The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment has today presented the awards of the “III Edition of the Responsible Beach Bars Awards“, a program that seeks to promote, among citizens and the business sector, the dissemination of good environmental practices for the improvement and conservation of the coastline in Spain. 
 
The Secretary of State for the Environment, Federico Ramos, presided over the awards ceremony, accompanied by the Director General of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea, Pablo Saavedra; by the director of the Biodiversity Foundation, Sonia Castañeda; and by Peio Arbeloa, deputy general commercial manager of Mahou San Miguel, a company that has collaborated in this edition of the Awards.
 
Ramos explained that “the objective of the awards is to recognize the best environmental initiatives that have been developed by beachfront hospitality establishments to improve the relationship with the environment and biodiversity”. To be able to compete, they must have previously signed the Decalogue of Good Environmental Practices for Beach Bars, to which 640 establishments have already adhered.
 
For this year’s edition, 76 beach establishments have been presented, of which three have been the winners. The first prize went to the “Es Dolç” beach bar in Mallorca; the second in the “Bonavida” establishment in Alicante; and the third prize in “Il Soño” in Cádiz. The amount of the first, second and third prizes has been 3,000, 2,500 and 1,500 euros respectively. Among the initiatives developed by these establishments are the selective collection of waste and oils; the installation of solar panels, wind turbines and double-flush cisterns; the reuse of furniture or the promotion of recycling
 
In addition, the jury of the Awards, which met on October 13, decided to award two special mentions to the beach bars “Cala Agulla”, in Mallorca, and “La Guingueta de l’Escribà”, in Barcelona. The Jury, in addition to the initiatives developed, has taken into account their environmental awareness, integration into the environment, sustainable construction criteria or the promotion of the consumption of organic and local products.

Images of the awards ceremony