Communication | Education | Policy|Leaders4Climate
Earth Day Network Gala Unites Disparate Climate Campaigners
May 16, 2019
By
Connect4Climate

The Earth Day Network's Climate Leadership Gala, which took place this Wednesday at a hotel ballroom in Washington, D.C., saw an unlikely congregation of climate allies come together to recognize one another's work in accelerating climate action and to lay out new strategies for ensuring a greener future. Attendees included influencers from governmental organizations, popular media, social media, private industry, and the youth protest movement.

Earth Day Network president Kathleen Rogers kicked off the festivities with a reminder of the impact the original Earth Day made on so many people in the United States and abroad back in 1970, and maintained that the Network remains fully committed to promoting that same kind of enthusiasm around climate issues to this day. Rogers and her organization are looking forward to the many climate awareness activities planned for Earth Day 2020.

Washington, D.C.'s Ward 3 councilmember Mary Cheh emceed the event, calling special attention to the recent achievements of youth in the realm of climate advocacy.

Early on, the night focused on the efforts of business leaders to cultivate greener images for their brands. Suzanne DiBianca, executive vice president of corporate relations at the San Francisco-based software firm Salesforce, accepted an award in recognition of her company's work eliminating its carbon footprint and enlisting community stakeholders in a sustainability and climate awareness campaign. Toyota's sustainability director Kevin Butt, for his part, discussed the automaker's latest strides in hydrogen- and electricity-powered vehicles, and laid out new goals for further reductions in the company's overall carbon emissions.

After these talks the gala pivoted toward popular media when well-loved Today show veteran Al Roker accepted an award of his own for his commitment to communicating the severity of climate change. In his speech, Roker said he was grateful to be able to use his platform to distribute scientific fact to the American public and keep the dialogue on sustainability going in these contentious political times.

As fish and falafel dinners were served to the assembled guests, National Football League chef Charity Morgan took to the podium to discuss her work improving the diets of American footballers. She noted that, contrary to what you might expect, the food provided to these athletes has historically been nutrient-poor and unsustainable. She's been changing that one meal at a time, establishing a positive, sustainability-minded relationship with the NFL and arranging more nutritious plant-based dietary options for players.

The next award recipient was the evening's youngest speaker, 13-year-old climate striker Alexandria Villaseñor, who was recognized for her work galvanizing the first-ever worldwide school strike for climate on March 15. Inspired by school strike for climate pioneer Greta Thunberg, Villaseñor is mobilizing youth around the world for an even mroe ambitious international demonstration on May 24.

Rounding out the evening were presentations from actress-turned-documentary filmmaker Ashley Bell and blockbuster director James Cameron. Bell, whose documentary debut Love and Bananas makes a compelling emotional case for the protection of elephants worldwide, accepted her climate leadership award with a call to preserve the beauty of nature for future generations. Cameron concluded the gala with remarks beamed in from New Zealand, focusing on the importance of civic engagement in bringing about systemic change and exhorting everyone to "Get involved, get informed, and vote Earth!"

Connect4Climate is a World Bank Group Multi-Donor Trust Fund powered by Italy’s Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development that drives climate action through advocacy, partnerships, and creative communications.

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