Winners
The full list of 2011 winners are:
- Ms. Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou, Member of the Greek Parliament
- Dr. Mary Catherine Comerio, Professor of Architecture, University of California, Berkeley
- Blacksmith Institute, a US-based non-profit organisation
- TerraGraphics Environmental Engineering
- Artsen zonder Grenzen (Médecins Sans Frontières)
- Ms. Linda Norgrove (Posthumous Awards
Ms. Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou and Dr. Mary C. Comerio were both honoured for their support and work in reconstruction efforts following environmental emergencies. Ms. Linda Norgrove was also given a posthumous award in honour of her leadership in responding to the environmental challenges facing Afghanistan. Unfortunately, Ms. Norgrove was kidnapped in Afghanistan in October 2010 and passed away during a rescue attempt.
Organisations who were recognized include Blacksmith Institute, an international non-profit organization dedicated to solving health-harming pollution. Terragraphics Environmental Engineering was awarded for promoting environmental clean-up methodologies in developing regions. Artsen Zonder Grenzen was also recognized for its contribution to environmental emergency response efforts.
An international jury of environmental emergency experts selected the winners, based on their work in a variety of domains including international response and capacity-building missions.
“Given the multitude and scale of environmental emergencies the world is experiencing, recognizing those helping to prepare and respond to these catastrophic events is increasingly important. This year’s class of Green Star winners demonstrates the depth of efforts being taken worldwide.” – Alexander Likhotal, President of Green Cross International.
Green Star Awards is a collaborative initiative between the United Nations Environment Programme (UN Environment), the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Green Cross International. The purpose of the Green Star Awards (GSA) event is to recognize outstanding individuals or organisations that have made remarkable efforts to prevent, prepare for, and respond to environmental emergencies – as well as to integrate environment with humanitarian action across the world.
