Europe's top environmental prize awarded to UNEP Director Toepfer and German companies

Germany's Federal President, Johannes Rau, hands overdocuments - Federal Foundation for the Environment awards prizefor tenth time

Magdeburg, Germany (ots/PROTEXT) 28.10.2002 - Europe's mostcoveted environmental prize worth EUR 500,000 has been awardedfor the tenth time. Germany's Head of State, Federal PresidentJohannes Rau, handed over the prize from the German FederalFoundation for the Environment in Osnabrueck to the Director ofthe United Nations' environment programme and former ministerfor the environment, Prof. Dr Klaus Toepfer (64, Nairobi), andthe founder and managing director of Prophyta GmbH, Dr PeterLueth (46, Wismar). In this way, Europe's largest environmentalfoundation has acknowledged the work that Professor Toepfer, thehighest-ranking German in international environmental protectionat the UN, has performed. Doctor Lueth was awarded his prize fordeveloping and producing biological plant-protection agents.

The foundation underlined that Professor Toepfer had made asignificant contribution to the success of the UN Conference'Environment and Development' held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Aschairman of the UN Commission for Sustained Development, hedevoted considerable time to turning the concrete aims outlinedin Rio into international agreements. In addition, he tenaciouslydefended the interests of developing countries that areparticularly susceptible to climatic changes, but are onlymarginally responsible for causing them. At national level,Professor Toepfer has played a decisive role in developing theidea of preventative and production-integrated environmentalprotection.

At a time of radical change, Doctor Lueth recognized hisopportunity with his company Prophyta, which he founded in 1992in Malchow (Mecklenburg-Vorpommern). In Germany, he developedthe first biological agent to combat fungi harmful to plants andbuilt up an efficient company, which now employs 17 staff and hascontacts with partners in over 40 countries. His 'pioneeringachievement' set a technological standard that gainedrecognition worldwide and will lead to many further innovativeapplications in bio-compound development.

You can find a detailed report on the ceremony andphotographs for use free of charge (from around 15.00) on thefoundation's homepage at www.dbu.de. ots Original Text Service: DBU Internet:http://www.presseportal.de

Contact:

Franz-Georg Elpers, Press Officer (Head) Tel.: 0541/9633-521E-mail: fg.elpers@dbu.de

Katja Diehl, Editor Tel.: 0541/9633-522 E-mail:k.diehl@dbu.de

An der Bornau 2 49090 Osnabrueck Fax: 0541/9633-198

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