The Society’s World Environment Day Awards and Lectures were held on the 4th of June, on the eve of World Environment Day and attended by more than one hundred people. The agenda for the day, hosted by Kew Gardens who also acted as the venue sponsor, included the presentation of a number of honours and an expert line-up of topical talks. The grand finale saw the announcement of the Environmental Professional of the Year 2019, which was presented to Jerome Baddley CEnv, Head of Unit - the National Sustainable Development Unit for the NHS, Public Health and Social Care at the NHS and Public Health England and Fellow of the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA).
Owing to an extremely high standard across the nominations, awards were also presented to two highly commended finalists, including IES Vice President, Professor Carolyn Roberts, Self Employed Environmental Consultant, and Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Keele University.
The prestigious Environmental Professional of the Year award recognises the outstanding work of Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) and Registered Environmental Technician (REnvTech) registrants. The Award showcases the achievements of those striving to protect and enhance the environment on a daily basis and attracts a diverse range of outstanding nominations each year from across sectors and continents. Previous winners of the award include David Stubbs CEnv, registered via the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM); Martin Bigg CEnv, registered via the Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA); and last year’s winner, Graham Powell CEnv, registered via the Institute of Water (IWater)
Jerome has worked in the environmental sector for twenty years, leading on globally significant areas of work. He produced the very first NHS carbon reduction plans; supporting two trusts to cut their footprints by twenty-five per cent. In 2009 he produced the UK’s first city-wide energy and carbon strategy for Nottingham; resulting in Nottingham cutting its carbon footprint by fifty per cent. He also chairs the National Working Group for Low Carbon Inhalers, a group that includes National Directors, leaders and even a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Alongside this, he also co-chairs the National Task Group on low carbon anaesthetics, and cycles to every meeting; even managing to take his folding bike into Parliament when giving evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee.
Reacting to the honour of being crowned Environmental Professional of the Year, Jerome said: “This is a real honour; however, I am just a small cog in a very large machine. I have been blessed to work with amazing teams, supportive management and great leadership. Really this is an award for them.”
The event, which was sponsored by Severn Trent Water, also marked fifteen years since the Society was established and saw the presentation of three new Honorary Fellows of the Society for the Environment (HonFSE) including another IES Council Vice President, Jennifer Blumhof.
Jennifer said, “I was very honoured to receive the award of Honorary Fellowship of the Society for the Environment. The Society’s role in the advancement of environmental professionalism over the past fifteen years has been exemplary and long may it continue.”
