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Euro environment award for Teesside expert

19 May 2011

 

The European Commission has selected a project led by an environmental expert at Teesside University for one of its Best LIFE Environment Project awards.

Dr Richard Lord, Reader in Environmental Geochemistry and Sustainability, receives the award plaque in person in the European Parliament in Brussels on 25 May.

The award is for the BioReGen Project which investigated ways of reusing brownfield sites for renewable energy crops in the North East of England. It was selected as one of the 14 best EU-supported LIFE Environment projects completed throughout Europe in 2010.

Richard said, 'I am delighted for all the project’s partners over the last six years, who include staff at the University’s Technology Futures Institute, the National Renewable Energy Centre, North East Community Forests and CJ Day Associates. It is great to see all our hard work being recognised in this way.

'We are now actively engaged with a number of major industrial landowners who are implementing the results of the research in commercial projects. It’s a real conundrum as to how we produce the biomass we need to reduce carbon emissions without affecting food supply.

'We found that reed canary grass grows well on a variety of marginal or brownfield land types which are not currently being used. The European Commission particularly likes the way we were able to replicate the project and spin out real applications with real impacts.'

While in Brussels, Richard has agreed to be part of a panel of international experts for the LIFE for our Environment conference session looking at new solutions to environmental challenges in the public and private sectors.

The LIFE programme is the European commission's key financial instrument for the environment. Its LIFE Environment component aims to support the implementation and updating of EU environmental policy through the development of new solutions to environmental challenges and the dissemination of best practices, in the public as well is in the private sector.


 
 
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