The Diputación de Málaga has announced the winners of the 7th Málaga Viva Awards. In this edition, the recipients are La Polea de Almargen in the Tree category; the Hilodoble project by the company AIDEI in the Air category; Manilva Town Hall in the Climate category; and, in the Earth category, the CEIP Emilia Olivares in Alhaurín el Grande.
The Diputación de Málaga’s Deputy President for Infrastructure and Sustainable Territory, Cristóbal Ortega, explained that “within our society, and at all levels, there is great concern and a desire to work for our environment and against climate change”. These awards seek to recognise and publicise their work so that it can serve as inspiration for others.
In the Tree category, in which associations and NGOs with good practices in climate change take part, the work of La Polea in Almargen has been recognised. They have worked to raise awareness of agroecological practices among market gardeners. As a result, 80% of participants have adopted sustainable practices, reducing the use of chemical products by 70%. They began with 17 members, growing to 86, and generating significant economic benefits for local producers. In previous editions, the winners have been the Asociación de Amigos del Jardín Botánico de la Concepción, Ecoherencia SCA, Asociación Almijara, Asociación Relámpago Verde, Andalimpia and the CMR Rincón de la Victoria.
In the Air category, which recognises the work of companies with good environmental practices even where this is not their main line of business, the Hilodoble project by the company AIDEI has been chosen. Hilodoble reuses tarpaulins, advertising flags and other used materials to make high-quality products. It involves more than twenty companies in donating and recovering materials, and also employs people at risk of exclusion. In other editions, awards have gone to Bioazul, S.L., Proamb Integrada, S.L., Green Globe SyPa, Bee Garden Málaga, Folia Project and AIKB Ekoerrota, S.L.
Manilva awarded in the Climate category
In the Climate category, which recognises projects by town halls and other local bodies, the work of Manilva Town Hall has been recognised for enhancing the Reserva Ecológica Playas de Manilva (Playas de Manilva Ecological Reserve) along the stretch between the Arroyo del Indiano stream and Punta Chullera. Measures have been introduced here in public use, outreach and improvement of the natural environment, in order to restore and improve areas that encourage greater biodiversity. In previous editions, the work of the town halls of Alhaurín de la Torre, Campillos, Arriate, El Burgo, Estepona and Málaga has been recognised.
Finally, the Earth category recognises environmental and climate change projects carried out by schools. This year the CEIP Emilia Olivares in Alhaurín el Grande was singled out for its project aimed at making the school more sustainable through recycling, photovoltaic energy, reduced paper use, the naturalisation of the playgrounds and water reuse. In the first edition of this category, the Colegio Europa in Málaga was the winner.
Presentation of the awards
The ‘7th Málaga Viva Awards’ will be presented during the ‘9th Málaga Viva Meeting’, which will take place on 24 October at the Auditorio Edgar Neville of the Diputación Provincial de Málaga, under the title ‘Water and Climate Change’. All categories come with a trophy and a cash prize of €3,000.
