Press Release: Biosphere Brighton is first choice for sustainable awards ceremony

Five hundred eco-minded envoys will meet at the Brighton Centre on 3 October 2015 for the annual People, Environment and Achievement (P.E.A.) awards ceremony which recognise individuals and organisations involved in making a difference to the green agenda.

The national event has been brought to Brighton & Hove by the council’s convention bureau VisitBrighton and is expected to bring benefit to the city in terms of visitor spend and bed nights booked at local hotels. It is the first time the awards, which are now in their fifth year, have been held outside London.

The glamorous ‘green carpet’ ceremony will honour those who have demonstrated the importance of sustainability in a range of categories, including travel and tourism, shopping, building, education, business and community. There is also a new Brighton & Hove nature themed category in recognition of the region’s UNESCO designated *Biosphere status.

The awards celebrate everything from raising awareness, travelling responsibly and ethical best practice to creating technologies, designing products and services and developing sustainability campaigns.

PEA organiser Jarvis Smith has used the Brighton Centre’s Sustainable Event programme and worked with the council’s International & Sustainability teams to improve the environmental, economic and social impact of the overall event. Measures employed include going paper free and using iPads with apps for guestlists, selecting a venue that is a Living Wage employer (ie the Brighton Centre), using LED lighting for the exhibition shell scheme and aiming for the event to be zero waste which will be monitored by the venue’s in house waste company during and after the event. Guests will drink 100% organic beverages at a welcome reception and dine from a menu of 100% vegan, in season, fair trade produce that has predominantly been sourced locally and is organic where possible.

BHCC’s deputy leader and chair of environment and sustainability Gill Mitchell who will deliver a welcome speech at the event said: “We’re delighted the organisers chose the Brighton Centre to hold the event, particularly in recognition of the environmental accreditation we have for the venue.

“We all have our part to play in reducing waste and safeguarding valuable resources for future generations and these awards are a great way of highlighting how a concerted effort, made by individuals, families or businesses can make a real difference and benefit society as well as the environment.”

P.E.A. organiser Jarvis Smith added: “As an ethically focussed city, Brighton & Hove was an ideal choice of destination for the ceremony and mirrors the ethos of the awards perfectly.

“The Brighton Centre was chosen for its size, seafront location and most importantly its impressive eco-credentials. The assistance I’ve received across the board has been second-to-none. It’s one thing having a sustainable programme but putting it into practice is another matter and working with the local authorities’ teams to do this has been extremely encouraging.”

Tickets costing from £50 are available from the P.E.A. website and include a sit-down dinner with entertainment from hip hop dance band the Stereo MCs, followed by an after party.

As a pre-cursor to the awards ceremony, local charity, Big Nature is coordinating a free daytime event to showcase local community nature projects and initiatives focussed around the city’s Biosphere status. The public event will be held in the Brighton Centre foyer from 1pm – 4pm and include a programme of presentations, stalls and workshops. For more information about getting involved or attending on the day see: www.bignature.co.uk

For more information about the PEA awards see: www.peaawards.com

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Notes for editors

VisitBrighton Convention Bureau

VisitBrighton Convention Bureau promotes Brighton & Hove as a place to hold meetings, conferences and business events. The Bureau works on behalf of the whole city and offers impartial support to event planners throughout the organising process. Team members have an in-depth knowledge of the city and can provide realistic, relevant and up-to-date information.

Brighton & Hove is recognised nationally and internationally as a dynamic conference destination, combining a seaside location with a vibrant cosmopolitan atmosphere. It has a range of venues – from imposing historic rooms to spacious modern facilities – and can host conferences for up to 10,000 delegates. www.visitbrighton.com/conferences

Brighton Centre

The Brighton Centre is a purpose built 5,000 capacity conference and events venue on Brighton seafront. The venue is committed to reducing the environmental impact of events and making a positive contribution to people’s lives and the local economy. The Centre’s Sustainable Events Programme has achieved two world class International Standards for Environmental Management (ISO 14001) and Sustainable Events (ISO 20121 and offers a range of services to make it easy for organisers to create a more sustainable event. For more information about the Sustainable Events Programme see www.conferences.brightoncentre.co.uk/sustainability/sustainable-events-programme

Biosphere
*The Brighton & Lewes Downs Biosphere was recognised by UNESCO as a world-class environment in 2014 joining a global network of over 600 international demonstration areas across 100 countries.

The Biosphere is an area of land and coastal waters covering 389 square kilometres between the rivers Adur and Ouse and is one of only a handful of sites worldwide that include a city.
Map here: www.biospherehere.org.uk/our-area

Big Nature

Big Nature is a non-profit company in the process of applying for charitable status. Its goal is to inspire a renaissance between local wildlife and people. Goals include creating a programme of habitat restoration within the Brighton & Lewes Biosphere, promoting biodiversity education and building a Big Nature centre in the heart of the Biosphere region.
www.bignature.co.uk

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