Making debut on April 11, 2001, the Environment Award is a topic of interest for participating institutions and individuals. Through its 10-year history, the award is still carrying on the same mission: For the community and for the environment of Vietnam.
This social award is assessed and presented every two years on World Environment Day, June 5. Eight categories directly related to environmental protection and preservation are used in the Environment Award, namely Educating, training and communicating on the environment; Studying and applying scientific and technological researches to environmental protection; Responding, overcoming incidents, mitigating pollution, restoring and improving the environment; Managing and treating waste; Protecting, rationally using and developing natural resources; Preserving biodiversity and bio-safety; Responding to climate change; and Performing State management on environmental protection. Award winners are both institutions and individuals working in environmental protection. More and more businesspeople earn the award.
After 10 years, 99 organisations and 59 individuals have garnered awards. Particularly, 59 organisations and individuals earned awards for environmental education, training and communication; 19 organisations and individuals carried off awards for studying and applying scientific and technological research to environmental protection; 44 organisations and individuals won awards for responding to and overcoming incidents, mitigating pollution, restoring and improving the environment; 17 organisations and individuals received awards for preserving biodiversity and bio-safety; and 19 organisations and individuals got awards for State management on environmental protection.
Remarkably, in 2009, 20 awards went to 16 organisations and four individuals with outstanding achievements. Business entities account for nearly 30 percent of winners. This showed that the environmental issue is catching the interest of businesses and businesspeople.
In 2011, the Vietnam Environmental Protection Foundation sponsored the award. This is the first year Circular 13/TT-BTNMT issued by the Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental on regulations on Vietnam Environment Award has taken effect.
The enthusiastic response from organisations and individuals presents the ripple effect and the broad influence of this movement. Not only that, the award is also a source of encouragement which helps build and develop the environmental protection campaign in Vietnam. It has a strong effect on the awareness of each person in protecting the environment, applying science and technology to protect the environment, preventing pollution, improving the environment, and conserving biodiversity to adapt to change climate. This becomes more pressing as the environment and effects of climate change are presently the subjects of controversy.
A span of 10 years is not very long in time, but long enough to confirm a value. The Environment Award handed out by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment continues bringing about positive outcomes. After 10 years, the award is still going about protecting the environment and building up good behaviours in relation to the environment with methods that have been reinforced and developed.
Vietnamese
