£20,000 prize money on offer for the best use of sustainable energy in UK schools

Closing date for entries 30 January 2006-

The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy are proud to announce that they are now looking for entries for a new award designed to reward and promote the use of green energy in UK schools.

The Ashden Award for Sustainable Energy in Schools is offering a first prize of £15,000 and a second prize of £5,000 to schools which can prove that they have made sustainable energy a key, ongoing part of their practice and culture. This includes improving energy efficiency and using renewable energy within the school premises; integrating sustainable energy throughout the curriculum; and creating a sustainability ethos in which the responsible use and generation of energy is a key element.

The Award is being offered in recognition of the crucial role which schools play in both promoting the need for sustainable energy and demonstrating its practical effectiveness.

The winning schools will have demonstrated successful practices which can be replicated elsewhere. They must also have clear plans for how to use the prize money to take further their own work on sustainable energy.

The Awards will be presented at a VIP ceremony at the Royal Geographical Society in London in June 2006.

The Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy – now in its 5th year – exists to both highlight and reward exemplary and successful examples of sustainable energy use both in the UK and the developing world. To this end, in 2006 the Ashden Awards will be offering £350,000 to the best sustainable energy projects in the developing world and across the UK. Through its awards scheme and related activities, the Ashden Awards team aims to persuade policy makers, funders and other organisations and individuals to recognise renewable energy and energy efficiency as a crucial tool for addressing the urgent global issues of climate change, pollution and energy supply as well as addressing the social and economic needs of local communities across the globe.

The Ashden Awards have an expert panel of judges that represent a range of expertise in sustainable energy, including technology, business, education, research and the media. For more information on the Ashden Awards for Sustainable Energy, including information on how to apply and downloadable application forms, please visit www.ashdenawards.org or contact: Danielle Jones on + 44 207 410 0330; email: info@ashdenawards.org