The Greening Award Initiative

The European coast guard community plays a key role in supporting the ambitious goals of the European Green Deal. Every day, coast guards and authorities deal with the greatest environment on earth, and its marine ecosystems and biodiversity.

Individually and collectively, they help to address the challenge of climate change.

The Greening Award Initiative is for all authorities who have implemented environmental activities in their daily mission, work, and campaigns and who, through their individual actions, embody the spirit of the European Green Deal.

The initiative aims to celebrate the sustainability actions that are carried out and developed across more than 300 authorities that make up the European Coast Guard community. It recognises projects and activities developed by authorities carrying out Coast Guard Functions which empower a green transition, contribute to a more sustainable future, and which directly or indirectly support the goals of the European Green Deal.

Announced in the framework of the Annual European Coast Guard Event held in Lisbon in 2023, the Greening Award Initiative is open to any entity or institution executing Coast Guard Functions within the European Union, Norway, and Iceland.

The Greening Award Initiative is jointly organised by the three European agencies tasked with supporting national authorities carrying out Coast Guard Functions: the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA), the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (Frontex).

Award categories

The Greening Award Initiative has three different categories: Greening Operations, Outreach and Awareness, and Greening at Work.

Greening Operations: this category encompasses operational actions and projects that have led to an improved environmental footprint. Actions and projects that have engaged and involved communities internal and external to the submitting organisation are covered by this category, as are collaborative actions which may involve knowledge transfer inside or outside the organisation.

Outreach and awareness raising: this category showcases the public-facing activities that authorities engaged in Coast Guard Functions and have activated on sustainability themes. Public campaigns, open days, events, etc., are all covered by this category.

Greening at work: this category focuses on the practical application of sustainability in the workplace. It can include individual actions (for example, banning single use plastics, offsetting emissions) or larger-scale projects (for example, Eco-Management and Audit Scheme –EMAS registration for an organisation).

How to enter

Entries can be submitted through the Greening Award Initiative entry form before 31 March 2024. For more information on the Awards, the Rules, and the application process, please consult the Greening Award Initiative web page on the European cooperation on coast guard functions portal.

The Awards

The Awards will be presented at a special ceremony during the Annual European Coast Guard Event 2024, organised by the European Fisheries Control Agency.