Explore the groundbreaking work of the Earthshot Prize winners as they lead the charge in addressing some of the most critical environmental challenges facing our planet.
Protecting our planet entails purifying our air, cleaning up our oceans, solving the issue of carbon emissions, creating a waste-free world, and encouraging biodiversity. These are no small tasks, and require change at both government and citizen levels in order to work. Fortunately inventors, cities, and organisations around the world are spearheading efforts to clean up our world.
The Prize
The Earthshot Prize, created in 2020 by His Royal Highness Prince William, is an incredible initiative that aims to recognise and reward such individuals, teams, organisations, and governments that are making significant contributions to protecting our planet.
The prize is awarded to five winners each year, each of whom receives a grant of £1 million to continue their work in one of five categories: 1) Protect & Restore Nature, 2) Clean Our Air, 3) Revive Our Oceans, 4) Build A Waste-Free World, and 5) Fix Our Climate. These categories align with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and represent some of the most critical environmental challenges facing our world today. Inspired by President John F. Kennedy's Moonshot, The Earthshot Prize is intended to be a reminder that even the most daunting challenges can be overcome when we all work together!
Earthshot 2022: Boston
This past year, the 2022 Earth Shot Prize was held in Boston, as a tribute to former Massachusetts Senator and later-President Kennedy.
Hosting the Earthshot Prize 2022 also celebrates Boston's standing as an innovator in environmental sustainability, and its dedication to catalysing change for a healthier planet. We were incredibly lucky to attend this amazing event, and witness the power of unity and passion for a common cause.
The 2022 winners include:
Mukuru Clean Stoves, a woman-owned business from Kenya that is providing cleaner-burning stoves to households across Africa. Mukuru stoves are safer, emit 90% less pollution than cooking over an open fire, and 70% less pollution than traditional cookstoves — having a positive effect on both the environment, and the people who cook with them. They are the winner of the Clean Our Air category.
Kheyti is an Indian start-up that has developed a "greenhouse-in-a-box" to help farmers protect their crops from unpredictable weather (caused by climate change!) and pests. With yields seven-fold compared to typical agricultural methods too, and the ability to double farmers' incomes, Kheyti is creating food and financial security for farmers everywhere. Kheyti is the winner of the Protect & Restore Nature category.
The Queensland Indigenous Women Rangers Network is the winner of the Revive Our Oceans category. This network of Indigenous women in Australia are empowering one another to protect the Great Barrier Reef and its surrounding lands from degradation brought on by climate change. With over 60 women trained in modern conservation techniques so far, this network is making a real difference in protecting and preserving the planet.
Notpla, a London-based start-up, is the winner in the Build A Waste-Free World category. With biodegradable seaweed-based packaging for everything from liquids and food, Notpla is tackling the problem of plastic waste and carbon emissions. With over 1 million sustainable take-out containers created, Notpla is making a real impact on the environment. Learn more about them from one of our past videos here!
The 44.01 Project, an Oman-based start-up is using direct-air-capture technology to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, dissolve it in water, and then pump the resulting carbonated water into underground rocks like peridotite. This process is known as mineralization and it helps to store carbon and prevent it from contributing to global warming. 44.01 is the winner of the Fix Our Climate category.
Earthshot 2021: London
As the pandemic began to loosen its grip on the world, His Royal Highness Prince William, along with Sir David Attenborough, hosted the first annual Earthshot Prize awards at London's Alexandra Palace in October of 2021.
The prize is the boldest, most ambitious environmental prize conceived to date, and is aiming to award £5 million pound each year in prizes until 2030.
The winners for the first-ever Earthshot Prize included:
Takachar, an India-based company helping to eliminate rural air pollution caused by man-made agricultural fires. (Clean Our Air)
The Republic of Costa Rica for implementing bold conservation policies that benefit both the land and its people (Protect & Restore Nature)
Coral Vita, the Bahamas-based coral restoration organization helping to replant central coral reefs around the world. (Revive Our Oceans)
The City of Milan's food waste hubs, which are helping to reduce food waste by collecting surplus food from supermarkets and cafeterias to be redistributed to the city's neediest citizens for the (Build A Waste-Free World)
AEM Electrolysers by Enapter, turning renewable energy into green hydrogen and emission-free gas that can be used to meet diverse energy needs. In the year since each of these organisations has been able to scale their companies further and increase their global impact. (Fix Our Climate)
As we look ahead to the upcoming Earthshot Prizes, we are excited to see the innovative solutions and projects that will gain the funding and traction needed to help them expand their world-saving ideas and innovations. The Earthshot Prize provides a much-needed platform to not just highlight these important environmental projects, but also it encourages worldwide collaboration to combat climate change.
For more green projects, inspiring people, and innovations working to save our planet, be sure to follow us on Instagram @goinggreenmedia or check out the Going Green YouTube Channel.
