Former governor, body-builder, action hero and womaniser Arnold Schwarzenegger was in Copenhagen yesterday to give out the first ever Sustainia Award, which recognises outstanding performance within the area of sustainability.
At a press conference following the award ceremony at the Royal Theatre, Schwarzenegger expressed his admiration for our fair city.
“Copenhagen was always our inspiration [as governor in California] in regards to climate, because of the work with various energy saving companies,” Schwarzenegger said.
Though Schwarzenegger might be the 'Last Action Hero', the true action heroes yesterday were British Azuri Technologies, who won the award for their Indigo solar solution built for homes in the developing world.
Their technology allows residents in developing countries to install small solar panels that are paid for with pay-as-you-go scratch-cards, thus sparing families the big up-front costs of installing solar power. In Kenya, a scratch card costs $1.40 and allows for eight hours of fossil-free lighting for two rooms and mobile phone charging for a week.
“We are thrilled to be the first winner of Sustainia Award,” Simon Bransfield-Garth, the CEO of Azuri Technologies and the developer of Indigo Pay-As-You-Go Solar, said in a press release “This award and the remarkable work associated with it will raise awareness of our technology and the great impact the solar panels have for people whose only alternative is smoke-filled unhealthy kerosene.”
After hobnobbing with his fellow philanthropic Sustainia members, Schwarzenegger jumped in his black Mercedes and headed over to Hotel Kong Frederik, where he held an autograph signing in conjunction with his newly released biography, 'Total Recall, My Unbelievably Real Life Story'. There, he was met by a gaggle of scantily-clad bodybuilders, as well as some particularly loyal fans.
“I am crazy about Arnold,” Imran Khan, who owns a robot copy of Terminator Arnold worth 45,000 kroner, told BT tabloid. “I have been waiting for him for four hours. It means everything for me to get his autograph. This is the biggest moment of my life!”
