The tenth edition of the Environment Trophies took place at Villa Masséna in the presence of Véronique Paquis, deputy mayor in charge of Ecology, and Laurent Ballesta, photographer and naturalist, sponsor of the event.
The Environment Trophies were created in 2010 to showcase and reward the efforts made by Nice’s associations, schools, and residents. With this competition, both actions and ideas are rewarded.
This year, three primary school classes participated in the ceremony. That very morning, the schools René Arziari, Ronchèse, and Saint-Antoine-Ginestière* cleaned the beach in front of the CUM. The students then explained the purpose of their projects and were rewarded for their work. 
Since the first edition, more than 260 projects have been selected and 211 have been realized. Every year, awards are presented before a prestigious sponsor or patron.
The Sponsor
Laurent Ballesta, passionate about diving from a young age, is also a photographer and naturalist. On the occasion of World Oceans Day, he presents his film and explains his new project.
“To understand what I am going to do, one must understand what I have already done.” A few images show his lifelong dream: Finding Gombessa, a fish as old as the dinosaurs. It would take him just a minute and thirty seconds of diving to see it, after dreaming for over ten years. His new dream is also titled Gombessa. “If there are scientific discoveries, a promise of imagery, and diving challenges, the project will automatically be named that.”
For several weeks, confined to five square meters, Laurent Ballesta will explore the seabed of the Mediterranean. “I am not undertaking these dives to talk about pollution. We do not prepare such a large expedition to state the obvious. Everyone knows it. I want to show that there are unexplored and beautiful areas.”
Confined with three other divers, they will need four whole days of decompression to avoid any incidents. “The time will be long. I dislike cards, so I will ban them onboard. A real dictatorship.”
