The 2016 awards

Innovations for Climate Change Adaptation

This award celebrates projects, organisations and companies that are implementing innovative strategies for adapting to the impacts of global warming. Their approach is to reduce the risks and vulnerabilities of populations exposed to the negative effects of climate change.

Energy Efficiency & Carbon Management

This category showcases projects, organisations and companies that demonstrate best practice by reducing their carbon footprint and entrenching energy efficiency and/or and electricity savings into their business practices.

Community Renewable Energy Innovations

This award celebrates community groups and organisations creating new models in renewable energy, resource efficiency and electricity savings. These are the pathfinders whose innovations may be replicated to change the face of our energy future.

Youth Leadership & Job Creation

This award celebrates individuals and projects breaking new ground in environmental sustainability. These are the young pioneers whose innovations have the potential to create new jobs in the environmental sector.

Green Technology Innovations

This category rewards projects, organisations and compa- nies at the cutting edge of technological innovations that utilise natural resources more efficiently. These innovations offer real savings for natural capital and possess the potential to be replicated.

Biodiversity Stewardship

This award recognises communities, companies, organisations and/or individuals who nurture biodiversity. Their projects ensure that natural systems, biodiversity and ecosystem services are secured on land of high biodiversity value outside of formally protected areas.

Species Conservation

This award celebrates the heroes who are prepared to step in with practical, workable solutions to threats against our most endangered species. It honours companies, organisations, projects and individuals who are making a difference in conservation on the ground. This award recognises individuals and organisations making extraordinary efforts to protect a single species.

Green Economy Modelling

This award recognises communities, companies, organisations and/or individuals with innovative strategies that promote economic growth based on low carbon development and natural resource efficiency. These are internal and external models that demonstrate best practice in the green economy.

Community Conservation

This award showcases the efforts of community groups and organisations that dedicate time and/or resources to environmental sustainability. These models are innovative, inspirational and are making a real difference to communities and their environments.

Water Efficiency & Management

This award showcases innovative, effective measures taken to protect our most vulnerable natural resource in the face of climate change. These are replicable models of how to conserve, recycle and/or prevent pollution of water resources.

Editor’s Choice Award

This award, handed out at the editor’s discretion and based on the recommendations of the judges, may be awarded to one of the winners in these categories, or to an entrant who has not won in its specific category but is deemed worthy of special acclaim.

Sudley Adams Memorial Award

This award was created in memory of Sudley Adams, the former Mail & Guardian brand manager who convened the Greening the Future Awards and made them a success. The winner should best embody and represent Sudley’s forwardthinking vision and team spirit. The winner must be a holistic project — one that brings various elements into a whole that works towards a better future.