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The annual Townsend Prize for Green achievement for 2008 saw a number of contenders who have been seen to be committed to making the University of Kent a more environmentally sustainable and energy efficient establishment.

The judges for this year’s prize were Sam Leivers, the Ethics and Environment Officer for Kent Union, Dr Ian Bride, from the Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology at UoK and, in the chair, Dave Reason, the Master of Keynes College.

Of the three strong contenders for the prize, a first year student Zayed Zaheer who ‘suggested a scheme for charging students for the energy they consume on campus’, an attempt that the judges welcomed, was awarded third place.

The runner up in second place was our very own inQuire Live writer, Luke Walter for his regular Green Column. The judges praised ‘Luke’s lively column’ as it ‘engages with current environmental issues in a well-informed way and clearly has the ability to provoke discussion among student readers.’

However in first place and winner of the Townsend prize, the judges were unanimous in giving the award to the Conscious Consumers society. This was as they had ‘successfully campaigned on a range of issues’ from promoting recycling in the university and surrounding areas, making green links with the local community and passing a motion in Kent Union AGM recognising the unethical practices of Coke-Cola. The judges were ‘impressed by their inventiveness, resilience and practical engagement.’

The Conscious Consumers Society, through their president, Dan McComb, have collected £250 in prize money, and have had the opportunity to plant a tree on campus. This is the second consecutive year that the society has won the award and the prize money, along with the society’s successful money spinning event ‘Echo-Logik’ has made it one of the most financially well-off societies on campus.