Why is it in the News?

Chhattisgarh-based environment and forest activist Alok Shukla has been honoured with the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize for his efforts and exemplary community campaign in safeguarding the biodiversity-rich forests in the mineral-rich state.

About Goldman Environmental Prize:

• The Goldman Environmental Prize recognizes grassroots environmental heroes from roughly the world’s six inhabited continental regions:
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Islands & Island Nations
  • North America
  • South & Central America
• It is also called the Green Nobel.
• The Prize recognizes individuals for sustained and significant efforts to protect and enhance the natural environment, often at great personal risk.
• The Goldman Prize views “grassroots” leaders as those involved in local efforts, where positive change is created through community or citizen participation.
• Through recognizing these individual leaders, the Prize seeks to inspire other ordinary people to take extraordinary actions to protect the natural world.

History:

• Reflecting a lifetime commitment to philanthropy and environmental issues, the Goldman Environmental Prize was founded in 1989 by Richard and Rhoda Goldman.
• The duo envisioned the Prize as a way to demonstrate the international nature of environmental problems and draw public attention to the global need for action.
• By rewarding ordinary individuals for their outstanding environmental achievements, the Goldmans hoped to inspire others to emulate the examples set by the Prize recipients.
• The first Goldman Environmental Prize ceremony took place on April 16, 1990, and it was timed to coincide with Earth Day.
• The recipients of the Goldman Environmental Prize are announced annually in a live ceremony timed to coincide with Earth Day.
• The Prize is awarded in the city of San Francisco, California.
• Prize winners each receive a bronze sculpture in the shape of an Ouroboros.
  • Common to many cultures around the world, the Ouroboros, which depicts a serpent biting its tail, is a symbol of nature’s power of renewal.