Environmental work honored by HMS

The Center for Health and the Global Environment at Harvard Medical School (HMS) has named Kofi Annan and Alice Waters as its 2008 Global Environmental Citizen Award recipients.

During his tenure as secretary-general of the United Nations, Annan provided leadership in a number of initiatives that recognized that protecting the environment is fundamental to international development, including the groundbreaking Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. He is the co-recipient of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize and is now chair of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, a partnership working across the continent that aims to help millions of small subsistence farmers lift themselves out of poverty while safeguarding the environment.

As the owner and founder of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, Calif., Waters is a pioneering advocate for sustainable agriculture and local, seasonal foods and is one of America’s most influential chefs. In 1996 she started the Chez Panisse Foundation, which supports such educational initiatives as the Edible Schoolyard, an organic garden and kitchen classroom at the Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School in Berkeley. These programs help people understand how local, sustainable food benefits food quality, their health, and the environment.

The recipients will be presented with the Global Environmental Citizen Awards during a gala celebration and fundraiser Feb. 3, 2008, in New York City. The yet unnamed 2008 Corporate Council Award recipient will also be honored during this event.