Osnabrück. The German Environmental Award conferred by the Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt (DBU) – with the highest endowment of any European environmental award at 500,000 euros – goes in 2009 to entrepreneurs Petra Bültmann-Steffin (39, Neuenrade) and Dr. Carsten Bührer (39, Rheinbach), scientist Prof. Dr. Bo Barker Jørgensen (62, Bremen) and honorary chair of the Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland (BUND), Dr. Angelika Zahrnt (65, Neckargemünd). Bültmann-Steffin/Bührer are recognised for a technological breakthrough their companies were able to develop for the first time for industrial use that saves considerable energy. Jørgensen is awarded for research that furthers our understanding of microbial processes in the sea. His work has enabled us to decipher the role played by the ocean in global climatic events. Zahrnt is commended for her decades of devotion to the protection and conservation of the environment. The award, which will be shared in three equal parts by the entrepreneur duo, Jørgensen and Zahrnt, will be presented to the recipients by German Federal President Horst Köhler at a ceremony in Augsburg on 25 October.
Award-winners "prototypes" for what DBU stands for
DBU Secretary General Dr.-Ing. E. h. Fritz Brickwedde praised the award-winners today as “prototypes” for what DBU stands for as the world’s largest environmental foundation: two innovative medium-sized enterprises that have conjoined ecological with economic goals in their pioneering collaboration; a scientist whose low-key yet excellent research helps us to understand the earth’s complex processes; an environmental protectionist who has made a name for herself in a man’s domain, raising the status of nature conservation from a niche theme to a key political and social concern. Brickwedde: “This is just the view of modern environmental protection advocated by the DBU.“
"New chapter in technological history"
With great entrepreneurial courage and a high level of innovative energy, the managing directors of the classic mechanical engineering firm Bültmann and the high-tech company Zenergy Power, Petra Bültmann-Steffin and Dr. Carsten Bührer, have succeeded in developing a special induction heater based on what are known as high-temperature superconductors (HTS). This heater is used in industry for example to heat up blocks of metal to the temperature required for processing – a step that uses an enormous amount of energy. “Three percent of world electricity consumption is devoted to this purpose, in 2007 accounting for around 15 billion kilowatt hours in Germany alone, equivalent to the energy produced by four coal-fired power plants”, Brickwedde emphasises. More than half of that energy can be saved by using this “key 21st-century technology”. The deployment of just one innovative heater of this kind reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 600 tons per annum. At the same time, equipment such as this increases productivity, thus yielding economic savings as well. Brickwedde: “The two companies have written a new chapter in technological history. This outstanding example underscores the innovative power of Germany’s medium-sized businesses and the competence of trained German experts.“
Jørgensens work has central significance for climate debate
Professor Jørgensen’s name stands for an international outlook, transdisciplinary approach and scientific excellence in modern environmental research. If we can say today that we have the elementary knowledge required to understand the great carbon and sulphur cycles of the ocean, this progress can be attributed in large part to the groundbreaking work of the director of the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen. In today’s climate debate and the calculation of climate models, the results of the research of this “intellectual heavyweight“ play a central role. The Copenhagen-born expert for marine biogeochemistry and microbial ecology has been instrumental in elucidating the processes of microbial accumulation and decomposition on the ocean floor.
A pioneer in socially compatible environmental policies
Brickwedde went on to pay tribute to Dr. Angelika Zahrnt as a pioneer in socially compatible environmental policies. As a member of the board of BUND (Friends of the Earth Germany), she has like no other been a prominent voice of inspiration in the sustainability debate. The doctor of economics already took up the idea of the eco-tax 20 years ago, developed it further, and introduced it into the political debate. She also made a key contribution to the study “Zukunftsfähiges Deutschland“ (Sustainable Germany). Brickwedde: “An important contribution to anchoring the global sustainability debate in Germany.“ As the first woman at its head, Dr. Zahrnt has shaped the image of Germany’s largest environmental association, gained the support of 50,000 new members and sponsors, and created professional structures for greater political effectiveness. The close cooperation that exists today between the various environmental protection organisations and other social institutions, businesses, farmers, churches and trade unions can be traced to her influence.
