UNITED NATIONS TOP ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE AWARDED TO BARBARA PYLE OF TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM
Press Release
UNEP/10
UNITED NATIONS TOP ENVIRONMENTAL PRIZE AWARDED TO BARBARA PYLE OF TURNER BROADCASTING SYSTEM
19971006 NAIROBI, 3 October (UNEP) -- The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) announced today that the 1997 UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize has been awarded to Barbara Pyle, Vice President of Environmental Policy of the Turner Broadcasting System and CNN's Environmental Editor. Ms. Pyle will be honoured for her pivotal role in spreading the environmental message around the world. This is the first time a member of the media has received this award, usually reserved for environmental leaders and scientists.The UNEP Sasakawa Environment Prize is one of the most prestigious environmental awards in the world and has been awarded annually since 1984 to individuals who have made an outstanding global contribution to the management and protection of the environment. Past winners include: Chico Mendes, the rubber tapper from Brazil who died leading the fight against the cattle ranchers' destruction of the rainforest; Dr. M.S. Swaminathan of India, the father of the economic ecology movement; and Lester Brown, Director of the WorldWatch Institute, whose writings were instrumental in alerting the world about the threats to the biosphere.
This year's prize winner was selected by an independent and distinguished panel of international leaders and environmentalists on 30 June. The panel includes: the late Dr. Misael Pastrana Borrero, former President of Colombia, who passed away on 21 August 1997; Her Royal Highness Princess Chulabhorn of Thailand; Lord Stanley Clinton-Davis of the United Kingdom; Dr. Russell Peterson, President Emeritus of the National Audubon Society (USA); Professor Wangari Maathai, founder and director of the Greenbelt Movement in Kenya; and Dr. Abdulbar Al-Gain, President of the Meteorology and Environmental Protection Administration of Saudi Arabia.
The official award ceremony for Ms. Pyle will take place in New York on 12 November, and will be attended by dignitaries, including: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Ted Turner, owner of the Turner Broadcasting System; Jane Fonda; and UNEP's Executive Director, Elizabeth Dowdeswell.
"In today's electronic age and considering the crucial role the media plays in shaping public opinion, the Committee felt it important to recognize the media's contribution to the environmental cause," said Lord Stanley Clinton-Davis, Acting Chairman of the Prize Selection Committee. Ms. Pyle brings environmental issues closer to the hearts and minds of people the world
- 2 - Press Release UNEP/10 6 October 1997
over. She has been a major force in the debate on sustainable development beyond the confines of international discussions to include the public at large.
For more than two decades, Ms. Pyle has encouraged the media to assume a major responsibility for informing and educating the public, including decision-makers. "Ms. Pyle's commitment to making environmental issues understandable and accessible to the widest possible audience is a long-standing one," said Ms. Dowdeswell. "As a writer, director and producer of numerous television programmes, she has inspired countless individuals to care about the environment and take responsibility for its protection."
Using the unique global reach of CNN, CNN International and World Report, Ms. Pyle's work has been seen by approximately 2 billion people worldwide. Since joining CNN in 1980, she has been at the forefront of environmental programming and produced more than 35 films which have won more than 75 awards, including "Without Borders" and "One Child, One Voice". She also founded Earth Matters, CNN's daily environmental news feature and weekly programme on the environment which continues today. Since 1989, she has been executive producer of Captain Planet and the Planeteers, an animated action adventure series of 113 episodes that makes environmental issues accessible to children. She is also the founder and Chairman of the Board of the Captain Planet Foundation, an organization which awards grants to children's grassroots environmental projects.
In 1994, she launched People Count, the current series of TV specials highlighting success stories behind United Nations Summits and Conferences. In it she explores the world to profile remarkable individuals who are making a difference to improve their own communities. The goal is to put a human face on the complex issues being debated at these meetings. Like her previous programmes, international versions (hosted by Jane Fonda) are distributed to television stations worldwide, absolutely free, to promote models of sustainable development.
* *** *