Accra, Feb. 13, GNA - Interplast Limited, a plastic pipe manufacturing company in Ghana on Monday presented a cheque for 100 million cedis to the Ministry of Environment and Science towards the sponsorship of the National Environmental Awards Day celebration scheduled for March 3, this year.

The Environmental Awards day was instituted by the Ministry in 2002 to award, mainly journalists, whose writings contributed positively to the environment.

Mr Saed Fakhry, Chairman of Interplast, who presented the cheque, said the company was sponsoring the awards because it believed the media could play a key role in the fight against environmental degradation. "We as private sector have to join government to sustain the media's education and information dissemination programme on the need for citizens to keep the environment clean," he said. He called on Ghanaians to join the campaign and ensure that the environment was sustainably managed.

Receiving the Cheque, Ms Christine Churcher, Minister of Environment and Science thanked Interplast Limited, adding that the award was aimed at motivating journalists to write more on the environment.

She said the problem of the environment in relation to sanitation, was largely due to attitudes and behaviours that needed to be changed by majority of the citizenry.

Ms Churcher said the environment should no longer be taken for granted because it was the basis for ensuring that the people enjoyed good health and that the country was not plagued with issues such as drought, famine and desertification.

"It is for these reasons that the reward would serve as an incentive for hard working media personnel and organizations championing the cause of the environment," Ms Churcher said. She said March three, was chosen to coincide with the day set aside by the African Union and its member governments as the African Environment Day.

Ms Churcher said nine journalists and three media houses would be awarded in addition to an NGO that had championed the cause of the environment in 2005.

Professor Emeritus Ebenezer Laing, Chairman of an eight-member committee responsible for selecting the award winners, presented its report to the minister.

He said the winners were selected based on style, content of materials, depth of information, clarity and the likely impact of the article on the lives of the people. 13 Feb. 06