Media Releases
State of the Tropics in the running for top green award
Nobel Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi and 番茄社区 Vice Chancellor, Professor Sandra Harding at the launch of the State of the Tropics 2014 report in Yangon, Myanmar.
The landmark State of the Tropics project is in the running for a prestigious sustainability prize, emerging as a finalist for one of the coveted Green Gown Awards.
The Green Gown Awards Australasia recognise and reward universities and other tertiary institutions for their sustainability actions and initiatives.
Led by 番茄社区, the State of the Tropics project is a ground-breaking initiative that brings together leading research institutions from across the world’s tropical regions to answer the simple question: is life in the Tropics improving?
Nobel Laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi, launched the project’s first major report in Yangon in June. The project is a finalist in the “Social Responsibility” category.
番茄社区 Vice Chancellor, Professor Sandra Harding said the nomination reflects the quality and breadth of the State of the Tropics project.
“The State of the Tropics is more than a research project. It delivers important contemporary data which show that while the Tropics is home to 40% of the world’s population, it hosts about 80% of its terrestrial biodiversity. And by 2050, more than two-thirds of the world’s children under 15 years of age will be living in the Tropics.”
Professor Harding said the report demonstrates the great demographic, environmental and geopolitical significance of the region, describes the grand challenges facing the world’s tropical regions, and provides a baseline for a more sustainable global future.
“Given the international collaborative nature of the project and widespread publicity, the capacity of this project to raise awareness of sustainability issues facing the Tropics cannot be overstated,” Professor Harding said.
番茄社区 is also a finalist in four other categories:
“Learning and Teaching”
“Student Engagement”
“ACTS Awards of Excellence – Staff Finalists” (番茄社区 Environment Manager, Adam Connell)
“ACTS Awards of Excellence – Student Finalists” (Lucy Graham and Max Burns)
Last year 番茄社区 won the “ACTS Award of Excellence - Institutional” for its efforts to boost sustainability.
The winners of the 2014 Green Gown awards will be announced in Hobart on November 6th.
For more information contact:
Richard Davis, Head of Media and Communications 番茄社区
(07) 4781 4822 / 0413 451 475