The Mae Fah Luang Foundation has won the SX Shaper Award this year for its outstanding performance in making large-scale changes to help improve the environment and support community sustainability.
The award is given to people or organisations that have shown outstanding performance to effect positive change in these two contexts.
Thanphuying Putrie Viravaidya, chairperson of the foundation, expressed her appreciation for the award, saying it reflected the hard work of all the staff who have contributed to improving the living conditions of hill tribes in Thailand.
“Our staff will welcome this award. Our excellent teamwork passes on these ambitions from generation to generation and extends the job for the utmost benefit of the people,” she said as she accepted the Sustainability Expo 2024 on Friday.
In 1972, Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra, the late Princess Mother of King Rama IX, established the foundation to improve people’s quality of life in terms of health, education, livelihood development and more.
Her emphasis for the Mae Fah Luang Foundation was on “helping people to help themselves” so that they can become independent without relying on handouts.
The foundation believes people are both the root cause and the solution to social and environmental problems. As such, it begins with human development to help empower local communities.
The foundation has also successfully increased forest area coverage to 90%, according to the foundation.
In 2000, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) honoured the princess as a “great personality in public service in the fields of education, applied science, and human, social and environmental development”.
For the environment, the foundation has reduced greenhouse gas emissions by scaling back energy use by 36% and increasing the use of alternative fuel by 45% over the past five years. It has a goal to achieve zero carbon emissions by 2065.
