Fifth HSBC-Star Climate Awards launched

The fifth HSBC-The Daily Star Climate Awards was launched yesterday with the aim of encouraging individuals and organisations that are working towards preserving the environment and showing people a way to tackle climate change risks.

The announcement came at a press conference held yesterday at The Daily Star Centre. Like previous years, the awards will recognise five climate champions in four categories.

The categories are climate champion in green business, climate champion in green operations, climate champion in knowledge management and climate champion in community engagement.

There would be two awards in the category of climate champion in green operations -- one will be given to a local company and the other to a fully foreign-owned or a joint ownership firm.

The Daily Star and HSBC are the joint organisers of the awards while Waste Concern will work as the knowledge partner.

Nomination forms and detailed information are available at www.hsbc.com.bd and www.thedailystar.net. Applications for the awards must reach the Waste Concern's office at House-21 (Side B), Road-7, Block-G, Banani Model Town on or before December 15.

After a selection process conducted by an independent jury panel and independent verification, the winners of the awards will be announced in February 2016. So far 19 individuals and enterprises have been awarded in the last four climate awards since 2010.

Last year, around 100 individuals and firms contested for the awards.

Bangladesh is one of the worst victims of climate change but the climate award initiative shows the world that the country is not sitting idle and is working to tackle the climate change and environment degradation, speakers said at the conference.

Francois de Maricourt, chief executive officer of HSBC Bangladesh, said the award was a good opportunity to show some inspiring solution to environmental problems, which would encourage other people.

He said HSBC was happy to collaborate with The Daily Star in this as it was an initiative that would show the path to build a greener future of Bangladesh.

Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star, said the media had a great role to play by raising awareness about the effect of climate change and its solution.

He also said the initiative was taken to let people know what to do to tackle climate change.

ANM Maqsood Sinha, executive director Waste Concern, said if Bangladesh could use its own resources properly, it would be capable of tackling climate change.

Maqsood said when the climate award initiative was taken in 2010 there were not many industries that were running in an environment friendly way, but now more and more industrial units were choosing the greener path. 

Talukdar Noman Anwar, country head of communications for HSBC Bangladesh, who moderated the session, said despite different environmental challenges, Bangladesh was tackling those and growing at a good pace.

The award has been gaining popularity as increasing number of firms and individuals apply every year, he said.