TWP Wins US$1 Million Rio Tinto Prize for Sustainability

Trees, Water & People (TWP) has been announced as the 2008 winner of the US$1 million Rio Tinto Prize for Sustainability. Co-founder and International Director of TWP, Stuart Conway, was delighted to accept the Prize at the 2009 International Economic Forum of the Americas (Conference de Montreal) in Montreal on June 9, 2009.

“We are absolutely thankful, delighted and overwhelmed with gratitude at being announced the 2008 Prize winner. We now have the opportunity to expand our community reforestation and improved cook stove programs in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Haiti. In particular, we will look to use the Prize to leverage additional sources of funding, and increasingly share the work we are doing with other interested organizations,” he said.

Rio Tinto global head of Health, Safety & Environment Elaine Dorward-King said the Rio Tinto Prize for Sustainability was designed to recognize and reward not-for-profit, civil society and non-government organizations for significant contributions to the goals of economic, environmental and social sustainability.

Rio Tinto partners with the International Business Leaders Forum (IBLF) to facilitate an inclusive, rigorous and transparent management process for the award of the Prize. IBLF engages independent sustainability experts from around the world to ensure the process and decisions are made in an objective and consistent manner. Rio Tinto does not participate in the assessment process.

IBLF chief executive Adam Leach said the diversity of the organizations short listed for the Prize in 2008 demonstrated the diversity of work being undertaken locally throughout the world to contribute to global sustainable development. “All ten short listed organizations in 2008 highlighted the depth and range of talent, initiative and skills that exist in the civil sector,” he added.

For more information about the Rio Tinto Prize for Sustainability, visit www.riotintoprizeforsustainability.