Results of the WASH Media Awards 2010
WASH Media Awards 2010
Please see video here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjc-a3-aO2M
ends
Friday, September 10, 2010
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden presented a prestigious prize to a project on biodegradation of Polystyrene
Canadian Teenagers Alexandre Allard and Danny Luong Wins 2010 Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Stockholm (2010-09-07) – The 14th annual international competition for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize concluded this evening. The winners, Alexandre Allard and Danny Luong from Canada were handed the prize by H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at a ceremony at the World Water Week in Stockholm. Their research on biodegradation of the plastic Polystyrene won them the prize.
Photos, video and press kit available at: http://www.worldwaterweek.org/media
“Every year more and more chemical debris is introduced in the environment and water bodies around the world. Research has shown these chemicals can release toxics into the water, they can be harmful for the environment, and deadly to life in water. Much of the debris in the world’s waterways are plastics which is used for fast food containers, disposable cups, and packing material for example. To date, there is no natural solution to safely take care of these harmful plastics. The winning project created a novel approach to break-down these plastics using micro-organisms and enzymes that are cost effective, and readily available. This method could greatly reduce the amount of plastics that end up in the world’s waters,” said the International Jury in its citation.
“Expanded Polystyrine (EPS) is a great threat to the environment since it contributes to the spread of toxins such as styrene and bisphenol A into our waters. We hope that our method will be widely used and consequently increase the water quality in the world,” said the winners after receiving the prize.
The international Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition brings together the world’s brightest young scientists to encourage their continued interest in water and the environment. Each year, thousands of participants in over 30 countries join national competitions for the chance to represent their nation at the international final held during the World Water Week in Stockholm, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The international winner receives a USD 5,000 award and a prize sculpture. As a result of the competitions, thousands of young people around the world become interested in water.
“We believe the Stockholm Junior Water Prize has the power to transform our industry by engaging students—the next generation of water leaders —to address critical water issues,” said Gretchen McClain, president of ITT’s Fluid and Motion Control group. “As water pollution and scarcity continue to threaten areas around the globe, the innovative research that this competition generates year after year gives us confidence that we can rise above future global water challenges.”
Excellence Diploma to China
A Diploma of Excellence was given to Ms. Yingxin Li, Mr. Zhaonan Yang and Ms. Wanling Chen from China for their project “Novel Soil Remedation Technology for South China”
The international Jury said “their project neatly addresses the theme of this year’s World Water Week: The water quality challenge. The team of extremely enthusiastic and dedicated students worked both in the field and in the laboratory for a long time. Their effort resulted in an exceptional report dealing with several crucial water quality-related problems including fertiliser loss, recycling of waste, and the improvement of soil fertility. The technique developed by the students holds great promise to help solve some of today’s most pressing problems within the agricultural sector.”
PRESS INFORMATION
For more information and interview requests, contact:
Ms. Britt-Louise Andersson, SIWI, +46 8 522 139 72, britt-louise.andersson@siwi.org
Ms. Anna Norén, SIWI, +46 76 129 26 90, anna.noren@siwi.org
About the Stockholm Junior Water Prize
The competition is open to young people between 15-20 years of age, who have conducted water-related projects focusing on local, regional, national or global topics of environmental, scientific, social or technological importance. As a result of the competitions, thousands of young people around the world develop personal interests, undertake academic study, and often pursue careers in the water or environmental fields. H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is the Patron of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. The winner receives an award of USD 5,000 and a handmade blue crystal sculpture. The Stockholm International Water Institute administers the competition, which is sponsored globally by ITT Corporation. The official suppliers for the competition are Infobahn, Halebop, Hertz, People Travel Group and Trosa Tryckeri. http://www.siwi.org/stockholmjuniorwaterprize
About the World Water Week in Stockholm
The World Water Week in Stockholm is the annual meeting place for the planet’s most urgent water-related issues. Organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), it brings together 2500 experts, practitioners, decision makers and business innovators from around the globe to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions. www.worldwaterweek.org
About Stockholm International Water Institute
The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a policy institute that contributes to international efforts to combat the world's escalating water crisis. SIWI develops and promotes future-oriented and knowledge–integrated policies, towards sustainable use of the world’s water resources leading to sustainable development and poverty eradication. www.siwi.org
Canadian Teenagers Alexandre Allard and Danny Luong Wins 2010 Stockholm Junior Water Prize
Stockholm (2010-09-07) – The 14th annual international competition for the Stockholm Junior Water Prize concluded this evening. The winners, Alexandre Allard and Danny Luong from Canada were handed the prize by H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden at a ceremony at the World Water Week in Stockholm. Their research on biodegradation of the plastic Polystyrene won them the prize.
