UNIS/INF/33
24 November 2004
Winners of International Energy Globe Award 2004 Announced
VIENNA, 24 November (UN Information Service) -- This year, the winners of the International Energy Globe Award 2004 come from Brazil, China, Germany, Pakistan, and the United Arab Emirates. An innovative idea from Switzerland will also be presented with a special Energy Globe Award. The winning projects were showcased at a press briefing in Vienna on Tuesday, 23 November, with Globe initiator Wolfgang Neumann and the President of the Austrian Economic Chamber and of Euro-Chambers, Christoph Leitl. “This worldwide competition of best environmental technologies motivates the further implementation of good ideas and further innovations”, said Mr. Leitl.
The winners will formally be presented the awards on 27 April 2005 during the EXPO 05 -- the World Exhibition in Aichi, Japan, which is dedicated to the topic “Wisdom of Nature” and will run from March to September 2005.
The award themes are based on the elements that make up the earth. The winner in the category "earth" is a project from Brasilia, that provides ecological and healthy housing to the poor. In the category "fire", the German company Solitem Ltd. was chosen for its new generation of solar collectors, which produce cool air from heat for air-conditioning systems in a hotel complex in Turkey. Shanghai won in the category "water" for revitalising the dead Souzhou river. In the category “air”, Pakistan’s Escort Foundation won for constructing a new energy-efficient stove which makes cooking for women much easier. An organization from the United Arab Emirates won in the category "youth” with a project that strengthens environmental awareness and elaborated 50 simple ways to help the environment of Abu Dhabi. A special Energy Globe Award went to a project from Switzerland that provides clean drinking water to millions of people. More project details are available at www.energyglobe.info.
The winning projects which were selected by an international jury supported by the United Nations Information Service, Vienna, will be presented in a TV documentary this evening on ORF-Channel 2. The documentary will also be broadcast internationally.
"There are many outstanding projects and initiatives in the world that use renewables and have found excellent ways to use our resources with care”, said Mr. Neumann at the press briefing. “It was my aim from the very beginning, to present such projects to the public and motivate more people to follow these examples. Therefore, I initiated the Energy Globe five years ago”. More than 600 environmental projects participated in this year’s Energy Globe Competition. Projects for the Energy Globe Competition 2005 can be submitted latest by 30 June, 2005.
For more information:
Cornelia Kirchweger
GEG Werbung GmbH
phone: +43(0)7612/ 66663-14
fax: +43(0)7612/66663-33
email: mediaservice@energyglobe.info
