Overview
- Sahu received the honour in the Inspiration and Action category at a Dec. 10 ceremony in Nairobi.
- The additional chief secretary in Tamil Nadu’s environment department was recognised for leadership on plastics, wildlife conservation and broader biodiversity efforts.
- UNEP singled out her sustainable cooling initiatives, including a Cool Roof Project that paints school roofs white in 200 public green schools to cut indoor temperatures.
- Coverage credits her tenure with planting over 100 million trees, creating 65 reserve forests, doubling mangrove cover, expanding wetlands from one to 20 and launching a US$60 million Endangered Species Conservation Fund.
- Her track record includes the 2000 Operation Blue Mountain plastic campaign in the Nilgiris and the creation of the Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company focused on coastal resilience and urban heat.