And The Winner Is …

The Ashden Awards, presented each year to deserving projects that can benefit local communities and also be expanded to boost sustainable development in the UK and the developing world, were announced at a special ceremony in London yesterday. The keynote speaker was Al Gore.

The winners in the five international categories were: China’s Beijing Shenzhou Daxu Bio-Energy Technology Company Ltd for enterprise; India’s Biotech for food security; Laos’s Sunlabob Renewable Energies Ltd for light and power; Bangladesh’s Shidhulai Swanirvar Sangstha for education; and Tanzania’s Zara Solar Ltd for Africa.
Each received a cash prize of US$60,000

The Chinese project was a stove designed to exploit crop waste, while those from Laos and Tanzania are systems for creating affordable solar power. The Bangladeshi entry was a design for a solar energy boat. Particularly interesting was the Indian project to turn waste food into cooking gas.

‘Our winners show how sustainable energy can improve health, education and livelihoods and at the same time reduce carbon emissions,’ said Sarah Butler-Sloss, the leader of the judging panel.

‘If these technologies were expanded and replicated on a large scale, they would play a significant role in helping us to tackle climate change and poverty. What we need now is the political will to scale up and roll out these solutions.’

The Ashden Awards were founded in 2001 by the Ashden Trust, one of the Sainsbury family charitable trusts.

Source:
Ashden Awards
www.ashdenawards.org