NT to promote conservation with new awards

(CNS): This October the Cayman Islands National Trust will be presenting its inaugural Governor’s Conservation Awards at its 25th Anniversary Gala on Friday, 2 November, at the Grand Old House. The Trust is calling on the community to submit nominations for the new awards, which aim to recognise individuals, businesses and organisations that have contributed to historic preservation or environmental conservation in the Cayman Islands. Awards will be made are in four categories: Conservationist of the Year, Excellence in Corporate Conservation, Tourism Industry Conservation, and Heritage Preservation.

The Conservationist of the Year is designed to celebrate an individual who has implemented or significantly contributed to a conservation project aimed at protecting biodiversity, wildlife, endangered species, and places of environmental or historic significance, contributed to the long-term success of local conservation efforts and promoted conservation education and awareness locally.

The Corporate Conservation Award is for firms that have made a real change that goes beyond ‘business as usual’ in an organization requires real leadership, foresight and collaboration. Nominees should demonstrate that they have implemented significant changes within the organization to reduce its environmental/carbon footprint aligned its internal processes with internationally accepted corporate “green” best practices; and promoted a more environmentally conscious work ethic amongst customers and staff alike.

The ideal candidate for the Tourism Conservation Award must be a leader in offering environmentally-friendly visitor services. Also, it must be a place where visitors have easy access to nature, beauty and outdoor recreation opportunities. Nominees should demonstrate that they offer services which promote and highlight the natural resources and heritage of Cayman, as well as having incorporated sustainable measures such as efficient use of resources, reduction of waste generation, minimization of environmental impacts, policies for monitoring operations and planning for improvement, as well as educating visitors and locals about local natural resources and heritage.

When it comes to the Heritage Preservation Award the trust is looking for nominees who have demonstrated a consistent commitment for 10 years or more to the preservation of built, written or cultural elements of Cayman’s history, through a specific project or on-going activities. Nominees should demonstrate their contribution to preserving a historic or cultural legacy for future generations, their contribution to a harmonious blend of the best of the past, present and future recognizing “heritage” as a living tradition and a commitment to educating people of all ages as to the importance of preserving the local history and culture.

Nominations may be made without the knowledge of the nominee but nominations for posthumous awards will not be accepted, the trust stated. Projects or activities of nominees must have commenced within the past ten years and nominees may be nominated for more than one category provided they fall within the criteria outlined.

People wishing to nominated individuals for any of the four awards can download the form below of from www.nationaltrust.org.ky and e-mail the completed form to Tom Hines at Tom.Hines@fco.gov.uk

Deadline for entries is Saturday, 22 September and the shortlist announcement will be made on Friday, 28 September. The awards will then be presented at the 25th Anniversary Gala on Friday, 2 November, at the Grand Old House.

For more details on the awards and the latest news from the National Trust see the nomination form below and the newsletter here.