OGUT-Environmental Prize 2009

This year, OGUT is awarding the OGUT-Environmental Prize for the 24th time. The call for tender happens in five Categories:

• Women in environmental technologies
• Utilisation of renewable resources and resource efficient production processes
• Participation and civil engagement
• Sustainable community
• Monika Polster exceptional prize for corporate environmental protection

Categories

Women in environmental technologies

Despite outstanding achievements in the area of environmental technologies, women who are working in this profession are still under-represented in public. An environment-oriented development of technology embraces –besides classical natural scientific and technical disciplines- also transdisciplinary and socioeconomic approaches in the area of environmental science. Especially in leading positions in technical sectors, women are conspicuously underrepresented.

The honouring of womens´ outstanding R&D-achievements in environmental technologies ought to show and display the accomplishments of women at the intersection point of environment and technology. The positive example of awarded female scientists and projects will put a spotlight on- and support- women in the environmental technology sector.

The award is given by the Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation, and Technology (BMVIT) in the frame of the program FEMtech – Women in Research and Technology (www.femtech.at). The program FEMtech points at improving the frame and conditions of access for women in research and technology, motivating more women for a technical, natural- scientific job-decision and improving their chances for a top-level career. With this OGUT-Environmental Prize for „Women in Environmental Technologies“ an other step into this direction is made.

Prize money: EUR 5.000,– (Sponsor: BMVIT – Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation, and Technology in the frame of the program FEMtech – Women in Research and Technology)

Renewable resources and resource efficient production processes

Wanted are innovative best-practice-projects from the subject area "Utilisation of renewable resources and resource efficient production processes", especially within the following topics:

• New materials and primary matters from renewable feedstock for industrial applications
• New marketable products on the basis of renewable raw materials
• Innovative key technologies, processes and procedures for the utilisation of established renewables and biogenic decay.
• Innovative technologies for the considerable increase of resource efficiency in production
• Innovative adoption of renewable raw materials as building material and insulant
• New components, parts and construction techniques for buildings with increased utilisation of renewable resources and increased material efficiency.
• Concepts leading to the complete avoidance of emissions and wastes (Zero Waste) by means of closed cycles of matter.

Prize money: EUR 5.000,– (Sponsor: BMVIT – Federal Ministry for Transport, Innovation, and Technology in the frame of the programmes „Building of Tomorrow“ und „Factory of Tomorrow“)

Participation and civil engagement

The concept of sustainable development describes the future-oriented development of a society, in which economic wealth, a sound environment and social fairness are securing the quality of life for all people. A basic condition there for is the active participation of citizens in formative processes within their areas and conditions of life. The OGUT-Environmental Prize therefore aims in two directions:

• Participation –Projects ought to inspire people with innovative methods and interesting possibilities, to share their ideas and interests in public planning- and development processes, because solutions developed on a broad foundation are more stable and suitable for the requirements and can contribute to continuing contentment.
• Civil engagement – Within the last decades, many impulses for the change of our society and economy towards sustainability emanated from the commitment of single persons or groups. They rose awareness and consciousness towards pressing issues and conflicts of local or federal scale and dynamically contributed to the development of solutions.

Prize money: EUR 2.500,– (Sponsor: Federal Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management)

Sustainable Commune

In this category, Austrian cities and municipalities as well as enterprises in the ownership of cities and municipalities are accosted. Awarded are:

• Exemplary projects and undertakings on communal level in the sense of embracing and sustainable municipal development as well as
• Outstanding projects and undertakings in the sense of social, ecological and/ or economic dimension of sustainability on city- and communal level

Prize money: EUR 3.500,– (Sponsor: Association of Austrian Cities and Towns)

Monika Polster-exceptional prize for corporate environmental protection

For more than 30 years, Monika Polster was active for the Coca-Cola-bottler in Austria. With great commitment and persuasive power she built the foundation for environmental and sustainability projects within Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria and was renowned for her unprecedented heartiness with customers and colleagues alike. With the start-up of the PET to PET Recycling Ltd. Monika Polster managed to convince five leading producers of beverages to act in concert in terms of recycling and founding a conjoint enterprise- a remarkable project.

Beyond that Monika Polster started sustainable projects for sensitization of teenagers and initiatives for sustainable sensitization of decision-makers of tomorrow like for example the Danube Challenge and the Coca-Cola Junior Ranger at the national sanctuary Hohe Tauern. Following her example, 2 prizes will be awarded in 2009– for big companies as well as for small & medium companies – for outstanding, innovative projects in the area of corporate environmental protection and corporate sustainability.

Prize money: EUR 5.000,– per award (Sponsor: Coca-Cola Hellenic Austria)

General information

Application

Deadline: 27^th of October 2009

• The application consists from the completed project-data-sheet and the description of the project by means of the „guidlines for project describtion“.
• The length of the project describtion shall not exceed five pages.
• Accompanying materials and documents (photos, posters, depictions…) are welcome.
• The application shall be filed at the OGUT-office within 27th of October 2009.

Awarding ceremony

The solemnly awarding ceremony takes place within the frame of the annual OGUT plenary reception on 4^th of December 2009 at the Raiffeisen Landesbank NÖ-Wien premises, Friedrich-Wilhelm-Raiffeisen-Platz 1, 1020 Wien, by OGUT-president Haiden and representatives of sponsors.

Österreichische Gesellschaft
für Umwelt und Technik
Hollandstraße 10/46
A-1020 Wien
Tel +43.1.315 63 93
Fax +43.1.315 63 93-22
E-Mail office@oegut.at

Further Information