The St Andrews Prize for the Environment is a joint environmental initiative by the University of St Andrews in Scotland and ConocoPhillips. The prize focuses on sustainability, conservation, biodiversity stewardship and community development supporting a wide range of projects from around the world on diverse topics including sustainable development, urban re-generation, recycling, health, water and waste issues, renewable energy and community development. Ideas may be global or local and outline how they will socially and economically impact the communities in which they are based. Since launching in 1998, the prize has attracted more than 5,600 global entries and donated over $2 million to environmental initiatives.

The winner of the 2019 St Andrews Prize for the Environment is Saathi, a project that produces eco-friendly sanitary pads in India. Agricultural waste from banana tree farmers is used as a raw material, making the product 100% biodegradable and compostable. Saathi pads provide access to clean menstruation products to women living in rural areas.

Previous Winners

2018

The Mountain Institute integrates 2,000 years of indigenous knowledge of water management in the Andes with contemporary science and technology to create hybrid solutions that improve water security, support livelihoods and increase ecosystem-wide resilience in mountain communities.

2017

Plantwise provides small farmers across the globe with the knowledge to mitigate crop losses from pests and disease.

2016

Liter of Light, Brazil, is a global open-source movement that provides sustainable lighting, free of charge to simple dwellings around the world

2015

The Wild Chimpanzee’s Foundation’s chimpanzee/landscape conservation project focuses on enhancing the survival of remaining wild chimpanzee populations and their habitat.

2014

Blue Ventures Conservation Madagascar provides a holistic approach to integrating community-based health services with local biodiversity conservation initiatives.