The fifth anniversary of the Mail & Guardian Greening the Future Awards was celebrated at a black-tie event in Johannesburg on June 5, coinciding with World Environment Week. The annual awards honour the achievements of companies and organisations that work tirelessly, often unrecognised, to ensure a cleaner and healthier planet.
This year these efforts are of great significance, amid growing concerns about food riots, water shortages, energy crises, the impacts of climate change and the exponential loss of precious species.
The ceremony and this special supplement published in the M&G aim to heighten awareness of these admirable efforts and to provide a forum for discussion on the way forward.
Recognising the important role played by the Greening the Future Awards, the greening legacy project of the department of environmental affairs and tourism, Indalo Yethu, joined forces with the M&G last year and is the headline sponsor of the awards. Various other sponsors showed their support for the awards and the entrants by sponsoring relevant categories:
Rhodes Investec Business School sponsored the award for companies and organisations with innovative environmental strategies that improve business performance.
Nedbank sponsored the award for environmental best practice in not-for-profit organisations.
EnviroServ Waste Management sponsored the award for companies and organisations with the most improved environmental practice.
Rand Water sponsored the award for water care — preserving life in the environment for the good of development.
Eskom sponsored the energy efficiency and carbon management award.
The Chemical and Allied Industries’ Association has sponsored the chemical safety award for the past four years.
The awards are judged by an experienced panel involved in shaping environmental sustainability in South Africa. The judges commended the efforts of all the entrants and the high standard of the entries received this year.
The 2008 Greening the Future Awards judges’ panel
Karin Ireton: Head of Sustainable Development: Markets and Economics for Anglo American
Karin Ireton is a leader in sustainable development and has played a role in developing corporate practice, as well as the formulation of national and international policy. Her focus at Anglo American is on embedding good practice and sustainable development thinking into all aspects of the business.
Professor Mary Metcalfe: Head of Education, University of the Witwatersrand
Mary Metcalfe was Gauteng minister of education, minister of agriculture, conservation and environment from 1994 to 2004 and deputy speaker in the legislature from 2004 to January 2005. In February 2005 she became head of education at Wits. Through her government experience Metcalfe gained invaluable insight into the workings of business and sustainable development.
Professor Gavin Staude: Director, Rhodes Investec Business School
Professor Gavin Staude is the founding director of the Rhodes Investec Business School. He completed his undergraduate studies at Rhodes where he also read for his MCom and PhD. He also read for an MBA degree at the Cranfield school of management in England. Since 1991 he has been visiting professor at Durham Business School in the United Kingdom. He has co-authored five books on marketing, management, small business and strategic management.
Paul Kapelus: CEO, African Institute of Corporate Citizens and stakeholder council member of the Global Reporting Initiative
Paul Kapelus is a founder and non-executive director of the African Institute of Corporate Citizenship and Director with Synergy Global. He has a MA in Social Anthropology from Sussex University (UK) and an honours degree from Wits. He is a council member of AccountAbility, was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and awarded the Desmond Tutu Leadership Fellowship in 2008. He served on the Global Reporting Initiative Stakeholder Council till 2007.
Rosemary Noge: At the time of judging Sustainable Development Manager at Gold Fields
Rosemary Noge joined the Gold Fields Foundation in 2000. Currently manager: sustainable development for GFL corporate, Noge is responsible for the development of group strategy for sustainable development. She is a member of the JSE’s SRI advisory committee, NBI’s sustainable futures advisory committee and the UN Global Compact advisory committee. Noge has a background in international relations.
Wanda Mkutshulwa: Head of Communications at South African National Parks (SANParks)
Wanda Mkutshulwa has an educational background in journalism and international relations. Mkutshulwa worked briefly for the media before joining the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights in 1999, initially as head of communications and then as national communications coordinator in the office of the Chief Land Claims Commissioner, before moving on to her current position at SANParks.
Justin Smith: At the time of judging Head, Governance and Sustainability at the Nedbank Group
Justin Smith has a background in law and finance and a passion for environmental law and sustainable development. He is involved in the management of corporate governance and business ethics issues. He is responsible also for the sustainability management and reporting process and for providing internal advisory services to Nedbank. Smith is a member of the NBI’s sustainable future’s advisory committee and co-chairperson of the United Nations environmental programme finance initiative for Africa.
Fiona Macleod: Editor of Lowveld Living, Highveld Living, Limpopo Living and Midlands Life
Fiona Macleod is an award-winning journalist and editor. She is an environmental consultant for the Mail & Guardian and editor-in-chief of four magazines — Lowveld Living, Highveld Living, Limpopo Living and Midlands Life. She was environmental editor at the M&G for 10 years, during which time she was awarded the Nick Steele Award for environmental journalism. She held various positions within M&G Media, including assistant editor of the M&G and editor of Earthyear magazine. She is a founding member of the Greening the Future awards and acted as editor of both Greening the Future and Investing in the Future supplements.
Donald Kau: Director and shareholder at Meropa Communications
Donald Kau has qualifications in public relations from the University of Johannesburg, graphic design from the AAA School of Advertising and project management. He recently completed his Management Advancement Programme through the University of Pretoria and the Gordon Institute of Business. At Meropa he is responsible for strategic counsel to clients in government and the emerging entrepreneur business arena.
Rochelle Chetty: Environmental Scientist, Council for Natural and Scientific Professions
Rochelle Chetty is a registered environmental scientist with the Council for Natural and Scientific Professions. Her career in environmental management and sustainable development is reinforced by more than 10 years as an environmental/sustainability adviser and project manager in Eskom. Chetty obtained a BSc (Honours) environmental geology from the University of Natal in 1993. In 2000 she obtained her graduate diploma in engineering (GDE) from the University of the Witwatersrand. She has received numerous accolades within Eskom for her commitment and dedication. She is the project manager for the “Eskom billion kilowatt hour savings project”. This involves implementing energy efficiency measures within Eskom in compliance with national requirements.
Yolandi Groenewald: M&G environmental reporter and editor of Greening the Future
Yolandi Groenewald is a respected environmental journalist who is passionate about the environment and protecting it from unscrupulous individuals and corporations. Groenewald joined the M&G team five years ago after completing her honours in communication at Northwest University. In 2004 she won a merit award for her work as an environmental reporter at the South African Breweries environmental journalism awards. She is a former editorial assistant for Earthyear magazine and is the editor of the Greening the Future and Investing in the Future supplements.