NOVEMBER 2017. The inaugural Carbon Neutral Adelaide Awards were held in 2017 celebrating the leadership and contribution of Carbon Neutral Adelaide Partners to the community’s shared aspiration to become the world’s first carbon neutral city.

Five award winners who are leaders in taking action on climate change while capitalising on the economic benefits of emissions reduction were announced at the awards ceremony held at Adelaide Town Hall on 17 November 2017.  

Also presented were the CitySwitch Green Office program awards that have been successfully operating in the city since 2008.

South Australia’s CitySwitch signatories are businesses and other organisations who have committed to taking action to improve the sustainability performance of their offices. Four CitySwitch awards were announced.

The Carbon Neutral Adelaide Awards are a shared initiative of the City of Adelaide and the Government of South Australia to reward organisations and individuals who are leading the way in reducing the city’s carbon emissions.

Minister for Climate Change Ian Hunter said the awards enhanced Adelaide’s and the state’s reputation as an international leader in climate change.

“It’s exciting to see how much progress has been made since the State Government and the council signed our sector agreement in 2015,” he said.

“It’s important that we keep building on our achievements and the awards do that by recognising the organisations and individuals who are playing their part and leading the way.

I congratulate all the award winners for their efforts, and I also acknowledge the community for its support.”

Lord Mayor of Adelaide Martin Haese congratulated the award recipients on being leaders who are actively contributing to carbon reduction in the City of Adelaide.

“We recognise and celebrate Adelaide’s leaders, innovators, influencers and early adopters of products, services and business practices that support our transition to a low carbon economy, in turn benefiting our environment and our economy.

“Leading climate change action presents a strong economic opportunity for Adelaide and South Australia through innovation and investment opportunities and the growth of green industries and jobs.

“Partnering with local businesses is essential to growing our city’s reputation as a hub for clean and green industries, showcasing Adelaide as a leader in the global shift to a prosperous, low-carbon economy.

“We were aiming for 100 founding partners of Carbon Neutral Adelaide by the time of the Awards and I am very pleased to announce that we now have 105 founding partners. This demonstrates the commitment that our Adelaide businesses and organisations have to becoming carbon neutral.

“The City of Adelaide is proud to work with the State Government through these awards and I congratulate all the winners and the nominees.”

Also at the awards ceremony, Australia’s first certified carbon neutral not-for-profit organisation, Uniting Communities, was announced as an ambassador of Carbon Neutral Adelaide.

While the majority of the awards recognised businesses partners, the New Normal Award is an award for households or individuals who demonstrate an aspirational example of sustainable low carbon or carbon neutral living.

This year there were nominations for the New Normal Award across diverse demographics, showing that reducing carbon emissions is something that is universally achievable.

In 2015 the State Government and the City of Adelaide committed to a joint aspiration for Adelaide to be the world’s first carbon neutral city.

The Carbon Neutral Adelaide Action Plan 2016-2021 identifies the importance of building community partnerships and defines the emissions reduction pathways that are required to achieve the goal of carbon neutrality.

The winners of the Carbon Neutral Adelaide Awards are:

• Partner of the Year 2017 - Anvil Capital & Lucid Consulting Australia
• Leadership and Influence Award - SIMEC ZEN Energy
• Low Carbon Economy Award - Jeffries
• Applied Innovation Award - Glaciem Cooling Technologies
• New Normal Award - Anthony Page & Anna Neldner 

The winners of the CitySwitch Awards are:

• New Signatory Award – The City of Unley
• SA CitySwitch Partnership of the Year Award - Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources AND Schiavello
• SA CitySwitch Signatory of the Year Award (for a tenancy under 2000 square metres) - AMP Adelaide
• SA CitySwitch Signatory of the Year Award (for a tenancy over 2000 square metres) - Commonwealth Bank of Australia

The contributions and achievements of the winners and finalists at the 2017 Carbon Neutral Adelaide Awards are documented in a 20 page e-book, Making a Difference: Contributions and Achievements of Carbon Neutral Adelaide Partners.