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Environmental Award

The AUSMEPA environmental award


The AUSMEPA Environment Award is presented to worthy recipients to recognise and promote achievements, innovation and best practice in minimising marine pollution and the protection of the marine environment. The AUSMEPA Environmental Award can be awarded to individuals, community groups, businesses and government agencies or departments.

Nominations are sought from the community as well as AUSMEPA members and should be submitted to the AUSMEPA Executive Director by 30 September each year.

Nominations for the Environmental Award must meet the following criteria:

  • the introduction of an innovative service or practice which reduces marine pollution and enhances the protection of the marine environment
  • the undertaking of a service or practice which reduces marine pollution and enhances the protection of the marine environment
  • a significant achievement or contribution to reducing marine pollution and/or enhancing the protection of the marine environment.
  • the nominee should be based and operate in Australia and the benefits must be to the Australian marine environment

The AUSMEPA Board will review on an annual basis all nominations that generally meet the required criteria. However, in some years, if nominations fall short of the requited high level, an award may not be made in that year.

AUSMEPA Environmental Awards Made

2009 Victorian Government
The award in 2009 was made to the Victorian Governmentin recognition of the achievements of two of its agencies EPA Victoria and Melbourne Water in dramatically improving the water quality of Port Phillip and Victoria’s coastal waters over a number of years.

Through a very effective combination of education, encouragement and enforcement these two agencies, as well as improving water quality, have considerably reduced land sourced marine pollution. These actions have ensured that Victoria is a world leader in minimising marine pollution. See Media Release.

2007 and 2008 - No awards made.

2006 SEA SA Pty Ltd.
The award in 2006 was made to SEA SA Pty. Ltd in recognition of the large reduction in greenhouse gasses that its new ferry service in South Australia achieved.

The ferry service which links the Yorke and Eyre Peninsulas is a boon to the communities of Walleroo and Lucky Bay in cutting the journey time between these two port townships, down to less than 2 hours, but more importantly the ferry service also provides significant environmental benefits in reduced greenhouse gasses.

The annual savings in carbon dioxide emissions from vehicles transiting Spencer Gulf on the ferry service instead of driving the 350 kms by road between the two port towns is some 24,377 tonnes.