Kenyan entrepreneur Dysmus Kisily, and his business Solar Freeze, received the 2022 Pritzker Award for environmental innovators from the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. The Pritzker Award, which is presented annually, carries a prize of $100,000 that is funded through a portion of a $20 million gift to UCLA from the Anthony and Jeanne Pritzker Family Foundation. It is the field’s first major honor specifically for innovators under the age of 40.

Kisilu co-founded Solar Freeze in 2018, bringing solar-powered cold storage to small Kenyan farms — enabling them to reduce food waste without increasing carbon emissions. The storage units, which are made using old shipping containers, allow farmers to preserve perishable produce inexpensively, giving them leverage to sell harvests after times of peak production. The company also aims to further its mission with a new mobile app and by expanding to other parts of Africa.

Kisilu’s honor was presented by Tony Pritzker, who founded the award and is a member of the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability advisory board.

“The objective of all this is to honor you at such a great point in your lives — giving you the opportunity to take it to the next level,” Pritzker said.

Read more about Dysmus Kisilu’s achievement at UCLA Newsroom.

Image Source: Damon Cirulli