UNEP Sasakawa Prize for Innovative Green Project

Deadline: 30/09/2010
Prize:
US $200,000
Theme: “Forests for People, Forests for Green Growth”

The UNEP Sasakawa Prize is awarded every year to a grassroots organisation judged to have made an outstanding contribution to the protection and management of the environment, and to social development. The theme for this year’s prize is “Forests for People, Forests for Green Growth” in support of the United Nations International Year of Forests in 2011.

Of particular interest to this year’s jury will be projects that:

* Promote the conservation and sustainable management of forests
* Contribute to a meaningful reduction in carbon emissions caused by deforestation or forest degradation
* Maintain forest ecosystems to improve resilience to climate change
* Support development among forest-dependent communities
* Conserve biodiversity and help protect ecosystems in forests

The UNEP Sasakawa Prize is designed to nurture innovation and research in green solutions to environmental challenges by offering financial support to the winner. The jury is especially interested in sustainable projects that can be scaled up or replicated elsewhere, thus helping to inspire others to take a greater interest in protecting our environment and to increase its scope of beneficiary, especially in the under-served rural communities.

By helping these entrepreneurs scale-up their activities, the prize is able to boost local economies and help tackle poverty and marginalization, while promoting the sustainable use of resources and ecosystems.

The winner of the 2011 UNEP Sasakawa Prize will receive the prestigious award at a special ceremony to be held at the meeting of the UNEP Governing Council from 21 – 25 February 2011 in Nairobi, Kenya.

First awarded in 1984, the UNEP Sasakawa Prize has helped nurture a wide range of grassroots environmental initiatives across the world, spurring fledgling projects onto great success.

One of the recipients of last year’s Prize was Nuru Design; a project that brings innovative lighting solutions to rural communities in Rwanda, Kenya and India. By replacing kerosene and firewood lamps with solar-powered lights, Nuru Design not only helps reduce the high levels of CO2 produced by traditional lamps, but also tackled the health and literacy problems caused by a lack of access to affordable lighting. Thanks to Nuru Design’s efforts, over 3,000 households in Rwanda are switching from kerosene to Nuru lights every month.

It is this kind of innovative, inspirational project that the UNEP Sasakawa judges hope to reward in 2011.

Nominations will be accepted until 30 September 2010 via the UNEP Sasakawa Prize website.

All correspondence regarding the UNEP Sasakawa Prize should be addressed to:

The Secretariat
UNEP Sasakawa Prize
United Nations Environment Programme
Division of Communications and Public Information
P.O. Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya
Tel: (254 20) 762 3401 or 762 3128
Fax: (254 20) 762 3692 or 762 3927
E-mail: sasakawaprize@unep.org

One thought on “UNEP Sasakawa Prize for Innovative Green Project

  1. The UNEP Sasakawa Prize acts as an incentive for environmental efforts that are sustainable and replicable in the long-term. It recognizes innovation, groundbreaking research and ideas, and extraordinary grassroots initiatives from around the world.

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