalist of the Year in 2013 for achievements in his role as Head of Sustainability for the London Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012.

Martin led the Bristol Green Capital team that won Bristol’s spectacular bid to become ‘Green Capital of Europe 2015’, beating off rival bids from Brussels, Glasgow and Ljubljana (Slovenia).  This was Bristol’s third try at the coveted title awarded by the European Commission. Copenhagen, capital of Denmark currently holds the “Green Capital” title.

Guest of Honour, Olympic medallist Sarah Winckless, Chef de Mission of Team GB for the 2014 Youth Olympics in Nanjing joined the Society for the Environment in celebrating green wins. The day coincided with International Olympic Day.  Sarah congratulated Martin saying: “to be recognised for this level of excellence and leadership is inspiring. It’s great to celebrate green working and green winning!”

George Ferguson, Mayor of Bristol, said: “That's great to hear, Martin Bigg is a well deserved winner for all he's done for Bristol.”

The judging panel for the Award comprised the following Honorary Fellows of the Society (HonFSE)
Peter Ainsworth, Colin Challen, Keith Clarke CBE, Prof Peter Head CBE, Susan Illman, Dr Alan Knight, Jonathon Porritt CBE, the Rt Hon Nick Raynsford MP, Simon Roberts OBE and Tim Smit KBE.

The host for the Reception was Liberal Democrat life peer Baroness Parminter.