ENGIE South Africa has announced that Libby Hirshon, Head of ESG and Sustainability, has been recognised with BirdLife South Africa's Owl Award, a prestigious accolade celebrating individuals who make significant contributions to bird conservation.
Hirshon's work helps redefine how renewable energy projects across Africa coexist with nature. She pioneered the Observer-led Shutdown on Demand (OSDoD) programme that was first implemented at Kipeto Wind Farm in Kenya and subsequently at South Africa's Excelsior and Golden Valley Wind Energy Facilities. The OSDoD is a conservation programme that enables real-time turbine shutdowns to protect vulnerable bird species in flight, says the company.
The OSDoD programme is built on trust, training and teamwork, aiming to empower local observers to act in real time to prevent harm to birds. This approach has become an industry benchmark for biodiversity protection and was recently formalised in the Shutdown on Demand Handbook, to which Hirshon contributed extensively. The Owl Award recognises Hirshon's ongoing efforts to ensure renewable energy remains a force for good — not just for people and communities, but for the planet and its wildlife, concludes the company.
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*Image courtesy of contributor