spirit of the land awards

Sebastian (third from the left) and other Spirit of the Land Award winners onstage during presentation ceremony at 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

In ceremonies held in conjunction with the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, Utah on February 19, 2002, Sebastian Chuwa accepted the Spirit of the Land Award on behalf of the ABCP for his youth education and tree-planting projects in Northern Tanzania. This award was presented to 10 US and 5 international winners by Bill Nye, “The Science Guy”.

In 1994 the International Olympic Committee adopted environment as the third principle of Olympism along with sport and culture. One of the primary goals of the Salt Lake Olympic Committee was to ensure the protection of Utah’s environment while staging the 2002 Winter Games. The Spirit of the Land program embodied a commitment to raise the general consciousness of its guests from around the world about green practices, to leave a legacy of environmental improvement and to honor individuals from around the world who have made substantial educational efforts on behalf of the environment. The award presented to Sebastian was in honor of the numerous youth education projects that he has sponsored throughout his career as a conservationist.  

Sebastian Chuwa at Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.

Spirit of the Land trophy inscription:   
Spirit of the Land
SLOC Environmental Program
Environmental Education Award – International
E. E. and Tree-Planting for Northern Tanzania
African Blackwood Conservation Project – 2002

Spirit of the Land Plaque

Announcement of the Winter Olympics Environmental Awards Ceremony

  Who:    Third Annual “Spirit of the Land” awards ceremony.

  What:   Beginning in 2000, Salt Lake 2002 honored organizations with the
       “Spirit of the Land” award recognizing excellence in environmental
       education in all areas of society, business, education, community,
       youth, and government both nationally and internationally. Previous
       awards were presented on Earth Day 2000 and 2001.

  When: Monday, February 19, 2002  7:15-8:00 p.m.

  Where: Park City Live Site (on the top of the hill on Main Street in
  downtown Park City). Park in the Park City “Park & Ride” lot, located off
  of HWY 40. Take the convenient shuttle to town.

  Bill Nye, the Science Guy will host the event recognizing 15 outstanding
  environmental education programs from around the world.  Several
  celebrities may also be on-hand to help present the awards, including:
  Jean-Michel Cousteau – international environmentalist, France; Sharon
  Lawrence – actress, representative of the Earth Communications Office
  (ECO), Los Angeles, CA; Mimi Rogers – actress, ECO representative;
  Michael T. Weiss – actor, ECO representative.

  A fireworks display will follow awards ceremony.

  Please join us to honor our winners:

  USA Award Winners

  • Going Places, Making Choices: Transportation and the Environment – Sarah
  Cahill, National 4-H Council, Chevy Chase, Maryland
  • Campus Forestry: Schoolyard Explorers – Christine Imoff, TreePeople,
  Inc., Beverly Hills, California
  • 2001: A Water Odyssey – Stephanie Darst, Kentucky State Fair Board,
  Louisville, Kentucky
  • The Classroom: Environment for Learning – Ronald Warken, Chattahoochee
  Nature Center, Inc., Roswell, Georgia
  • Windows on the Wild – Charles J. Ruffing, Eastman Kodak Company with the
  World Wildlife Fund
  • Environmental Conservation of the Earth – Dr. Edward Dalton, National
  Energy Foundation, Salt Lake City, Utah
  • Business-Environment Learning and Leadership (Bell) Project – Liz Cook,
  World Resources Institute
  • GreenWorks! – Kathy McGlauflin, American Forest Foundation
  • Bioregional Outdoor Education Project – Amy O’Conner, Four Corners
  • School of Outdoor Education, Monticello, Utah
   “Let’s Do the Bright Thing” – Bill Edmonds, Utah Power

  International Award Winners

  • Sports for Life Programme – Dr. Elizabeth Odera, Sadili Oval Sports
  Centre, Kenya
  • Environmental Education and Tree-Planting Program for Northern Tanzania
  – Sebastian Chuwa, African Blackwood Conservation Project
  • Cameron Highlands Nature Education Centre – Mathan Lal, WWF-Malaysia
  • Ecological Education of Children in Russia – Yelena Sedletskaya, Moscow
  Children’s Ecological Centre
  • Blue Thumb Project – a way of using drinking water wisely – Regional
  Environmental Education Center in Krakow, Poland

Sebastian Chuwa and James Harris at Environment Day ceremonies

Sebastian Chuwa and James Harris at Environment Day ceremonies.