Nusa Dua, Bali, Feb. 23, 2010 (ANTARA) - Green stove and clean lighting
projects serving remote communities in Latin America, Africa and India
have won the 2009-10 UNEP Sasakawa Prize.
"Through pioneering green ovens and sustainable lighting, Nuru Design and Trees, Water and People are changing the lives of thousands of school children, housewives, and villagers across Latin America, Africa and India. This is the Green Economy of tomorrow, in action today," United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner, said here on Tuesday.
Combating climate change was not just up to governments, it started at the grassroots level, as communities tapped into the power of renewable and sustainable technologies, he said.
This year`s winners are Nuru Design, a company bringing rechargeable lights to villages in Rwanda, Kenya and India; and Trees, Water and People (TWP), an organization that collaborates with local NGOs to distribute fuel-efficient cooking stoves to communities in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Haiti.
Prof. Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Kenya and one of the jurors of the Sasakawa Prize, told the press that the two projects won the prize because they could improve the livelihoods of people and at the same time save the environment.
"The prize is to encourage them to continue doing what they are doing and even upscale their work," Maathai, concurrently UN Messenger of Peace, said.
The green stoves and clean lighting are applicable at the grass root level, replicable and inexpensive, in turn they could address the issue of poverty, she said.
At a ceremony attended by UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner and Nippon Foundation President Takeju Ogata, the prize was presented to Sameer Hajee representing Nuru Design and Stuart Conway representing Trees, Water and People. Each winner received a cheque for US$100,000.
The UNEP Sasakawa Prize is awarded annually to individuals or institutions that have made a substantial contribution to the conservation and management of the environment.
The theme for the 2009-10 award was `Green Solution to Combat Climate Change" which addresses two major themes of UNEP work, namely Climate Change and the Green Economy Initiative.
(T.f001/A/HAJM/19:05/H-YH)
(T.F001/A/F001/A/H-YH) 23-02-2010 19:19:36
"Through pioneering green ovens and sustainable lighting, Nuru Design and Trees, Water and People are changing the lives of thousands of school children, housewives, and villagers across Latin America, Africa and India. This is the Green Economy of tomorrow, in action today," United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) Executive Director Achim Steiner, said here on Tuesday.
Combating climate change was not just up to governments, it started at the grassroots level, as communities tapped into the power of renewable and sustainable technologies, he said.
This year`s winners are Nuru Design, a company bringing rechargeable lights to villages in Rwanda, Kenya and India; and Trees, Water and People (TWP), an organization that collaborates with local NGOs to distribute fuel-efficient cooking stoves to communities in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Haiti.
Prof. Wangari Maathai, the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize laureate from Kenya and one of the jurors of the Sasakawa Prize, told the press that the two projects won the prize because they could improve the livelihoods of people and at the same time save the environment.
"The prize is to encourage them to continue doing what they are doing and even upscale their work," Maathai, concurrently UN Messenger of Peace, said.
The green stoves and clean lighting are applicable at the grass root level, replicable and inexpensive, in turn they could address the issue of poverty, she said.
At a ceremony attended by UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner and Nippon Foundation President Takeju Ogata, the prize was presented to Sameer Hajee representing Nuru Design and Stuart Conway representing Trees, Water and People. Each winner received a cheque for US$100,000.
The UNEP Sasakawa Prize is awarded annually to individuals or institutions that have made a substantial contribution to the conservation and management of the environment.
The theme for the 2009-10 award was `Green Solution to Combat Climate Change" which addresses two major themes of UNEP work, namely Climate Change and the Green Economy Initiative.
(T.f001/A/HAJM/19:05/H-YH)
(T.F001/A/F001/A/H-YH) 23-02-2010 19:19:36
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