Wednesday, September 25th, 2013. It was a big win last night for small Sydney businesses when the City of Sydney’s Green Business Program scooped the Local Government Sustainability Award at the annual Green Globe Awards.

The Smart Green Business Program encourages businesses to reduce their water, energy and waste in partnership with Sydney Water and the Office of Environment and Heritage.

Lord Mayor Clover Moore said the Green Globe was a great win for small and medium-sized businesses and thanked the business community for their contribution towards a greener Sydney, and Sydney Water for their support.

“We thank Sydney Water for providing funding to enable us to continue with this important program and we applaud them for their commitment to a sustainable future,” the Lord Mayor said.

“Cities are the greatest contributors to climate change, and businesses must work together if we are to make a positive difference to the environment for our future generations.

“We have 241 small to medium-sized businesses involved in the program, and it’s growing fast. These businesses are leading the way by reducing their waste, reducing their water consumption, improving their energy efficiency, while saving them money.

“This program is yet another example of how working together, we can reach our target of a 70 per cent reduction in greenhouse emissions by 2030.”

The Smart Green Business Program continues to expand at a rapid rate with new targets for 2014 to recruit over 100 larger businesses in the accommodation sector, such as hotels, serviced apartments, and hostels,  entertainment and conference venue owners.

Sydney Water Managing Director, Kevin Young, said that improving water efficiency within the corporate sector was important to Sydney Water.

“We’ve really enjoyed being a part of the Smart Green Business Program and look forward to the partnership with the City of Sydney continuing,” Mr Young said.

“It’s great to know that we’ve helped so many small-to-medium businesses save money and improve their environmental performance.”

For more information visit: www.cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au/business/business-support/greening-your-business/smart-green-business