Donation Amount. Min £2

Prince William giving a speech at a past event. 

A Kenyan company tackling food waste through innovative refrigerated boxes has caught the attention of Prince William, earning its place among 15 global finalists for the prestigious Earthshot Prize.

The Earthshot Prize, spearheaded by the Prince of Wales, awards emerging solutions that address the pressing environmental crisis. With its innovative approach, the Kenyan company, Keep IT Cool, could soon earn a transformative £1 million (approximately Ksh166.4 million), a prize set to be awarded to five winners in November. 

The event will take place in Cape Town, South Africa, where Keep IT Cool will compete under categories like cleaning the air and building a carbon-neutral economy. The recognition came at an unveiling event led by Prince William during Climate Week NYC, coinciding with the UN General Assembly in New York. This marks the fourth year of the Earthshot Prize, a reflection of the growing urgency to combat the escalating climate crisis.

Why it matters: Kenya is increasingly becoming a global solutions player in various sectors, and with the worsening climate crisis, Kenya cannot afford to depend on global support alone to combat climate change. Local innovations, with support from the government and donors, could go a long way in speeding up the capacity-building process to combat climate change.

 

Keep IT Cool

Dig deeper: Keep IT Cool’s revolutionary refrigerated boxes address one of Kenya’s long-standing challenges—food waste. This innovation promises to reduce post-harvest losses, which have plagued the agricultural sector, threatening food security and economic stability. With food prices and inflation continually pressuring Kenyan households, the potential impact of this technology is monumental.

If Keep IT Cool secures the prize, the funds could significantly expand their capacity, potentially transforming the agricultural landscape not just in Kenya but across Africa. 

This year’s Earthshot finalists were selected amidst an unprecedented wave of climate disasters. Record-breaking heatwaves and wildfires have ravaged communities worldwide, and 2024 is set to be the hottest year on record, surpassing even 2023.

Actor and climate activist Jane Fonda emphasised the urgency of action during the announcement ceremony. "Now is the time to show up with everything we have," she declared. Her message mirrors the very ethos of the Earthshot Prize, designed to spotlight and support groundbreaking environmental solutions.

Other notable finalists this year include NatureMetrics, a UK-based biodiversity startup, and Equatic, which extracts carbon from the air and generates clean hydrogen using seawater. These contenders, alongside Keep IT Cool, are united by their innovative responses to the climate crisis, offering real hope in the quest for a sustainable future.

Founded in 2020 by Prince William, the Earth shot Prize has rapidly grown into a global platform for environmental innovators. Supported by major organisations such as Bloomberg Philanthropies, Breakthrough Energy Foundation, Bezos Earth Fund, and the Jack Ma Foundation, the prize draws attention to forward-thinking projects capable of reversing environmental degradation.  

An advisory panel, composed of experts in fields ranging from conservation to finance, reviews the nominations each year, recommending finalists for the prize. Prince William and other environmental leaders then make the final selection.

Prince William (center) chats with the two finalists David Daballen (Maasai attire) and Dismas Partalala Ole Meitaya from Tanzania (traditional attire) of the Tusks Conservation awards in London on November 2, 2022 APO Group/Kenyans.co.ke
 
 

About IEA Media Ltd

Informer East Africa is a UK based diaspora Newspaper. It is a unique platform connecting East Africans at home and abroad through news dissemination. It is a forum to learn together, grow together and get entertained at the same time.

To advertise events or products, get in touch by info [at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447957636854.
If you have an issue or a story, get in touch with the editor through editor[at] informereastafrica [dot] com or call +447886544135.

We also accept donations from our supporters. Please click on "donate". Your donations will go along way in supporting the newspaper.

Get in touch

Our Offices

London, UK
+44 7886 544135
editor (@) informereastafrica.com
Slough, UK
+44 7957 636854
info (@) informereastafrica.com

Latest News

Police Arrest Ruiru Pastor Peter K Who Was Wanted for Sodomising TukTuk Driver

Police Arrest Ruiru...

Police officers in Nairobi tracked down and arrested Christ Impact Church preacher, known as Peter K...

Police officer killed in Mandera during a clash with Somalia forces

Police officer kille...

One police officer was killed and another injured following a clash with Somalia's National Intellig...

Transforming agrifood systems in East and Southern Africa: Shaping the 2025–2030 Agenda

Transforming agrifoo...

CGIAR, through its Regional Integrated Initiatives (RIIs), has been working on scaling affordable, c...

UN judge 'exploited and abused' Ugandan woman she kept as enslaved while in UK

UN judge 'explo...

Judge Lydia Mugambe (photo credit: UNITED NATIONS) Mugambe was appointed to the UN's judicial roste...

For Advertisement

Big Reach

Informer East Africa is one platform for all people. It is a platform where you find so many professionals under one umbrella serving the African communities together.

Very Flexible

We exist to inform you, hear from you and connect you with what is happening around you. We do this professionally and timely as we endeavour to capture all that you should never miss. Informer East Africa is simply news for right now and the future.

Quality News

We only bring to you news that is verified, checked and follows strict journalistic guidelines and standards. We believe in 1. Objective coverage, 2. Impartiality and 3. Fair play.

Banner & Video Ads

A banner & video advertisement from our sponsors will show up every once in a while. It keeps us and our writers coffee replenished.