Lush Spring Prize reaches £1 million milestone in funding for environmental and social regeneration

The Lush Spring Prize 2023 has announced 17 prize recipients from 14 different countries and five continents, three of which have never before been represented. The event was held in Berlin, Germany, marking the first time it has been held outside the UK and the prize celebrates and recognizes the work of individuals and groups who address global challenges holistically and regeneratively.

The LUSH Spring Prize is a partnership between LUSH Cosmetics and Ethical Consumer, which has been running since 2017. It aims to support regenerative projects that go beyond sustainability to holistically build the health of ecology, economy, and social systems. By doing so, it hopes to raise awareness of the regenerative movement and inspire more individuals, communities, businesses, and funders to engage in these processes.

The 2023 prize recipients were chosen by a diverse Spring Prize judging panel, which includes representatives from movements such as permaculture design, food sovereignty, transition towns, biomimicry, eco-village networks, and social justice movements. The prize is awarded across six categories. The projects recognized are led and shaped by the communities they serve, including multiple indigenous, refugee, and farmer-led organizations.

Information about all 2023 Spring Prize recipients (and the shortlist) can be found on the Spring Prize website.

Some of this year’s awarded projects include:

●          Himalayan Permaculture Centre (Nepal) – Established Award

The Himalayan Permaculture Centre in Nepal has received the Established Award for its work in remote, resource-depleted farming communities across 31 villages. The center’s unique cross-sector approach integrates food security, health, education, livelihoods, and capacity building to create abundant villages where people are not forced to leave because of poverty.

●          Rawa Fund (Palestine) – Influence Award

The Rawa Fund in Palestine has received the Influence Award for its work advocating for and strengthening a grassroots social ecosystem. Through its pilot participatory grantmaking and holistic support model, Rawa has awarded over 60 grants to grassroots community-based initiatives in various areas.

●          Beejvan (India) – Intentional Award

Beejvan is a farmer-led community initiative in Khanand, Maharashtra, India, promoting Permaculture principles of Earth Care, People Care, and Fair Share. It focuses on seed conservation, regeneration, and livelihood projects to ensure food security. By reviving tree-based farming and creating biodiversity hotspots, Beejvan addresses the climate crisis and local health issues. The goal is to establish a community nursery by 2024 and a native seed bank by 2025.

●          Taniala Regenerative Camps (Madagascar) – Intentional Award

The Taniala Regenerative Camps in Madagascar promotes regenerative land use practices that are locally adapted, accessible, and sustainable. The first camp was set up in 2022 in Lambokely, a village where ‘slash-and-burn’ cultivation is common, leading to only 56% of forest cover remaining. Taniala aims to set up more camps to promote sustainable practices in other sites.

●          Instituto Janeraka (Brazil) – Ancient and Indigenous Wisdom Award (in collaboration with Be The Earth Foundation)

The Janeraka Institute in Brazil was born in the Amazon region, Altamira, from the Awaete ancestry. The Awaete population has faced numerous challenges, including the consequences of genocide and ethnocide since the first contact, worsened by hydroelectric power-plants and mining activities, threatening the existence of the water, peoples, land, and forest in the region and around the planet. The institute promotes ancient and indigenous wisdom and collaborates with the Be The Earth Foundation.

●          Sol Haven (UK) – Permaculture Magazine Award (In collaboration with Permaculture Magazine)

Sol Haven (UK) is a Community Interest Company with a vision to create sustainable permaculture care hubs across the UK, providing a local source of food and showcasing rural arts and crafts. Founded in 2018, the project also aims to create a practical environment to determine a better future.

LUSH Spring Prize

It’s the fifth prize cycle, and the Spring Prize has distributed over £1 million to projects worldwide. The 2023 prize cycle has two collaborative awards in partnership with Be The Earth Foundation and Permaculture Magazine: The Ancient and Indigenous Wisdom Award and the Permaculture Magazine Award. The Ancient and Indigenous Wisdom Award seeks to recognize and celebrate ancient knowledge and wisdom and will award £21,000 to prize recipients. The Permaculture Magazine Award recognizes inspirational permaculture work and will award £15,000 to prize recipients.

The LUSH Spring Prize offers support beyond the prize ceremony and peer-to-peer learning event. Shortlisted groups and prize recipients often continue their relationship with Lush, Ethical Consumer, media partners and other regenerative projects. Some regenerative farming communities have sold surplus produce to Lush, while nRhythm and LUSH have offered 25 subsidised places on nRhythm’s 2023 Regenerative Design Labs. Regenerosity and Re-Alliance are two collaborative projects that have emerged over the years. Regenerosity connects regenerative projects to funders and aims to source further funding and resourcing for them, while Re-Alliance is a network of regenerative practitioners working in the humanitarian and development sectors, hosting capacity-building programs and peer-to-peer learning sessions.

Last Updated on 1 year by News Desk 2