Adrian (Banie) Lasimbang, a longtime Seacology partner who has been instrumental in our work to protect forests on Borneo, has been awarded the 2022 IVLP Alumni Award for Social Innovation and Change.

The prize is presented by Global Ties US, an organization that promotes international cooperation and citizen diplomacy. It recognizes leaders who work with marginalized communities to create fair, inclusive ways to address climate change.

No one fits that description better than Banie. For more than two decades, he has been at the forefront of the movement for sustainable development and representation for Borneo’s indigenous rural communities. The organization he founded in 1993, TONIBUNG, has led sustainable energy projects across Malaysian Borneo, including our recent projects to provide low-impact micro-hydro electrical systems for the villages of Long Tanid and Long Liam. He has also served as an advisor on other Seacology micro-hydro projects on his home island.

It’s not the first time Banie has been recognized for his important grassroots work. In 2004, he was the first Malaysian to be awarded the Seacology Prize for his success in organizing indiginous communities against the unsustainable exploitation of Borneo’s forests and his leadership on alternative energy projects.

Banie shared the Global Ties US award with Pakistani journalist Mehwish Abbasi, whose work has focused on the environment, women’s rights, and education.