Zambia

Applicant: Chipembele Wildlife Education Trust
Project: Chipembele Conservation Education Programme

Chipembele is a charitable conservation education organisation that teaches Zambian children the value of wildlife and the environment for the benefit of present and future generations. It achieves this through an innovative and dynamic programme that engages local school children in a wide range of fun and inspirational lessons and activities. The main focus is on the sustainability of the wildlife and natural resources in the area, which is increasingly threatened by population pressures caused by an ever-growing population living close to the main gate of South Luangwa National Park. Chipembele aims to address these problems by educating the youth in possible solutions whilst stretching their minds to the problems of the wider world. In addition it empowers them through knowledge and the solid belief through conservation they can improve not only their own lives but also the natural environment that so intrinsically supports them.

Ghana

Applicant: Solux e.V.
Project: One Child - One Solarlight - OCOS

Electricity is a scarce commodity in Africa. The whole continent spends not more electricity than New York. At night the villages are dark. The only source of light for many children – while they do their homework – is kerosene light, which is expensive, unhealthy and smells. The sun, however, is clean and for free! The nonprofit organization Solux started the model project „One child, one solar light“ in Ghana to bring light to people who live in darkness. The goal was to supply solar lights to children and their families in off‐grid regions. The company Solar4Ghana Ltd. was founded to inform children, parents and teachers about the advantages of solar lights. Solux also provides micro credits, so that solar light is affordable to anyone. After one year of the project:

• More than six persons profit from a single solar light.
• The quality of life of 35,000 people has been significantly improved via solar lamps.
• 100% of the users recommend Solux solar lights.
• This model project is transferable to and reproducible in other countries.

USA

Applicant: The LEGO Guards
Project: Forest Guards

Fire Alarm systems for forests? A good idea in California, where forest fires pollute the air and destroy the forest and its animals. The four wildfires that burned in Northern California in 2008 released 28 million tons of CO₂ into the air, which is equivalent to the emissions of 7 million cars in one year. Fighting wildfires costs hundreds of millions and fires destroy thousands of acres. Most fires are detected by the human eye. Today every car-park is CCTV monitored – why not apply that to a park or a forest? Clever 6 kids from 10-14 years at a junior high school had a cool idea! They developed the Forest Guard System: CCTV cameras mounted on poles and working on solar power to take images of the forest, one image in 10 minutes, via Internet. Anyone can download the Forest Guard Screen Saver and get to look at the images taken, and if they spot smoke they can alert the system to a potential fire crisis by pressing a key on their keyboard. The system communicates with people and computers all over the world.