Final Call for the Nordic Council Environment Prize 2021
The Nordic Council Environment Prize 2021 will go to a company, organisation or individual in the Nordic Region for exemplary efforts to develop sustainable food systems – from sea and soil to table and back again. We all have to eat to live, so food systems need to be environmentally, economically and socially sustainable – from primary production to the plate, from sea and soil to table, and all the way to recycling of everything from organic waste to packaging.
Do you know a person or organisation that goes the extra mile to make food systems sustainable? Submit your candidate for the Nordic Council Environment Prize by May 12th. Everybody can submit proposals for the DKK 300,000 prize.
Sustainable food production is as local as possible and uses environmentally sustainable methods. In agriculture, the main emphasis is on recycled plant nutrition and environmentally-friendly methods that take into account greenhouse gas emissions, carbon sequestration, biodiversity and good management of water resources. In animal husbandry and fish farming, sustainability means taking environmental responsibility and following high standards of animal welfare and ethics. It means using natural resources wisely – such as game, wild fish and other natural products.
When processing raw materials into food products, sustainability means preserving the nutritional content as well as possible. It means zero waste of resources in the food industry, energy-efficient packaging and minimising the carbon footprint in distribution. For companies and shops, it means initiatives to offer customers sustainable alternatives and minimise food waste. It means basing consumer food on environmentally sustainable alternatives, such as seasonal vegetables. Sustainability means that people eat as many calories as they need, no food is thrown out and organic waste is recycled.
A key challenge in the work with the UN SDGs
Sustainable food systems support several of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including responsible consumption and production (12), climate action (13), life below water (14) and life on land (15).
The COVID-19 pandemic has also shown us that global production chains can be hit hard in times of crisis. More than two billion people are at least partially dependent on imported food, which makes sustainable regional and national food systems important keys to social resilience. Real sustainability means food production that has a positive or neutral impact on the climate and environmental goals.
Who is coming up with effective and innovative solutions to the challenges we all face? Submit your proposal for the Nordic Council Environment Prize. The deadline is May 12th.
About the Nordic Council Environment Prize
The Nordic Council Environment Prize will be awarded for the 27th time in 2021 and will celebrate exemplary Nordic initiatives to make food systems sustainable. Everybody can submit nominations for the DKK 300,000 prize.
The point of the prize, which was first awarded in 1995, is to raise awareness of work on the environment in the Nordic Region. Anyone can submit nominations. The prize goes to a company, organisation or individual for exemplary efforts to integrate respect for the environment into their business or work or for some other form of extraordinary initiative on behalf of the environment.
The winner will be announced on November 2nd during the Session of the Nordic Council in Copenhagen.
