The Nordic Council Nature and Environment Prize 2010 has been awarded to Merkur Andelskasse, Ekobanken and Cultura Bank for their commitment to green values and sustainable activities. The prize is worth ca 47,000 euros and will be shared between the winners.| The Nature and Environment Prize is one of four Nordic Council prizes: the other three are awarded for literature, film and music. Last year's winner was the Swedish forest school initiative I Ur och Skur (Rain or Shine), and in 2008 the prize went to the Icelandic company Marorka. The purpose of the Nature and Environment Prize, which was awarded for the first time in 1995, is to increase awareness of exceptional nature and environmental work in the Nordic countries.
Greener office Two months ago the Nordic Council of Ministers' Office in Estonia joined the Green Programme launched by MTÜ Ökomeedia, which aims to raise environmental awareness among Estonian businesses. The ten private companies and public sector bodies invited to participate in the programme will this year seek to identify the most significant environmental issues in their offices that need to be resolved. Organising environmentally sustainable work or production processes will pay off, both financially and in terms of reputation. "As a first step we measured the standby electricity consumption of our office equipment," explained Madis Tilga, who is responsible for our climate and energy issues. "In financial terms, the efficiency factor of the equipment ranges between 30% and 65% when switched on continuously. For us this means 9000 wasted kroons every year. And we have a small office. We have also given up bottled water and are drinking filtered tap water instead." The next goal is to improve the efficiency of waste management. A joint procurement of office paper for all of the participants in the Green Programme would certainly make a difference. Formal ceremony in Iceland The Nature and Environment Prize will be awarded to Merkur Andelskasse, Ekobanken and Cultura Bank during a ceremony in conjunction with the Nordic Council summit to be held in the Icelandic capital Reykjavik from 2-4 November. This year's other winners will receive their awards at the ceremony as well. This year the Literature Prize went to Finnish author Sofi Oksanen for her novel Purge about Estonia, and the Music Prize was awarded to the Norwegian composer Lasse Thoresen for Opus 42. The winner of the Film Prize has not yet been announced. |
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Three Nordic banks awarded Nature and Environment Prize
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Danish Merkur Andelskasse was established in 1982, Norwegian Cultura Bank in 1997 and Swedish Ekobanken in 1998. The three eco-conscious banks have developed a close working relationship. |