Dear Friends,
In case you haven’t already heard the news, it is with great excitement that I announce TWP as the 2008 winner of the US$1 million Rio Tinto Prize for Sustainability! Along with National Director Richard Fox and TWP Board members, I was honored to accept the prestigious Prize at the 2009 International Economic Forum of the Americas (Conference de Montreal) in Montreal last week.

Everyone at TWP is absolutely thankful, delighted and overwhelmed with gratitude at being the 2008 Rio Tinto Prize winner. Now, we have the opportunity to expand our life-changing improved cook stove and community reforestation programs in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Haiti. In particular, we will use the Prize to leverage additional sources of funding, and increasingly share the work we are doing with other interested organizations. This is an historical moment for TWP!

Thank you for believing in our mission and supporting our efforts. Together, we have accomplished tremendous things over the past 11 years that benefit both people and the planet. We look forward to celebrating more successes with you in the future.

For additional information about the Rio Tinto Prize for Sustainability, please visit our website at www.treeswaterpeople.org or directly at http://treeswaterpeople.org/about/about_rio_tinto.htm.
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Yours for a sustainable tomorrow,

Stuart Conway
International Director
Stuart_Conway@mail.vresp.com