• Winner: Paris Velib
• Second: Wilderness Scotland
• Third: Under the Thatch
This year our Ethical award goes to Paris Velib (www.velib.paris.fr), the self-service bike-hire scheme launched in July 2007. Its brilliance is in its simplicity. For a small fee you pick up a chic grey bike from one of the ubiquitous stands around the city, cycle to your destination and drop it off at another stand. The sceptics said it would never work, but Velib has been a huge success. In the space of a year the number of bikes available has doubled to 20,000, with 1,450 terminals or one every 300 metres, making it the largest initiative of its kind in the world. The judges praised the scheme for encouraging green, healthy and cheap travel. It's estimated that Velib has saved 10 million km in car trips. The judges also wanted to recognise Velib for inspiring other cities to do the same. London was all set to introduce its own bike hire scheme under Ken Livingstone. Come on, Boris!
Wilderness Scotland (www.wilderness-scotland.com), an adventure and eco-tourism company specialising in small group holidays on foot, bike, kayak and canoe, was runner-up. The judges were impressed by the company's expertise, enthusiasm and dedication to sustainable tourism. It focuses on areas where tourism will bring economic and environmental benefits. It has also teamed with Trees for Life, a project working to restore 600 square miles of native Caledonian forest.
In third position is Under the Thatch (www.underthethatch.co.uk), a collection of gorgeous places to stay in Wales, not just traditional cottages but also yurts, old railway carriages, cabins and even a Romany caravan. The company, run by architectural historian Greg Stevenson, was our Ethical award winner last year, but the judges felt it deserved recognition a second year running for its continued development and innovation. In the past year, Greg has doubled the number of properties available, and added his first four in France, all of which have been renovated according to strict environmental criteria. As one former guest puts it: 'Looking at this website is like opening a box of chocolates and not knowing which to pick.'
Judges: Isabel Choat, travel editor, the Guardian; Joanne O'Connor, travel editor, The Observer; Richard Hammond, eco-travel correspondent
