Prince Albert II of Monaco accepted the Stroud Award for Freshwater Excellence as the Stroud Center celebrated 50 years of advancing knowledge and stewardship of fresh water.
AVONDALE, Pa. — On September 17, more than 250 guests filled the Galleries Reception Atrium at Winterthur and listened as His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco began his speech:
“‘Water is the principal element of all things. All things are water,’ said Thales of Miletus many, many years ago. It is for this reason that water should bring us together — because water, after all, allows us to identify the majority of dysfunctions in our world, to understand them, to measure their impact, but also to remedy them.”
After his remarks, Stroud Water Research Center presented Prince Albert with the Stroud Award for Freshwater Excellence. The award honors individuals, institutions, or organizations whose work contributes broadly to the conservation and protection of freshwater resources and ecosystems, to improving the quantity and quality of fresh water on the planet, or to developing policies and practices which help perpetuate clean fresh water for future generations and wildlife.
Stroud Center President and Distinguished Scientist Bern Sweeney, Ph.D., said, “We are extremely pleased to tell you that tonight’s awardee, Prince Albert II of Monaco, has contributed to all three of these areas. … A sustainable supply of clean fresh water is absolutely fundamental to all of life in our watersheds as well as in our oceans. The three primary areas of interest of Prince Albert and his foundation are water, biodiversity, and climate change, and oh, by the way, they happen to overlap completely with the mission of Stroud Water Research Center.”
Since 1967, Stroud Water Research Center scientists and educators have been working to advance new knowledge about how healthy streams and rivers function, studying more than 2,000 rivers and streams around the world, teaching several thousand children and adults about freshwater science and stewardship each year, and working with landowners to restore healthy waterways in the Delaware River Basin and beyond.
Sweeney continued, “This award to Prince Albert really celebrates our common commitment to the environment — the Stroud Center being a fact-finding, nonadvocacy organization, and His Serene Highness being an enlightened leader supporting exemplary environmental actions and policies in Monaco and around the world. We know that he has pushed for the development of very specific things like public transportation, ecological vehicles, renewable energies, high-quality environmental buildings, and so on and so forth. And we know that progress on all those fronts saves enormous quantities of fresh water and goes a long way in protecting the quality of freshwater resources.”
The award ceremony was held in conjunction, as it is every year, with the Stroud Center’s annual fundraising gala, The Water’s Edge. This year’s event was momentous, as it was the 15th annual gala, with Wilmington Trust as the presenting sponsor, and the 50th anniversary of Stroud Water Research Center.
About Stroud Water Research Center
Stroud Water Research Center advances knowledge and stewardship of freshwater systems through global research, education, and watershed restoration and to help businesses, landowners, policymakers, and individuals make informed decisions that affect water quality and availability around the world. Stroud Water Research Center is an independent, 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization.
About the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation
In June 2006, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco decided to set up his Foundation in order to address the alarming threats hanging over our planet’s environment. The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation supports projects in three main geographical regions: the Mediterranean Basin, the Polar Regions and the Least Developed Countries. The Foundation’s efforts focus on three main sectors: Climate change and renewable energies, biodiversity, and integrated and sustainable water management together with the fight against desertification. Since it was established, the Foundation has supported over 400 projects with a total amount of 36 million euros.
