Readers of The Herald have chosen an inspiring primary school teacher from Argyll to win a new award honouring Scotland's environmental heroes.
Fiona Hamilton, who teaches primary six and seven pupils at Inveraray Primary in Argyll, beat five other finalists to win the inaugural Eco Award for Inspiring Greener Living, in a vote by readers of The Herald. The award was presented yesterday at the Lighthouse, Scotland's Centre for Architecture, Design and the City in Glasgow.
Fiona Hamilton has been a driving force in putting environmental issues and sustainability at the heart of her school's curriculum. Pupils have run a farmers' market while the school has its own recycling scheme and eco committee. Ms Hamilton said: "This award is very definitely for the whole school. The best bit was being nominated in the first place. I felt very privileged to feel that someone thought highly enough to put us forward."
Winners were also announced for the two Eco Prizes for Creativity, now in their third year, which are awarded for creative work in the arts, media, design, architecture or computer games.
James Connor won the Eco Prize for Emerging Talent for his proposal for an Eco Design Centre positioned beneath Glasgow's Botanic Gardens, in a disused underground railway station, while the Puppet State Theatre Company won the award for Established Talent for their theatrical production of The Man Who Planted Trees.
The other finalists for the Eco Award were James Curran, who runs the green shop Entrading in Glasgow; David Hanschell, who ships used school furniture to needy schools in the Caribbean; Minty Mackay, an organic farmer from Mull; Doug McLaren, who runs Tayside Recyclers; and Colin Risbridger, who has pioneered a number of renewable energy projects on Westray in the Orkneys, including using cow slurry to make biogas.
The Eco Trust is a charitable trust set up to celebrate creativity and inspire greener living.
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