21 August 2008: The Supporting Entrepreneurs for Sustainable Development (SEED) Initiative has announced the winners of its 2008 SEED Awards for Entrepreneurship in Sustainable Development. The SEED Initiative is a global network for action on sustainable development partnerships, founded by IUCN, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), to deliver progress toward the internationally-agreed goals in the UN’s Millennium Declaration and the commitments made at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002.

The 2008 winners include partners in Pintadas Solar in Brazil, who are promoting community approaches in the semi-arid Northwest to water-efficient crop irrigation and biofuel production to address climate change adaptation and mitigation, and food security and poverty. Other winners include: a university research centre, a women’s cooperative, an NGO and experts on solar technology in Nicaragua, who will launch a cooperative business to produce and market solar products made from recycled solar cells and cookers adapted for local needs; and tsunami-affected communities on the Andaman coast in Thailand who plan to expand employment opportunities through community-based tourism while the proceeds will support local projects. [IUCN press release]