If you work in Hertfordshire and are proud of being environmentally friendly you might like to enter Hertfordshire Building Futures Awards run by the county’s local authorities.

Any construction project in the county completed between 16 September 2009 and 16 September this year is eligible. So if you have been gathering rainwater from your roof to reduce your consumption of tap water, or have reduced your energy usage, or found some way of making better use of your valuable building materials, why not gain some recognition for your efforts?

This is the second time the competition has been held. The first was in 2009 and Richard Thake, Hertfordshire County Council’s Executive Member for Environment & Community Safety, says: “The 2009 Building Futures Awards were a great success and highlighted the innovation and creativity which is behind sustainable development in Hertfordshire.

“Entries were exceptional, and I’ve no doubt that those this year will be equally excellent. With almost half of CO₂ emissions coming from the use of buildings, I believe we should be seeking to reward developments coming forward in the county which demonstrate how we can make real inroads into cutting our emissions.”

Watford Borough Council was one of last time’s winners. Cate Hall, Executive Director of Services, says: “Winning a Building Futures Award in 2009 is something that we are extremely proud of and has certainly put our organisation on the map for our commitment to a sustainable future.

"There are lots of great projects in the area which deserve commending too, and I’d strongly suggest entering the awards if you have been involved in an eco-friendly project in the past two years.”

To find out how you can enter the awards, visit: www.hertslink.org/buildingfutures