Corporate Social Responsibility Press Release
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11.17.2008 - 01:00pm ET
News from:
Rolex SA
Rolex Announces Winners of International Awards for Enterprise
Five Prizes of US$100,000 and Five of $50,000 Awarded for Ten Groundbreaking Projects Worldwide
(CSRwire) DUBAI. - November 17, 2008 – Rolex today announced the ten winners
of the 2008 Rolex Awards for Enterprise, which for more than 30 years have
supported pioneering work in science and medicine, technology and
innovation, exploration and discovery, the environment and cultural
heritage. The award recipients hail from around the globe – from India,
Jordan, Mexico, Paraguay, South Africa, the Philippines, the United
Kingdom and the United States – and join a global network of 110
visionaries from 38 countries who have received vital project support and
recognition from the Swiss watchmaker since the Awards were founded in
1976.
The Rolex Awards fund new and ongoing projects that demonstrate a spirit
of enterprise and address pressing needs around the world, from climate
change, to wildlife and habitat preservation, to cultural preservation, to
providing water, food, medical supplies and education for impoverished
communities. Rolex will present US$100,000 each to
five Laureates, who will be honored tomorrow evening (November 18) in a
ceremony in Dubai – the first ever Rolex Awards ceremony held in the
Middle East. Five Associate Laureates will each receive $50,000 at
ceremonies in their home countries. All ten winners will also receive a
Rolex chronometer.
"The Rolex Awards for Enterprise enable the work of global pioneers who
are breaking new ground in their fields, and improving lives worldwide,"
said Patrick Heiniger, Chief Executive Officer of Rolex. "We are proud to
support these truly original thinkers, and salute them for their ingenuity
and commitment of purpose."
The 2008 Rolex Laureates – chosen from nearly 1,500 applicants in 127
countries by an independent panel of scientists, educators, economists and
other experts – are: - Talal Akasheh (Jordan), 61, who, after
devoting 26 years to documenting the ancient monuments of Petra, is
creating an information system that will inform future conservation
efforts at this beloved, yet threatened, historic site.
- Tim Bauer (U.S.), 31, who is using breakthrough technology to
retrofit polluting twostroke vehicle engines that are common in the
Philippines, helping to alleviate a major environmental and public-health
risk in South-East Asia.
- Andrew McGonigle (U.K.), 35, a physicist who is developing a
new means to safely and reliably predict volcanic eruptions using an
unmanned aircraft.
- Andrew Muir (South Africa), 43, a conservationist providing
AIDS orphans with life skills, training, and jobs in South Africa's
burgeoning ecotourism sector.
- Elsa Zaldívar (Paraguay), 48, who is bringing an eco-friendly
solution to her country's housing shortage by creating composite building
materials made of plant and plastic waste to construct affordable
housing.
The 2008 Rolex Associate Laureates are: Alexis Belonio
(Philippines), 48, creator of a
new technology that transforms the waste from rice production into clean,
affordable cooking fuel; Arturo Gonzalez (Mexico), 44, an explorer
and researcher excavating archaeological remains in submerged caves or
cenotes on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula; Rodrigo Medellin (Mexico),
50, who is working to save Mexico's indigenous bats
through habitat protection and education; Moji Riba (India), 36, a
film-maker helping to preserve and document the rich cultural heritage of
India's Arunachal Pradesh tribes; and Romulus Whitaker (India), 65,
a lifelong conservationist who is establishing a network of rainforest
research stations to document and protect the biodiversity of southern
India.
