Does your company do award-winning sustainability? THEN WE WANT TO REWARD YOU!

For years, Hello Zuidas, Green Business Club Zuidas and Bureau Zuidas have been compiling the annual Sustainability Report. A report about all things sustainable in Zuidas, it is a worthy, if slightly old-fashioned, undertaking. This year, we are taking sustainability in Zuidas to a new level. We want to award you for your efforts, to put you and your projects in the spotlight, exactly where you deserve to be. Because it is you – the companies of Zuidas – who are working to build a better and more sustainable world. And that’s why we are proud to introduce: the Zuidas Sustainability Award.

Starting from 2022, Hello Zuidas, Green Business Club Zuidas and Bureau Zuidas will be handing out awards to individuals and organizations in Zuidas who are actively participating, initiating and motivating efforts to make Zuidas more sustainable. We caught up with Zuidas Sustainability Award project managers Cathelijne Cras (GBC) and Trevor Holtkamp (HZ) to learn more about this new ‘green’ award. 

Can you tell us, in brief, what the Zuidas Sustainability Award is about?
“The award is all about shining a spotlight where it belongs: on the businesses and people of Zuidas who are working towards a better environment. To show our city, our country and even the world how sustainable we are in Zuidas. Having ambition is easy, practising what you preach is not. We are happy to award those who are succeeding and thriving.”

Sustainability is a very broad issue. What does this mean for the award? “Sustainability is indeed very broad, so the award is split into multiple categories: Mobility, Water and Greenery, Public Space, Logistics, Community, Buildings, Circularity, and Energy. Organizations and individuals can send in submissions for one or more categories, since projects may span multiple areas of sustainability.” 

What kinds of projects qualify for the award?
“All kinds, basically. A green roof, housing for bees, locally produced food… if a project’s goal and effect are sustainability, however small, it deserves to be rewarded. True, not everyone can win, but everyone can shoot for the prize. Our judging panel will decide who gets to take home this first award.”

Who is on the judging panel?
“The judges are a qualified, mixed group of sustainability experts and Zuidas locals. You can meet the panel on our website and our social media channels in the coming weeks.”

And maybe the most important question: how can you apply for the award?
“To enter for the award, visit our website, www.zuidasduurzaam.nl, or scan the QR code accompanying this article. Submissions for 2020-2021 projects big and small can be submitted until the end of January 2022. The presentation ceremony will be at the end of February. If anyone has questions about the first Zuidas Sustainability Award, they can drop us an email at: news@hellozuidas.com.”