Volvo Buses in India announced the commencement of registrations for the fourth edition of Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards 2014. The company is inviting stakeholders from among citizen groups/NGOs, organisations/ consultancies, and institutions among others, to participate in the awards, which aims to reward progressive and practical action in the area of promoting sustainable solutions in urban mobility.
This year the overall prize money has been increased to Rs 1.2 million. This would include Rs 700,000 for the winner, Rs 300,000 for 1st runner-up and, inclusion of new category for 2nd runner up, which will get Rs 200,000. A press release from the company states that the last date to register is August 31, 2014. Interested participants can visit www.volvobuses.co.in to refer to the application guidelines and terms & conditions. Last date for submission of projects is September 20, 2014, the release added.
“The Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards underlines Volvo Buses’ commitment to promote the need for sustainable mobility via collaboration with all stakeholders – an essential for our growing country and its cities. Mobility – its ease or its non-availability – has a significant impact on our quality of life. The participation till date has witnessed some highly passionate organisation and individuals seeking change and we are glad to be able to reach out to them. By rewarding their valuable actions, we not only want to recognise their achievements, but want to showcase them as an inspiration for others – to join in the movement towards a sustainable future.” said, VRV Sriprasad, Managing Director, Volvo Buses in India.
The Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards has been instituted to recognise outstanding efforts in the broad area of sustainability. It also seeks to award practical action and engagement with society in this regard. Over the previous three editions of the awards, the participation levels both in terms of number of submissions as well as quality of projects have risen significantly. In 2013, a total of 51 eligible projects were submitted to the jury for assessment, which included increased number of submissions from among various stakeholders.
An important aspect that has emerged over the past editions is the interpretations and scope of “sustainable mobility”. Projects submitted in the previous years’ address diverse areas such as bus transport, metro and commuter rail services, integration of multiple modes of transportation, urban planning, road planning, promoting non-motorised transport, pedestrian rights to safety and convenience and addressing environmental concerns, besides promoting new technologies to people.
Instituted in 2011, the Volvo Sustainable Mobility Awards have gained momentum with valuable participation from across the nation. Past recipients of the awards include a variety of organisations including Mapunity, EMBARQ India, India Urban Space Foundation, ArriveSAFE, Mumbai Environmental Social Network, Praja, EcoCabs and Ride-A-Cycle Foundation.
