Best Ashden Moments 2010: Jane picks the moment the finalists arrived in London

In the first in our end-of-year series, where members of the Ashden team choose favourite moments from the year, Jane Howarth, Awards administrator, picks the moment the finalists arrive in London.

The moment I'd choose is meeting the finalists at the hotel on the Sunday before awards week starts. We have tea, show them their films and brief them on the week to come.

The hotel is the Grange Strathmore Hotel, a small cosy hotel in Kensington. We have afternoon tea, the finalists each give a short introduction about themselves and their work, and we tell them what will happen during the week and answer any questions they may have.

They each watch the short films that have been made about them, in a separate room, one at a time - we don't let the finalists see each others' films at this stage as they are still preparing to meet the judges for their final interviews. We get a very positive reaction to the films.

After tea, we take them on the tube to the office so that they know the route (three stops on the District line) and don't lose their way to the interview the following day.

As the Awards administrator, it's great to meet them all in person after many months of emailing. And it's also a relief to know that they've all made it to London!

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The first round of judging is complete...

...and the UK and international shortlists have been decided.

In the last fortnight the two Ashden Awards judging panels have met to decide the UK and international shortlists. 152 initial expressions of interest have now been narrowed down to just 18 exemplars of local sustainable energy.
Experts in their fields, the judges drew on their experience and knowledge in technology, policy, business , development and communication to make their decisions. Over two lengthy days the judges debated and determined who would go through to the next round. Their discussions scrutinised balance sheets, explored social impacts and argued technical details. Dr. Anne Wheldon, our technical director, described this part of the judging process as “always really interesting and stimulating but also very difficult”.

The judges were impressed by the applicants this year. They were pleased that, on the international side, applicants came from across three continents (Africa, Asia and Latin America), whilst in the UK there were interesting new approaches to both renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The difficult decisions, however, were finally made with the help of secret ballots. Judges will be visiting the 18 shortlisted applicants over the next two months.

To find out more about our past award winners and the judges please visit our website: www.ashdenawards.org

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10:10 - cut your carbon by 10% in 2010

10:10 is an initiative to encourage people and organisations to cut their carbon emissions by 10% during 2010. From their website:

It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of a huge problem like climate change, but by uniting everyone around immediate, effective and achievable action, 10:10 enables us all to make a meaningful difference.

The plan is simple: we work together to cut our carbon emissions by 10% in 2010. 10:10 is an idea whose time has come.

Their website has advice on how to make the 10% cut, customised for individuals, schools, businesses and other organisations. Check it out on their website:
10:10

and also look at the coverage in the Guardian

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