Selection Process
The 2008 Rolex Award winners were chosen by an independent, voluntary jury
of international experts, chaired by Patrick Heiniger. This year's
Selection Committee members are: Dr Vikram Akula, founder and CEO
of SKS Microfinance, based in India and the United States; Etienne
Bourgois, head of a French clothing company and expedition leader;
Professor Denise Bradley, president of the Australian College of
Educators; Dr Geh Min, ophthalmologist, environmentalist and
president of the Nature Society of Singapore; Professor Farkhonda
Hassan, Egyptian geologist and professor at the American University in
Cairo; Dr Rodrigo Jordan, educator and explorer from Chile;
Yolanda Kakabadse, Ecuadorian environmentalist and champion of
sustainable development; Dr Phil Nuytten, Canadian pioneer of the
commercial diving industry; Dr
Ivo Pitanguy, plastic surgeon and director of the Ivo Pitanguy Clinic
and Institute in Brazil; Dr Anatoly M. Sagalevitch Russian
oceanologist and head of the Shirshov Institute of Oceanology's Laboratory
of Manned Submersibles; Professor Emil Salim, professor of economics
at the University of Indonesia; and Dr Kathryn D. Sullivan director
of the Battelle Center for Math and Science Education Policy at Ohio State
University and former NASA astronaut.
Rolex Philanthropy
Since its founding a century ago, Rolex has established a tradition
supporting individual excellence and achievement around the globe. Through
its two primary philanthropic programs, the Awards for Enterprise and the
Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative, Rolex fosters innovation in science,
exploration, conservation, and the arts worldwide.
For more information on the Rolex Awards for Enterprise, visit: rolexawards.com.
THE 2008 ROLEX LAUREATES
Talal Akasheh (Jordan)
The 2,500-year old city of Petra, one of the world's most important
archaeological sites, is threatened by natural decay and the impact of
increased tourism in the region.With the Rolex Award, chemistry professor
Talal Akasheh will complete a vital information system that will inform
the city's future conservation efforts. His geoarchaeological information
system (GIS) will map the site and track minute details of Petra,
monitoring its physical characteristics, the condition of the monuments
and the impact of surrounding development.
Tim Bauer (U.S.)
Mechanical engineer Tim Bauer and his team have created a low-cost
retrofit kit to cut emissions from the ubiquitous two-stroke engines used
by 1.8 million tricycle drivers in the Philippines. The kit reduces
particulate emissions by 70 per cent while improving fuel efficiency,
saving $1,000 a year for those who depend on the vehicles for their
livelihoods. Atmospheric pollution causes an estimated 15,000 deaths in
the Philippines annually. With the Rolex Award, Bauer will retrofit 5,000
vehicles in the Philippines as a first step towards replicating the
project across Asia.
Andrew McGonigle (U.K.)
Millions of people around the world live near a volcano. With the Rolex
Award, Scottish physicist Andrew McGonigle will develop a new technology,
AEROVOLC II – an unmanned, small-scale helicopter that measures the
volcanic gases CO2 and SO2 – in Etna and Stromboli in Italy. McGonigle's
invention holds the promise of reliably predicting volcanic eruptions
weeks, even months, in advance. The aircraft operates at a drastically
reduced cost compared with previous efforts, while eliminating the often
deadly task of physically measuring volcanic gases.
Andrew Muir (South Africa)
A longtime champion of the extraordinary natural resources of his native
country, Andrew Muir has pioneered a program to address the devastating
impact of HIV/AIDS in South Africa. With the Rolex Award, Muir will expand
his Umzi Wethu Training Academy for Displaced Youth, a multifaceted
intervention program that provides Aids orphans and individuals living in
child-headed households with training and jobs in ecotourism in the
Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Muir will also raise visibility for
the project so it can be replicated throughout Southern Africa, home to 80
per cent of the world's orphans.
Elsa Zaldivar (Paraguay)
Paraguay is suffering from a severe housing shortage, with two out of five
people living in poverty. The Rolex Award will enable Elsa Zaldivar to
manufacture a machine that makes low-cost particle board from recycled
vegetable fiber and strengthened with melted plastic waste, which will be
used to build houses, thereby helping to save
Paraguay's forests. The Award will also fund construction of three
demonstration homes to encourage the use of this material.
For more information please contact:
Christina French Houghton
Resnicow Schroeder Associates
212-671-5162
Alison Buchbinder
Resnicow Schroeder Associates
212-671-5165
News Categories:
Philanthropy/Corporate Contributions and CSR - General
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