From a record field of 10 project submissions, the eventual winner was the project team that put together a system for managing the waste generated by Woodside's drilling in Mauritania last year. The country had no established waste management procedures before Woodside's arrival and the company effectively drafted a set of environmental guidelines for the Mauritanian authorities, based on world's best practices.

This year's entrants submitted their projects at the end of February 2002, for projects that took place in the 2001 calendar year.

Submissions were received from all areas of operation; the onshore Karratha gas plant, King Bay supply base, offshore drilling teams and onshore support teams.

Each submission was judged on the basis of 5 main criteria: project planning; creating value; implementation; continuous improvement; and project initiative.

Special merit was given to projects initiated and driven "by the line" and driven by progressive environmental performance improvements (rather than by regulatory compliance).

Five judges were involved in scoring the submissions. Three of the judges were from outside Woodside with two bring from DMPR and one from Dept. of Environmental Protection. This added external objectivity to the judging process, added fresh perspective on the submissions and increased the stature of the award.

Karratha Gas Plant HSE Quality Management System, conducted by the Karratha Technical and Engineering Department

The aim of this project is to implement an integrated management system at the Karratha Gas Plant (KGP) aligned with all relevant international standards.

The primary environmental objective for the implementation of an ISO14001 based management system is to provide assurance that environmental performance of the KGP will systematically improve through use of a continuous improvement mechanism.

Outcomes: Generation of an ongoing Environmental Aspects Register for the KGP; identification of HSE gaps and controls; completion of an Environmental Regulations and Commitments Register; and documentation of support procedures.

WA-271-P Development Exmouth Environment and Community Workshop, conducted by the WA-271-P Business Team

Licence block WA-271-P contains the Vincent and Enfield discoveries. These fields are located in a highly environmentally and socially sensitive area, being some 40 km from the Ningaloo Reef and 20 km from the Ningaloo Marine Park boundary.

The workshop endeavoured to provide an opportunity for WA-271-P Business Team members to develop environmental and social values, which were aligned to business success in the area.

The workshop also introduced Exmouth community leaders to the "human face" of Woodside and helped to demonstrate the commitment Woodside has to developing the values and behaviours of the staff.

Goodwyn Alpha Platform ISO14001 Implementation Project, conducted by the GWA Asset Team

Through the implementation project a large number of platform and support personnel were involved in formalising processes and improving existing systems in order to comply with the requirements of the International Standard for Environmental Management (ISO14001).

Implementation of the environmental management system on Goodwyn Alpha Platform has allowed focus on high-risk areas and will promote the reduction of non-essential tasks through better integration of HSE activities and normal business processes.

Otway Basin Blue Whale Research Project, conducted by the New Ventures Eastern Australian team

Early 2001 saw the exploration of two wells in the offshore Otway Basin, Victoria. The drilling of these wells overlapped with the end of the nearby seasonal Blue whale feeding aggregation in the area.

The New Ventures team began the Blue Whale research project, which used aerial surveys and noise monitoring equipment, to determine the effects man-made noise was having on the Blue whale feeding aggregation.

The nature and scope of the Blue Whale project went beyond regulatory compliance and is a Woodside first in surveying marine fauna.

The understanding and learning from this study benefits the community and has application across the petroleum industry.

North Rankin Alpha Waste Segregation Project, conducted by NRA Eurest and HSE Team

The HSE reps on North Rankin Alpha set out to encouraging recycling and raise awareness by developing and delivering a waste segregation-training package.

The package was tailored to suite offshore personnel and gave a general over-view of different types of bins available on the platform. Both shifts attended and waste cards were created as an awareness tool.

The training aimed to communicate the values of correct segregation, which in turn will minimise the impact to the environment.

Seismic acquisition campaign offshore North West Cape, WA, conducted by the Geophysics Acquisition and associated Asset teams

Permit WA-271-P abuts the boundary of the Ningaloo Marine Park, while the eastern boundaries of permits WA-299-P and WA-300-P are approximately 15 km from this boundary and as close as 7 km in places.

Ningaloo Marine Park protects one of Australia's most important tracts of reef. The area is also known across the world for the annual aggregation of whale sharks near Exmouth, which forms the basis for a large tourism industry in the region.

The objectives of the planning for the 2001/2002 seismic campaign were to design both surveys to acquire good quality seismic data safely and with the minimum potential for environmental impacts to the sensitive environmental values of the region, including Ningaloo Marine Park.

The anticipated outcomes of the project were technically successful seismic surveys that were planned and executed with a high focus on environmental management.

Burrup Village Recycling Program, conducted by Eurest and LNG4 expansion Team

The aim of the Burrup Village Recycling Program is to set the standard for future environmental initiatives at remote construction camp locations.

The initiatives of the Burrup Village Recycling Program are as follows: minimise the environmental impact on the surrounding environment; reduce the amount of recyclable materials from being deposited in landfill (approximately 75%); provide proper facilities for the collection and storage of recyclable materials; reduce the amount of organic waste being deposited at landfill; produce compost and liquid fertiliser for use around the village gardens (vermiculture); and educate village guests about the importance of recycling through promotional material and signage.