Pinay chef receives UN Young Champion of Earth award

MANILA, Philippines — The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) has officially honored Filipina chef Louise Mabulo and other environmental changemakers from around the world with the 2019 UN Champions of the Earth Award.

Mabulo, a joint winner for Asia and the Pacific, sat on a panel with celebrity chef Massimo Bottura as part of a series of talks held at the UN on the sidelines of the Climate Action Summit.

The 21-year-old awardee lamented that a third of all food produced is wasted.

“But once you do something, people come together to help,” Mabulo said.

She built The Cacao Project, growing climate-resilient cocoa and restaurant business, which serves homegrown food made by farmers in the local community, following a typhoon which destroyed 80 percent of agriculture in her hometown of Camarines Sur.

“My venture was founded on research on what food is more resilient in our community – and that turned to be cacao,” she said. “Once people realize and celebrate the value of food, individuals can make big changes,” she added.

The awards ceremony, held in New York on Thursday, came days after UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on the world to take urgent action on climate change and make concrete commitments to curb greenhouse gas emissions.

Presenting the awards were actor and environmental activist Alec Baldwin, 2011 Champion of the Earth Angelique Kidjo and UNEP Goodwill Ambassador Dia Mirza.

The Champions of the Earth award – the UN’s highest environmental honor – is presented every year to outstanding leaders from government, civil society and the private sector whose actions have had a positive impact on the environment.

This year’s awards ceremony recognized laureates in the categories of inspiration and action, policy leadership, entrepreneurial vision, and science and innovation.