Photos, video and press kit available at: http://www.worldwaterweek.org/media
“Every year more and more chemical debris is introduced in the environment and water bodies around the world. Research has shown these chemicals can release toxics into the water, they can be harmful for the environment, and deadly to life in water. Much of the debris in the world’s waterways are plastics which is used for fast food containers, disposable cups, and packing material for example. To date, there is no natural solution to safely take care of these harmful plastics. The winning project created a novel approach to break-down these plastics using micro-organisms and enzymes that are cost effective, and readily available. This method could greatly reduce the amount of plastics that end up in the world’s waters,” said the International Jury in its citation.
“Expanded Polystyrine (EPS) is a great threat to the environment since it contributes to the spread of toxins such as styrene and bisphenol A into our waters. We hope that our method will be widely used and consequently increase the water quality in the world,” said the winners after receiving the prize.
The international Stockholm Junior Water Prize competition brings together the world’s brightest young scientists to encourage their continued interest in water and the environment. Each year, thousands of participants in over 30 countries join national competitions for the chance to represent their nation at the international final held during the World Water Week in Stockholm, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The international winner receives a USD 5,000 award and a prize sculpture. As a result of the competitions, thousands of young people around the world become interested in water.
“We believe the Stockholm Junior Water Prize has the power to transform our industry by engaging students—the next generation of water leaders —to address critical water issues,” said Gretchen McClain, president of ITT’s Fluid and Motion Control group. “As water pollution and scarcity continue to threaten areas around the globe, the innovative research that this competition generates year after year gives us confidence that we can rise above future global water challenges.”
Excellence Diploma to China
A Diploma of Excellence was given to Ms. Yingxin Li, Mr. Zhaonan Yang and Ms. Wanling Chen from China for their project “Novel Soil Remedation Technology for South China”
The international Jury said “their project neatly addresses the theme of this year’s World Water Week: The water quality challenge. The team of extremely enthusiastic and dedicated students worked both in the field and in the laboratory for a long time. Their effort resulted in an exceptional report dealing with several crucial water quality-related problems including fertiliser loss, recycling of waste, and the improvement of soil fertility. The technique developed by the students holds great promise to help solve some of today’s most pressing problems within the agricultural sector.”
PRESS INFORMATION
For more information and interview requests, contact:
Ms. Britt-Louise Andersson, SIWI, +46 8 522 139 72, britt-louise.andersson@siwi.org
Ms. Anna Norén, SIWI, +46 76 129 26 90, anna.noren@siwi.org
About the Stockholm Junior Water Prize
The competition is open to young people between 15-20 years of age, who have conducted water-related projects focusing on local, regional, national or global topics of environmental, scientific, social or technological importance. As a result of the competitions, thousands of young people around the world develop personal interests, undertake academic study, and often pursue careers in the water or environmental fields. H.R.H. Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden is the Patron of the Stockholm Junior Water Prize. The winner receives an award of USD 5,000 and a handmade blue crystal sculpture. The Stockholm International Water Institute administers the competition, which is sponsored globally by ITT Corporation. The official suppliers for the competition are Infobahn, Halebop, Hertz, People Travel Group and Trosa Tryckeri. http://www.siwi.org/stockholmjuniorwaterprize
About the World Water Week in Stockholm
The World Water Week in Stockholm is the annual meeting place for the planet’s most urgent water-related issues. Organised by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), it brings together 2500 experts, practitioners, decision makers and business innovators from around the globe to exchange ideas, foster new thinking and develop solutions. www.worldwaterweek.org
About Stockholm International Water Institute
The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a policy institute that contributes to international efforts to combat the world's escalating water crisis. SIWI develops and promotes future-oriented and knowledge–integrated policies, towards sustainable use of the world’s water resources leading to sustainable development and poverty eradication. www.siwi.org
World Water Week opens in Stockholm
By Mohammad Ghazal
STOCKHOLM - Water experts from across the globe convened in Stockholm Monday at the opening session of the World Water Week 2010 with calls for addressing “pressing” global water issues and ensuring clean water access and safe sanitation to people.
Over 2,500 leading experts, practitioners, decision makers and business innovators from over 130 countries along with 200 organisations are participating in the event taking place at the Stockholm International Fairs premises.
During the event, held under the theme: “Responding to Global Changes: The Water Quality Challenge”, participants will look into a number of issues, including food security, climate change, the right to water access and sanitation, urbanisation, water governance, and the strategic water concerns of businesses.
Anders Berntell, executive director of the Stockholm International Water Institute which organises the meeting annually, said in his opening address that water quality will be the main topic to be discussed in addition to other related issues.
Stressing the high importance of preserving the adequate quality of water and ensuring adequate sanitation and personal hygiene, Berntell said: “Bad water kills more people than malaria, AIDS and wars combined.”
“In 2009, over 50 countries still reported cholera to the World Health Organisation (WHO), something we will hear more about later. Two-hundred million people are infected with schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia. Every year 1.8 million people die from diarrhoeal disease attributable to unsafe water or poor sanitation and hygiene, mostly children under five,” he added.
According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, freshwater ecosystems have degraded more than any other ecosystem, including tropical rainforests. Several studies indicate that more than 40 per cent of fish species and amphibians are threatened with extinction, he said.
