The third annual Oxford Climate Awards celebrated the city’s environmental champions at a ceremony held at Oxford Town Hall on Thursday, October 15. The event, hosted by former international rugby referee Nigel Owens, recognized the diverse efforts of individuals, community groups, companies, and councils dedicated to protecting the planet.
The top honor of the evening, the Oxford Climate Awards Overall Winner, was presented to Raff Lab. Based at the University of Oxford’s Dunn School of Pathology, the laboratory also secured the Innovation in Climate Action Award. Over the past decade, the lab has implemented significant changes to its operational sustainability, most notably by overhauling its use of plastic consumables. By shifting to new, circular-economy-focused approaches, the team now manages to reuse or recycle almost all of its lab plastics, resulting in a reduction of waste and an annual cost saving of at least £15,000.
Dr. Saroj Saurya, who accepted the awards on behalf of Raff Lab and was additionally honored as the Climate Action Champion, emphasized the necessity of collective effort. “The community working together is very important; one person cannot do it alone,” she stated, expressing her satisfaction that the public and institutional sectors are increasingly attentive to sustainability initiatives.
Councillor Anna Railton, deputy leader of Oxford City Council, served as a judge for the top prize and highlighted the scalability of the laboratory’s success. “The scalability of it was important,” she said. “We have a lot of labs in Oxford and the work can be replicated very easily.” Beyond waste reduction, the lab’s success was attributed to improvements in freezer energy efficiency and the active promotion of sustainable travel among staff.
The awards ceremony highlighted contributions across 13 distinct categories, spanning from green transport and building design to educational sustainability. Among the individual honorees was 13-year-old Joe Rajapaksha, who took home the Youth Climate Action Champion Award for the second consecutive year.
Reflecting on the urgency of the global climate crisis, Rajapaksha noted, “The planet is getting worse. We need to start recognising climate change and for everyone, ordinary people and politicians, to take action.”
Nigel Owens, who transitioned from the sporting world to farming, echoed the sentiment that climate change is an immediate reality. “There is no doubt that the climate has changed; as a farmer I know that and it is affecting us as much as everybody else,” Owens remarked. “It is important that we highlight those changes, celebrating those who do make the effort to contribute to the fight.”
Andrew Colley, editor of the Oxford Mail and a co-founder of the awards, praised the spirit of the event. “What really struck me was the passion and determination in the room,” he said. “These awards give us the opportunity to shine a spotlight on people whose hard work can sometimes go unseen.”
The complete list of winners for this year includes:
- Youth Climate Action Champion: Joe Rajapaksha
- Biodiversity and Ecology Award: Witney Town Council
- Green Building and Design Award: Harwell Science & Innovation Campus
- Green Transport Award: Zimbl
- Innovation in Climate Action Award: Raff Lab
- Sustainable School of the Year: Magdalen College School
- Retrofit Champion of the Year Award: Nikki Lambert
- Sustainable Further Education/College of the Year: Wadham College
- Sustainable Small Business of the Year: The Village Refill
- Sustainable Medium Business of the Year: Vale and Downland Museum
- Climate Community Group Award: Westmill Energy
- Climate Action Champion: Dr. Saroj Saurya
- Oxford Climate Awards Overall Winner: Raff Lab
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