The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) today presented the 2021 National Energy and Environment Awards. These awards recognise those people or entities that have stood out either for their creative, scientific, educational or social contributions in favour of the decarbonisation of the economy, or for the defence, studies and environmental and climate promotion, contributing to the conservation and protection of environmental values.

The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) today presented the 2021 National Energy and Environment Awards, in a ceremony chaired by the Vice-President and Minister for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, Teresa Ribera. These awards recognise those people or entities that have stood out either for their creative, scientific, educational or social contributions in favour of the decarbonisation of the economy, or for the defence, studies and environmental and climate promotion, contributing to the conservation and protection of environmental values.

With the awards ceremony, some distinctions that were convened for more than 20 years, between 1986 and 2009, with the name of “National Environmental Awards” have been recovered. This year, a new distinction has been incorporated in energy matters, in accordance with the current competences of MITECO. In addition, extraordinary prizes are awarded for both Environment and Energy.

Precisely, one of the five winners of the extraordinary awards has been awarded to the Citizens’ Assembly for Climate. Thus, the Extraordinary Environment Award for climate action and civic commitment has been jointly received by its 100 members, the Group of experts and the Coordination Panel – made up of the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) and the Spanish Network for Sustainable Development (REDS) – who have supported them independently. The Assembly has been a model of participation dedicated to deliberating, reflecting and proposing solutions to face one of the great global challenges. As a result of this initiative, the Citizens’ Assembly for Climate has published a final report with 172 recommendations with the aim of contributing  to a fairer and safer Spain against climate change.

In this category, Pedro García Moreno, director of the Association of Naturalists of the Southeast (ANSE) for the protection of natural spaces and their biodiversity; Juan Serna Martín, for his work in favor of the introduction of responsible practices in agricultural production; Ana Corredoira, a Galician livestock cooperative member for her commitment to the sustainability of the economic activity of the primary sector, and Rodrigo Carrillo, known for his Twitter profile as ‘Tractor Driver of Castile’ for his work of communication and artistic and environmental dissemination of rural Spain.

The National Environmental Award “Lucas Mallada, for economy and environment” has been awarded to the company Cales de Pachs, for its work in the development and technological innovation in search of sustainability. Likewise, the Global Nature Foundation and the Oxygen Foundation have won the National Environmental Award “Félix Rodríguez de La Fuente, for nature conservation”.

The “Maria del Rosario Heras” National Energy Award was received by the company Econward Tech, a small technology firm that through research and innovation work has developed solutions especially in the treatment of urban solid waste for the generation of biogas.

Finally, the Extraordinary Energy Awards have had three winners: María del Rosario Heras Celemín, for her contribution to the research and application of energy saving and efficiency techniques; the company Wallbox Chargers, for the development of green energy technologies and sustainable mobility, and the Enercoop-COMTEM Group, for its pioneering work in energy production and self-consumption.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Finally, Fernando Fernández-Polanco Fernández de Moreda and the Sociedad Anónima Belga de los Pinares del Paular have received honorable mentions in the environmental awards, while the honorable mentions in the energy awards have gone to the Naturgy Foundation and the Sustainable Development Foundation.