BY: RHIANN MOORE
Lush recently launched the Spring Prize 2017 in their endless effort to save the environment from humankind’s relentless and destructive tendencies. Much like the Lush Prize before it, the award seeks to empower individuals, organizations and communities from all over the world; whether they are at the earliest stage of an idea or if they are an established organization or campaign group. Unlike the Lush Prize, the Spring Prize focuses specifically on the concept of regeneration. The prize culminates in a high-profile conference that will happen once a year in order to bring winners together to share experiences with one another and raise awareness for the concept of regeneration and the potential it could have to restore the planet to its former glory.
Open to anyone working in the field of regeneration, the Spring Prize is mainly searching to enable systems that have the capability of regenerating and repairing damaged environments. These systems focus on a more “holistic” approach to mending environmental, social and economic problems. Rather than looking to sustain problematic environments, Lush wants to encourage innovators to focus on the restoration of them. The prize goes beyond exclusively science as the £200,000 prize is divided amongst Intentional Projects, Young Projects, Established Projects and the Individual Influence award. So long as they are in some way involved in regeneration – be it idea, lobbies to influence policy or work to improve ecological and social systems. The prize seeks to support any initiative where energy, natural resources and materials are conserved and enriched to contribute towards equitable development.
It’s refreshing to find companies, such as Lush, who in times of great environmental need are actually seeking to use their wealth to help the problem – rather than gain more wealth while hurting the problem. Although governments are much more hesitant as of late to fund projects which focus on experimentation in environmental activity, it’s wonderful to find ones that are more than willing to open the floor internationally and attempt to back up their humanitarian outward images. The Lush Spring Prize wants to encourage people to live in harmony with each other through the generation of renewable resources, restorable ecosystems and by nurturing togetherness and working to make societies stronger.
Regeneration is not just for professionals working in the industry, it’s something people can get involved with on a very individual scale. The Product Care Association is a federally incorporated, not-for-profit, product stewardship company. They are committed to making the recycling of special waste easy for everyone. They began in British Columbia, but have begun to expand across all of Canada to set up collections for unwanted products like paint and batteries. They take these products into their recycling programs so that the can be regenerated and reused without damage to the environment. It’s efforts such as these that Lush is attempting to build and innovate with. Although 2017 is the first year of the Spring Prize, hopefully it will continue on to promote new and exciting ways to improve, rather than sustain, our damaged ecosystems. If you are involved in regeneration, the Spring Prize is open to application until February 28.