Our sister organization, the Potential Enhancement Foundation (PEF), was 1 of 3 organizations nominated in September for the Energy Globe World Award in the Youth Category for their Educating Through Technology program. PEF was also among 24 organizations known for using cutting-edge technology to solve major environmental issues impacting our world. All nominees were given an all-expense-paid trip to Finland for the Energy Globe World Award Ceremony in Espoo, Finland on November 12 and 13.
Austrian energy pioneer Wolfgang Neumann founded the Energy Globe Award in 1999. It has now become known as one of the highest environmental awards given to an organization for its efforts. The Award Ceremony itself is responsible for spreading awareness of sustainable projects with missions to protect and conserve existing resources on our planet and/or to find creative ways to utilize renewable energy towards this same goal. This year’s ceremony was live-streamed globally and covered by international media. Nominees are distinguished in five categories of impact: Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Youth. The winners in each category also divided a prize pool of $10,000 euros.
This year’s 20th Energy Globe World Award Ceremony began with the Energy Globe Days Conferences on November 12-13th, which included two days of talks given by both nominees and international professionals who have dedicated their lives to environmental causes. After an opening by Prof. Taina Tukiainen, Day 1 included presentations on Sustainable Solutions to Fight Climate Change; Communication for Sustainable Acting; and Water as the Base of Life. Day 2 consisted of presentations on Waste and Sustainable Usage; Energy, Access and Sustainable Usage; and Circular Economies.
Eng. Albin Mathias Fiita, Executive Director of PEF, gave his presentation on Day 1 along with other projects that establish Communication for Sustainable Acting. The talk included highlights of both PEF’s mission to bring sustainable solutions to remote areas of Tanzania, Africa by installing SPARC (Solar Powered Access to Raspberry Computing) labs in schools lacking vital resources.
“It was a wonderful experience to be at the Energy Globe Award Days,” Eng. Albin Mathias Fiita said after the ceremony concluded. “Although we did not win the trophy, being one of the finalists and attending the Energy Globe Days was a great experience for me and PEF. In the two days of Final Project Presentations, I was able to learn a lot from global sustainable projects presented by fellow finalists from different organizations around the world. The Swahili proverb says “Mkaa Bure si sawa na Mtembea Bure,” meaning that those who travel will always learn new things. I believe our Educating Through Technology program fits well for creating sustainable communities as the program empowers youth through access to quality education by providing technology infrastructure and training to the community, which otherwise would have been impossible. Maneka Gandhi, the chair of the Jury, along with others loved our project for the same reason. I believe this is a good start. I’m looking forward to more!”
The Awards Presentation Ceremony began after all presentations concluded, bringing together an outstanding array of global talent in various innovative industries. Maneka Gandhi, the Former Indian Minister and Chairwoman of the International Jury gave her greetings to the audience. Next, each category was announced with the nominees taking their place on stage to receive a ceremonial plaque and recognition for their extraordinary efforts to make the world a better, cleaner place. PEF shared the stage for the Youth Category with two other nominees, UWICER for its Himalayan Environmental Rhythms Observation and Evaluation System (HEROES) project in Bhutan and the Moldovan Environmental Governance Academy (MEGA) for its MEGA Game project.
The winners of the 2019 Energy Globe World Award are as follows: Bioestibas SAS, Columbia (Earth), Go-Ahead London, UK (Fire), NGO Dar Si Hmad for Development, Education & Culture, Morocco (Water), Hubert Palfinger Technologies GmbH, Austria (Air), a group of Finnish Companies: Fortum, ST1, Neste, HSY, Finland (Air), Moldovan Environmental Governance Academy (MEGA), Moldova (Youth). A complete list of winners and nominees can be found here.
The efforts of PEF, which are supported by Powering Potential, are possible because of generous readers like you. We encourage you to make this cause your chosen charity for the holiday season of 2019 and help us continue giving the gift of technology education to schools lacking vital resources. To donate, visit here.