Jury focused on scale, sustainability

A seven-member jury headed by eminent scientist R A Mashelkar picked awardees for the 6th edition of the JSWTimes of India Earth Care Awards after a painstaking process of due diligence spread over months. The panel focused not just on novelty but on scale and sustainability. Other than Mashelkar, those on the panel of judges were Kartikeya V Sarabhai, founder director, Center for Enviornment Education, Rajendra Shende, former head of OzonAction Programme, UNEP , Aneeta Benninger, executive director, CDSA, Rajat Gupta, deputy DG, Centre for Science and Environment and Nitin Pandit, MD, WRI India, Chandra Bhushan, Deputy DG, Centre for Science & Environment.

The Centre for Environment Education drew up the first shortlist of applicants. The jury members were then made their mentors.“We have a rigorous process where our emphasis is not just output but outcome, in terms of the difference they make in terms of sustainabil ity and scale. I chair a lot of awards committees. This is one of the best in terms of practices followed.“ said jury head Mashelkar, former DG of Council of Scientific and Industrial Research. Each category had a different set of criteria. For instance, judging the community segment, the jury looked at how an initiative had empowered a group of people or households and how useful it was to them. The dialogue between them, networking in terms of how they had learnt from one another and how their projects could be scaled up were assessed. For some other categories, innovation was at the core.

“A lot of it had to deal with how these innovations could be scaled up to reach a wider audience so they have the intended impact,“ Nitin Pandit said. The jury scrutinized each application and organized field visits. “The jury had to use their expertise and judgment to ensure that the right winner was picked. There was enthusiasm among communities, industries and individuals on battling climate change. But it was difficult to figure out who was doing better." Rajendra Shende said.