Aristotle Onassis is alive and kicking in the environment through the new International Prize for the Protection of the Environment. This year it goes to Friends of the Earth Middle East
The environmental organization “Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME)” and a friend to Green Prophet is the first organization chosen as the winner of the Onassis Prize for the Protection of the Environment, which was established in May 2009. The official award ceremony will take place in the City Hall of Hamburg, on November 17, 2010.
Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoEME) is an environmental organization of the Middle East that brings together Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian representatives. For a long time FoEME has been active towards maintaining the River Jordan as a vital natural resource for all people living within the borders of Israel, Palestine and Jordan.
The core aim of FoEME is to consider water as a fundamental natural resource for the development of the region. They do work together to protect the Jordan River, for example.
Senator of Urban Development and the Environment of the City of Hamburg Anja Hajduk, Chairperson of the International Prize Committee, stated: “FoEME uniquely combines environmental protection with the effort for a peaceful coexistence in the area.”
The prize will reward on a biannual basis persons or organizations for “outstanding contributions towards protecting and improving the environment, including sustainable use of energy”.
It will reward persons or entities excluding politicians and political parties. The prize is accompanied by €250,000 – one of the more sizable monetary awards to recognize services to the environment.
The Alexander S. Onassis Public Benefit Foundation, which pays tribute to the late son of the ship owner Aristotle Onassis, and the City of Hamburg launched the Onassis International Prize for the Protection of the Environment.
The Onassis Foundation and the City of Hamburg share a bond which goes back to the early 1950s, when Aristotle Onassis was expanding his shipping activities in Hamburg shipyards.
Image of Onassis in Germany via Stars and Stripes
