27 Aug ANNOUNCING: Faithful to Nature Eco Awards

It is through active, informed decision-making resulting in conscious consumption that we show our care for Mother Nature through our support for the companies and individuals who are making it their ambition to make earth-friendly products more accessible for our everyday use.

However, we want to take this recognition and appreciation one step further, and so… drum roll …. we are incredibly excited to announce the launch of the brand-spanking-new Faithful to Nature Eco Awards! Yup, that’s right – cue the leaf confetti and let’s break out our finest bottle of organic vino! – we are shining a spotlight on the doers, movers and shakers on the eco scene.

The purpose behind the Faithful to Nature Eco Awards is to create awareness around producers, corporations and individuals who embody an eco ethos & offer an alternative to consumers to act consciously in their consumption decisions.

The Faithful to Nature Eco Awards start with a nomination process, then voting, and finally, awarding the winner of each category. The categories are as follows:

1. BEST ECO PRODUCT INNOVATION: Companies or individuals who are leading the way in creating innovative, eco-conscious products for consumers. Eco-consciousness comes in the form of being more aware of the environment in the manufacturing and use of a product – anything from reducing plastic in the production process to enabling consumers to reduce their negative environmental impact through the use of the product.
2. ECO-CONSCIOUS HOSPITALITY: Restaurants, cafes, hotels and all other hospitality providers who are leading the way in terms of creating more eco-conscious experiences for consumers. Eco-consciousness comes in the form of providing consumers with products that help to minimise their impact on the environment, from not offering plastic straws and cutlery to consumers and supplying glass instead of plastic bottles, to their own initiatives or campaigns launched to help protect the planet. It is the small things that these providers do that enable and empower us to make better purchasing decisions.
3. ACTIVE ECO WARRIOR: An individual who is actively and consciously living the environmentally-friendly lifestyle, from the way they live their lives behind closed doors to the noise they create around being kinder to the planet and all its creatures. This eco-warrior lives the ideals they preach, as well as attempts to grow the messaging to inspire positive change in others.
4. BEST PLASTIC-FREE BRAND: A brand that is leading the market in 100% removing plastic from their products. Plastic-free needs to be recognised in its own right, as the task of achieving this 100% plastic-free goal is such a difficult one in the world we live in today. Striving towards this goal of zero plastic needs to be given a special spotlight and reward.
5. BEST GRASSROOTS INITIATIVE/GROUP: Start-ups and “the smaller guys” who work tirelessly to improve the condition of the planet through their active campaigns and activities that involve the participation of the public. From beach clean-ups to online campaigns that generate awareness, these are the people who stop at nothing to bring attention to the real issues we now see impacting Earth because of human actions.
6. BEST VEGAN PRODUCT: When it comes to conscious consumption, the vegan category has grown beyond the realm of food only. This category is dedicated to producers and suppliers who are applying the vegan ethos to their products (and the production of their products) from beginning to end.

You, as the consumer, are encouraged to pick your ultimate eco-warrior in each category and put them forward in the nomination phase. If chosen, they will be one of five finalists in their category going through to the voting stage. Voting will be done by a select panel of judges. Once the finalists have been selected, we will host a Gala Evening where the winner in each category will be announced.

THE PRIZES:

Voters stand the chance to win R10 000 by simply casting their ethical vote.  The winners of each category will, first off, win bragging rights to being the eco-pioneers in their categories, as well as a combined R100 000 worth of exposure to Faithful to Nature’s engaged eco audience. This includes website and blog exposure, social media images and posts, newsletter inclusions and more. Faithful to Nature currently reaches eco audiences across various platforms:

• Facebook: 62,571 Followers
• Twitter: 6 422 Followers
• Instagram: 25 724 Followers
• Website visits: 325 000+ per month
• Newsletter subscribers: 114 382 Subscribers

CAST YOUR NOMINATION OR VOTE: ECOAWARDS.CO.ZA Nominations close 21 September 2018.