Bristol was this evening presented with the prestigious title of European Green Capital 2015. The historic announcement, made at a ceremony in Nantes, France, which holds the current title, is the strongest recognition of the city's pioneering sustainable initiatives.
Bristol triumphed in a four-way, tightly-fought contest with Brussels, Glasgow and Ljubljana – the capital of Slovenia. The judges were impressed with Bristol's ambitions to put sustainability at the core of all future schemes.
Bristol Mayor George Ferguson said: “This demonstrates Bristol’s ambition to be a pioneering green city and is recognition for the many years of hard work and dedication by the city council, businesses and the people of Bristol to make our city more environmentally friendly.
“We will now be turning our attention to staging an inspiring programme of events in 2015 which will be centred on the idea of Bristol as a ‘laboratory for change’. I have offered Bristol as a test-bed for environmental ideas in 2015, where we will develop pioneering practices which will not only benefit Bristol, but will hopefully become a model for cities around the world.
“We are very aware that we have much more work to do to become a truly sustainable city but we look forward to sharing that journey with people from across Bristol and Europe.
“This announcement couldn’t have been better timed. This weekend sees the start of Bristol’s BIG Green Week and the Bristol Festival of Nature, so I invite all to come into the heart of Bristol and celebrate with us.”
Back in Bristol, key figures involved in the bid had gathered at M Shed to hear the announcement relayed from Nantes. They let out a loud cheer when Bristol was named the winner.
Savita Custead, a member of the team that presented Bristol’s bid to the jury in Brussels in May and chief executive of the Bristol Natural History Consortium, which organises the Bristol Festival of Nature, added: “Bristol is a hub of environmental businesses, organisations and individuals who work together to help promote green ideas and enjoy our natural spaces and resources.
“This weekend we have over 25 major exhibitors attending the Festival of Nature to share their love of the environment with the people of Bristol, and that is a perfect example of how our joined up thinking has helped us to become the European Green Capital for 2015.”
Chair of the Bristol Green Capital Partnership Martin Bigg said: "Winning this prestigious prize is a reflection of our commitment to the environment and is a fantastic opportunity to generate jobs and promote inward investment.
“The award demonstrates that turning Bristol into a low-carbon city is central to our vision and by greening the city we are helping to make Bristol an even more attractive place to live, work, visit and study.”
The European Green Capital Award was set up in 2008 to reward cities that consistently achieve high environmental standards and are committed to further environmental improvement and sustainable development. The winning city must act as a role model and demonstrate a vision for the future that will inspire other cities to take similar action.
The Bristol Festival of Nature is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and runs all weekend (15-16 June) across Bristol’s Harbourside with a host of new exhibitors and activities to entertain the whole family.
Celebrating, Bristol fashion: From left, Stephen Hilton, service director Bristol Futures, Darren Hall, Bristol Green Capital Partnership manager, Liz Zeidler, vice-chair Bristol Green Capital Partnership, Stacey Yelland, Easton and Lawrence Hill Neighbourhood Management, Savita Custead, director Bristol Natural History Consortium, Gus Hoyt, assistant mayor for neighbourhoods, environment and council housing, Bristol City Council, and Sir Graham Watson, Lib Dem MEP for South West England and Gibraltar. Photo by www.joncraig.co.uk
