2024 winner
We are delighted to announce that the winner of the 2024 St Andrews Prize for the Environment is the Kham River Restoration Mission, for their work to restore a seasonal river flowing through the historic city of Aurangabad, India.
They will receive a $100,000 cash prize to further their efforts, and runners-up Northwoods Rewilding Network and Washbox will each receive $25,000 to enable them to scale and expand their work.
Kham River Restoration Mission – Winner
The Kham River Restoration Mission is a public-private partnership, managed by EcoSattva Environmental Solutions, that is working to restore a seasonal river flowing through the historic city of Aurangabad, India.
It emphasises a holistic approach to river restoration by addressing circularity through waste management and pollution prevention, risk readiness via flood and drought proofing, combating heat islands and restoring riparian buffers through blue-green infrastructure, engaging with local governance and citizens, and scaling impact through tech-enabled solutions and documenting best practices and standard procedures along the way.
In 2019, when the project began with a four-party Memorandum of Understanding between Aurangabad Municipal Corporation, Aurangabad Cantonment Board, Varroc Foundation and EcoSattva, the river had been turned into an open drain, with 249 points where sewage entered the river and 10% of the river area covered in solid waste. A survey of residents revealed that only 36% of respondents were aware of its existence. In response to this, the Mission set three simple objectives – to rejuvenate the river, enhance its ecosystems and elevate its place in the hearts of residents.
Since then, the programme has enabled the cleaning and dredging of 11km of the river, eliminated 171 garbage vulnerable points, and demonstrated diversion of more than 5 million litres per day of sewage to treatment plants. It has also removed waste and invasive species from over 100,000 square metres of riverfront, created 14 recreational spaces, and planted more than 80,000 saplings.
"On behalf of our team at EcoSattva, and our partners to the Kham River Restoration Mission, I would like to express our gratitude for being selected as winner of the St Andrews Prize for the Environment.
"This recognition is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone involved in restoring the Kham River and highlights the global significance of local, community-led nature-based solutions.
"Winning this prize will not only amplify our efforts but we hope will also encourage others to take audacious steps to restore and conserve our natural heritage and build climate resilience for future generations."
- Co-founder and Managing Director, EcoSattva Environmental Solutions
Northwoods Rewilding Network – Runner-up
The Northwoods Rewilding Network is a Scotland-wide chain of landholdings committed to nature recovery, convened and coordinated by rewilding charity SCOTLAND: The Big Picture. Northwoods land partners share a vision of a vast network of rewilded land and water across Scotland, where wildlife flourishes and people thrive.
Despite its majestic vistas, Scotland has become one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world. While it boasts a number of examples of rewilding at a landscape-scale, the dual emergencies of climate breakdown and nature loss demand that rewilding must also be accessible to smaller landholdings, so they can contribute to ecological recovery.
Northwoods was conceived as an accessible, democratic pathway for delivering ecological recovery for small to medium-sized landholdings of 100 to 1,000 acres. Since its inception in 2019, the network has grown to 85 land partners – 20% of which are community owned – forming a series of ecological stepping stones across Scotland that cover an area of 25,000 acres.
The project provides tailored support to enable land partners to overcome obstacles to their rewilding aspirations, including funding support, ecological advice to ensure rewilding is conducted according to best practice, and assistance in developing nature-based businesses to make rewilding economically viable.
Northwoods also places significant emphasis on showcasing the success stories of its land partners to expand the network and inspire wider ecological recovery across Scotland.
Washbox – Runner-up
Washbox Global is a company that is addressing the pervasive issue of pollution generated by construction activities and aims to promote a greener, more sustainable future for the construction industry and communities worldwide. Through its innovative Washbox – a closed-loop multitrade wash station – it seeks to eliminate liquid waste pollution, conserve water resources, and enhance productivity in the construction sector.
Traditionally, construction sites have directed trades to wash their tools using drinking water, leading to the contamination of water resources with construction materials and pollutants, such as paint, plaster, PFAs, dyes, and microplastics. This practice not only wastes precious clean water but also leads to untreated wastewater being discharged into sewers, ultimately reaching water bodies.
The Washbox continuously recycles water used for tool washing and captures solids in its filter system for easy disposal, eliminating the environmental impact of liquid waste pollution and conserving clean water resources. Its data logging capabilities provide valuable insights into water usage, waste generation and environmental impact, empowering construction teams to make informed decisions and optimise resource management.
Washbox has been deployed on more than 450 construction and fit-out projects globally, preventing the discharge of 20 million litres of polluted wastewater into sewer and safely capturing more than 1,440 tonnes of construction solids. It is contributing to cleaner waterways and healthier ecosystems, while leading the way towards a more sustainable and environmentally responsible construction industry.