Why you should enter the Green Trust Awards

February/March 1998

How the Awards are making a difference
"The Green Trust Environment Awards were established in 1990 by WWF-SA to create awareness of environmental efforts and inspire higher environmental action - and this is a goal they are achieving with more success each year," says Dr John Ledger, Director of the Endangered Wildlife Trust and Chairman of the judging panel. "I can say with confidence that in themselves they now go as far as to encourage individuals and groups (schools in particular) to initiate conservation projects. They also play a vital role in ensuring that successful projects are written up - the benefit of this being that others can learn from and emulate them. Particularly among the youth, the Awards engender tremendous participation over a wide spectrum of people, and we receive entries from the country's most elite schools, right through to the smallest, poorly-equipped farm schools.

"Another way the Awards are making a difference is in the standard of the projects, which improves every year. And while this improvement reflects a general trend to increase environmental awareness and a national concern for environmental management, it is certainly also due to greater awareness of previous entries into the Awards. The Awards call on corporations to exceed our expectations of them in terms of environmental responsibility and really go the extra mile, and also encourage world-class reports on their projects."

Dr Ian McDonald, Chief Executive of WWF-South Africa and chairman of the Green Trust Board of Directors, added that the Awards are playing an important role in subjecting the entrants to peer review. "They put each entrant one-on-one with every other person in the game, which helps them to see where they are on track and where they can learn from other projects."

How the winners benefit
Together with their unquestionable contribution to the environment, the Awards also offer benefits to the winners. "There is a lot to be said for reinforcement from a reputable third party that you're on the right line," says McDonald. "A Green Trust Environment Award serves as one further piece of information the project proponents can use when approaching decision-makers and donors in their efforts to solicit support. It serves as a resounding vote of confidence from a panel of experts, and gives the project enormous credibility. The element of reward for the participants is just as important. These are rewards for work well done in a field where too much is being taken for granted."

The Department of Water Affairs and Forestry's "Working for Water" programme - the objective of which is to eradicate alien plants - is one example of a project that has gone from strength to strength since receiving the Green Trust Conservation Project Award in '96. "The Award has been worth its weight in gold, especially in helping us to obtain international funding," says Dr Guy Preston, Programme Leader and Specialist Advisor to Minister Kader Asmal. "This is the country's premier conservation award, and offers a significant endorsement from what is probably the world's leading conservation NGO (the WWF). Winning the Award has given us tremendous recognition from our peers and has played a vital role in convincing donors that we're on track. With the prize money we produced certificates which have since been awarded to every person who has helped to make the programme the success it is. This acknowledgement alone has given them a greater sense of ownership of the project along with renewed commitment."

Steve Camp, manager of the External Education Services division of Umgeni Water - winner of the '96 Water Conservation Award - agreed that the benefits of a Green Trust Environment Award are significant. "Winning this prestigious award has raised our profile as an organisation and a division both nationally and internationally. It has impressed overseas companies and inspired confidence in our efforts and expertise. It has been included as an endorsement in funding proposals to canvas greater support for education and the cash prize itself was put back into the education programme. It has helped us to generate publicity for the organisation and its efforts, and internally it has certainly boosted morale and recognised the division for its efforts."

Catering for a wide spectrum of entries
The seven different Awards categories enable a wide spectrum of entries and cover a range of areas in conservation. To balance entrants with access to unlimited resources with those with meagre resources, the projects are weighed on initiative and the creative use of local material. For the Schools Environment Project Award, for example, the level of pupil participation and the degree of involvement and assistance from the teachers are taken into consideration.

These prestigious Awards not only encourage, reward and offer national acclaim to individuals and groups involved in environmental conservation programmes, but the winners and finalists with their commendable success stories also inspire individuals and groups to higher environmental awareness and action.

Call for entries
The Trust is now calling for entries or nominations for the eighth annual Green Trust Environment Awards, and with a large base of contenders, once again the finalists and winners will represent the highest level of conservation excellence in the region.

Eligibility
Any individual, corporation, organisation, school, committee or community - in fact any person or group - involved in exemplary environmental conservation programmes in South Africa - at least partially in the past year - is eligible to enter or be nominated for the Awards.

Last year's winners

• The Sam Mabe Media Award was won by Tony Carnie of The Mercury for a variety of issues covered in a direct and informed manner.
• The Individual Award went to Dr Gerhard Verdoorn of the Endangered Wildlife Trust for his exceptional contribution to the conservation of vultures and raptors.
• The Keith Kirsten Greening Award was awarded to the Environmental Group of Pick'n Pay's Brakenfell Hyper for its committed and vigorous community-oriented environmental projects.
• The Green Trust Conservation Project Award went to the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry's "Working for Water" programme, the objective of which is to eradicate invading alien plants.
• The Schools Environmental Project Award was received by Westville Primary School of Mitchell's Plain for its anti-litter, greening and water conservation projects initiated by an active Environment Club.
• The Corporate Award was bestowed on Shell South Africa for its significant contribution to innovative resources for Environmental Education.
• The Water Conservation Award, introduced for the first time last year, was won by Umgeni Water's External Education Services Unit for its innovative education programme.

About The Green Trust
The Green Trust is a subsidiary of the WWF (World Wide Fund For Nature, South Africa) and completely funded by a unique association with Nedbank's clients' use of green affinity banking products i.e. cheque accounts, savings and credit card accounts. It was established in October 1990 to identify, fund and support practical and sustainable conservation projects in South Africa, and has proved a resounding success, having allocated over R14 million to almost 100 worthy conservation projects since its inception.

The Trust aims to protect natural systems, ecological processes and the unique biological diversity of our region. And with its primary focus on community-based conservation projects, it encourages the direct involvement of local people in conservation activities, primarily among disadvantaged groups. Through this focus the Trust has become a leader in linking people with conservation throughout South Africa.

How to enter
To obtain your entry / nomination form please contact Sudley Adams on Tel: (011) 884-9860 or Fax: (011) 884-9811.
Final submissions are due in by 28 February 1998.

Categories and awards
The winners will be chosen from praiseworthy success stories covering a range of seven categories in conservation. These are:

• The Sam Mabe Media Award
  For excellence in environmental reporting.
  R10 000 cash sponsored by Times Media Ltd.
• Keith Kirsten Greening Award
  For the most innovative and effective tree planting or greening project.
  R10 000 worth of green goods from Keith Kirsten.
• Individual Award
  For personal commitment to environmental action.
  R10 000 cash sponsored by The South African Breweries (Beer Division).
• The Green Trust Conservation Project Award
  For the most catalytic, sustainable and exemplary conservation project.
  R10 000 cash for project support sponsored by The Green Trust.
• Schools Environmental Project Award
  For the best environmental project by school children of any age.
  R10 000 cash awarded by Total South Africa.
• Corporate Award
  For the most innovative and effective corporate contribution to conservation and the environment.
  R10 000 cash sponsored by The Green Trust.
• Water Conservation Award
  For the most original and effective water conservation project.
  R10 000 cash sponsored by the National Water Conservation Campaign, Department of Water Affairs and Forestry.

February/March 1998

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