Minister Gilad Erdan: The media manages to keep environmental issues high on the agenda and influences the decision makers.

Minister Erdan said these things at the Pratt award ceremony for communication on environmental and social issues

Yesterday, the Pratt Prize event for communication on environmental and social issues took place. This year, the main purpose of the event, in addition to awarding prizes to media people who excelled in environmental coverage, was to bring together the community of environmental reporters in Israel and prominent sustainability activists.

Minister Gilad Erdan, who was present at part of the event, said: "Environmental issues are complex, this is a professional and media challenge. Today I understand better the importance of your work and cooperation with you. Environmental struggles would not have ended successfully without you, such as Palmahim beach and the coal station. The media manages to keep the issue high on the agenda and influences the decision makers"

The event included a panel moderated by Aviv Lavi on the topic: "New Communication in an Era of Revolutions: Environment and Society in the Mirror of Digital Culture" and the Pratt Awards ceremony moderated by Tal Friedman. The Pratt Foundation and the Heschel Center, the organizers of the award, intend to continue this tradition of an event that brings together senior members of the environmental media community in Israel.

The media people who won this year's Pratt Awards are:

• In the national media category, Yael Evri Darel, Ynet reporter, Rachel Talshir, "Haaretz" reporter, added to the gallery, won a commendation.
• In the local media category, Yoav Etzion, the reporter for the newspaper "Yediot Ha'emek" won
• In the radio and television category, the eco 99fm radio station won. The film "The Human Turbine" by Yehuda Beaton and Danny Verta won a commendation.
• In the independent media category, Yoav Lerman, the author of the blog "Another Tel Aviv blog" won a commendation. The website "the green prophet"
• Prof. Dani Rabinowitz, author of the books: "Moving Forces" and "Here It Comes", won the award for special contribution to media on environmental issues. And the blog writer: "Homo Combustance - the burning man".