Climate Friendly takes out top prize at Sydney Business Awards

Climate Friendly, a business that helps households and companies reduce their contribution to climate change, has been named the City of Sydney Business of the Year 2012.

The enterprise, which includes Qantas, News Ltd and UEFA among its clients, topped a list of 883 nominated businesses, with more than 60,000 Sydneysiders casting their votes to decide the winner.

Climate Friendly has won $5,000 for landing the top prize, with $4,000 given to Glebe Medical Centre, which was named Small Business of the Year.

Other winners on the awards night include estate agency Martin, which won the EnergyAustralia sustainability award, and Real Learning, which won the Hayes Knight entrepreneurs award.

Climate Friendly, which is based in the Sydney suburb of Woolloomooloo, also won the ANZ super regional award.

Climate Friendly has developed a community of green businesses, with celebrity chef Kylie Kwong as an ambassador, a renewable energy certification program with WWF and Flight Portal, an automated offset and reporting tool for business travel.

The business says its various projects have save more than two million tonnes of greenhouse gases, which is the equivalent of taking 530 cars off the road.

Climate Friendly recently expanded to Asia and is now looking to open an office in Europe.

“We thank the judges and the City of Sydney for this award which recognises our efforts to make it easy for all of us, at home and at work, to take action on climate change,” says Freddy Sharpe, CEO of Climate Friendly.

“We are proud to be part of the move toward a global clean energy future and to be in Sydney, which is leading the way in Australia on taking action on climate change.”

“We aspire to be at the heart of the global conversation about sustainability.”

Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore adds: “Climate Friendly has become a market leader in their sector by engaging the community and helping a wide range of homes and business to do something about climate change. Despite challenging economic times, this business has managed solid growth.”