NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Saturday, April 23, 2005

The first biennial Seed Initiative awards to Supporting Entrepreneurs for Environment and Development (Seed) were made in New York on Wednesday during the 13th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. The new sustainable development awards are the outcome of an international competition to find the most promising new locally-driven, entrepreneurial partnerships.
The Initiative is a partnership between IUCN-The World Conservation Union, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), along with the Global Public Policy Institute, and Partnerships Central. It is supported by the governments of Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and the United States, by the UN Global Compact, and by the company Swiss Re.
An environmentally friendly method of growing rice, and a project to cultivate a berry found high in the Himalayas are among the winners. They are joined by a community based marine protected area in the Indian Ocean, an innovative water supply scheme in Bolivia, and a power plant in Nigeria that turns cattle waste into energy.
Story found here.