The fourth Sheffield Telegraph Environment Awards will be held at Sheffield’s Mecure St. Paul’s Hotel on Monday 17th October 2011 and we would like you to be a part of it.

The last three years have produced some outstanding stories of people and organisations who genuinely want to do all they can to protect the environment we live in and are confident that 2011 will be no different. Telegraph Editor, David Todd, said “The awards are something we look forward to every October. The really great thing is that many of the people and businesses we feature are doing great work, very quietly, with no real aim to be recognised for it”.

Our awards will honour outstanding efforts and achievements, good building and design, sustainability, innovations and improvements. Small or large scale projects will be judged equally.

We hope that the awards will again raise awareness of the need for better environmental performance by business and industry. We are looking for individuals, schools, community groups and businesses who have made a difference over the last 12 months. Once again there are nine categories to choose from, with an overall winner selected from the nine winners. Last year’s big winner was Mike Wild who shared the Lifetime Achievement Award with the Wildlife Trust and went on to claim the overall prize in Recognition of a Lifetime Devoted to Protecting the world around us.

Wind turbines harness the power of the wind and use this wind to generate electricity. Small systems also known as known as "microwind" or "small-wind" turbines can make enough  electricity to help power the lights and electrical appliances in a typical family home.

Electricity bills can be reduced by switching to wind electricity as once the initial installation is paid for, wind is free.

Wind electricity is green, therefore can reduce your carbon footprint and does not release any harmful carbon dioxide or other pollutants.

We welcome nominations for all categories, so if you know an individual or business who you feel deserves recognition for their services to the environment then please let us know. Feel free to nominate yourself or your own business, should you believe you are the best at energy efficiency in your specialist field.

The categories are: Individual, Business, Community, Innovation, Building and Design, Recycling, Primary School, Senior School, Lifetime Achievement and Overall Sheffield Telegraph Environment Awards 2011 Winner.

CLICK HERE - for a printable version of the voting slip

The UK’s largest hydro power station is Dinorwig Power Station, in the Snowdonia National Park, North Wales was fully commissioned in 1984.

Like electricity made from solar and wind energy, electricity from water is renewable.

The winners will feature in a special supplement in the Sheffield Telegraph as well as an electronic magazine which will be available from here once published.

If you would like full details of last year’s winners and associated companies, CLICK HERE for the electronic version of the 2010 supplement.

The United Kingdom is home to around 16 million gardens, all of which have opportunities to help preserve our precious nature.

Simply planting a tree can provide shelter and food for many types of wildlife from insects to birds. Even those without a garden can plant a tree in a container and keep outdoors, to offer the same food and shelter for smaller creatures. If you have an especially large outdoor space and have a section of your garden you can leave for long periods of time, this can be resting or even hibernating area for some creatures
such as badgers.

Choosing wild-life friendly plants, for example ivy, lavender and sunflowers, and trying to avoid using pesticides are additional methods of doing our bit to help nature.

Please feel free to contact us with any enquiries about the 2011 Awards. Should you be a business who would like to get involved in this year’s event, please contact

Carolyn Rawlings, Telegraph Manager, on 0114 2767676 ext 3288, or carolyn.rawlings@sheffieldnewspapers.co.uk

The nomination form is available to download by CLICKING HERE – it will also appear in the Sheffield Telegraph every Thursday. Nomination forms can be returned by post to The Environment Awards, Sheffield Telegraph, York Street, Sheffield, S1 1PU. Closing date for entries is Friday September 16th 2011..

Solar Photovoltaic (PV) systems are more commonly know as solar panels and use energy from the sun to create electricity. These solar panels require only daylight, rather than direct sunlight, to generate electricity.

When the light shines on the panels, an electric field is created across layers of silicon in the cell, and it is this which causes a flow of electricity. The power can be used immediately or linked back onto the power grid for use at a later date.

Solar panels can be used on buildings that have a roof or wall which faces within 90 degrees of south; it cannot be overshadowed by any large trees as this will reduce the potential amount of electricity produced.