“Polluted freshwater ends up in the oceans, causing serious damage to many coastal areas and fisheries, thereby constituting a major challenge to ocean and coastal resource management,” he said.
In her speech at the opening session, Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson said: “A great deal has happened since World Water Week was launched 20 years ago.”
“Today, almost two billion more people have access to safe drinking water compared with 20 years ago, and around 1.5 billion more people have access to sanitation. The provision of safe water has actually outperformed global population growth and given more than eight million people, roughly the population of Sweden, access to safe water every month - for 20 years!” she said.
In seminars held during the day, experts underlined the importance of addressing global water challenges, including water scarcity, pollution and equity, with calls for focusing on providing people with access to sanitation and clean water, a matter they said reflects positively on the overall development of each country.
“Lack of sanitation has a cost on the country’s gross domestic product as due to lack of sanitation in a certain country, this country will lose in being able to attract tourists and in spending more on health. Not having sanitation has also an impact on the environment and there is a cost for that,” Jaehyang So, manager of the Water and Sanitation Programme, which is a multi-donor partnership administered by the World Bank to support poor people in obtaining affordable, safe and sustainable access to wate? and sanitation, said in one of the seminars.
According to Berntell, a supporting statement will be completed by the end of the week to be later presented to the high-level plenary meeting on the Millennium Development Goals in the United Nations that will take place in New York on September 20-22.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of both the World Water Week and the Stockholm Water Prize.
A majority of the previous Stockholm Water Prize laureates are present in Stockholm in observance of the jubilee to share their solutions to future water challenges at a special laureates’ seminar later during the week in the presence of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
This year’s World Water Week in Stockholm, which is the first European Green Capital, will run through September 11.
By Mohammad Ghazal
STOCKHOLM - Water experts from across the globe convened in Stockholm Monday at the opening session of the World Water Week 2010 with calls for addressing “pressing” global water issues and ensuring clean water access and safe sanitation to people.
Over 2,500 leading experts, practitioners, decision makers and business innovators from over 130 countries along with 200 organisations are participating in the event taking place at the Stockholm International Fairs premises.
During the event, held under the theme: “Responding to Global Changes: The Water Quality Challenge”, participants will look into a number of issues, including food security, climate change, the right to water access and sanitation, urbanisation, water governance, and the strategic water concerns of businesses.
Anders Berntell, executive director of the Stockholm International Water Institute which organises the meeting annually, said in his opening address that water quality will be the main topic to be discussed in addition to other related issues.
Stressing the high importance of preserving the adequate quality of water and ensuring adequate sanitation and personal hygiene, Berntell said: “Bad water kills more people than malaria, AIDS and wars combined.”
“In 2009, over 50 countries still reported cholera to the World Health Organisation (WHO), something we will hear more about later. Two-hundred million people are infected with schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia. Every year 1.8 million people die from diarrhoeal disease attributable to unsafe water or poor sanitation and hygiene, mostly children under five,” he added.
According to the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, freshwater ecosystems have degraded more than any other ecosystem, including tropical rainforests. Several studies indicate that more than 40 per cent of fish species and amphibians are threatened with extinction, he said.
“Polluted freshwater ends up in the oceans, causing serious damage to many coastal areas and fisheries, thereby constituting a major challenge to ocean and coastal resource management,” he said.
In her speech at the opening session, Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation Gunilla Carlsson said: “A great deal has happened since World Water Week was launched 20 years ago.”
“Today, almost two billion more people have access to safe drinking water compared with 20 years ago, and around 1.5 billion more people have access to sanitation. The provision of safe water has actually outperformed global population growth and given more than eight million people, roughly the population of Sweden, access to safe water every month - for 20 years!” she said.
In seminars held during the day, experts underlined the importance of addressing global water challenges, including water scarcity, pollution and equity, with calls for focusing on providing people with access to sanitation and clean water, a matter they said reflects positively on the overall development of each country.
“Lack of sanitation has a cost on the country’s gross domestic product as due to lack of sanitation in a certain country, this country will lose in being able to attract tourists and in spending more on health. Not having sanitation has also an impact on the environment and there is a cost for that,” Jaehyang So, manager of the Water and Sanitation Programme, which is a multi-donor partnership administered by the World Bank to support poor people in obtaining affordable, safe and sustainable access to wate? and sanitation, said in one of the seminars.
According to Berntell, a supporting statement will be completed by the end of the week to be later presented to the high-level plenary meeting on the Millennium Development Goals in the United Nations that will take place in New York on September 20-22.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of both the World Water Week and the Stockholm Water Prize.
A majority of the previous Stockholm Water Prize laureates are present in Stockholm in observance of the jubilee to share their solutions to future water challenges at a special laureates’ seminar later during the week in the presence of King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden.
This year’s World Water Week in Stockholm, which is the first European Green Capital, will run through September 11.
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