Connie Hedegaard to Receive WAGE® Leadership Award

Earth Day Network to Honor European Commissioner for Climate Action at Climate Leadership Gala

WASHINGTON – Earth Day Network announced today that it would honor Connie Hedegaard, European Commissioner for Climate Action, with the prestigious 2012 Women and the Green Economy (WAGE®) Leadership Award. The award will be presented at the third annual Climate Leadership Gala on March 27 in Washington, D.C. “Connie Hedegaard exemplifies what the WAGE Leadership Award is all about,” said Kathleen Rogers, president of Earth Day Network.  “Most recently, she was the hero of the climate talks in Durban, getting the United States, India and China to accept a legally binding agreement to cut carbon emissions, but she has a long history of trailblazing for women in the green economy.” Appointed in 2010, Hedegaard is the European Union’s first ever Commissioner for Climate Action. Previously, she was Danish Minister for the Environment. In that capacity, she was in charge of setting up the Danish Ministry of Climate and Energy where one of the main tasks was to prepare the UN Climate Conference in Copenhagen in December 2009. Hedegaard’s political career began in 1984 when, at the age of 23, she became the youngest person ever elected to the Danish Parliament. She chose to leave politics for journalism in 1990 and spent 14 years as one of the most recognized journalists in Denmark. She is the author of Da klimaet blev hot(When the Climate Got Hot) published in 2008. “I am honored to have been chosen for this award,” said Hedegaard. “It’s vital that we encourage women’s full participation in the planning and leadership of the new green economy, one the most important social, economic and environmental transformation of our time. We need to continue to support women to be innovative, creative and resilient in a climate-constrained world as we strive to ensure equitable solutions to the climate problem” WAGE is a program of Earth Day Network that engages women in business, government and NGOs to promote the green economy, secure educational and job training opportunities for women, and channel green investment to benefit women. The 2011 WAGE Leadership Award was presented to Lisa Jackson, Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The Climate Leadership Gala is presented by Earth Day Network in partnership with the Carbon War Room and the American Council on Renewable Energy. It brings together 400 of the world’s most distinguished green economy leaders  to celebrate achievements, remove impediments, and forge a path to a post-carbon future. The 2012 Gala will be hosted by actor Ed Begley, Jr., with music provided by Jackson Browne. New York Times columnist and best-selling author Thomas Friedman will be a guest speaker, and the Gala’s keynote address will be delivered by entrepreneur and philanthropist Tom Steyer. For more information on WAGE, go to http://bit.ly/yrZq9n. For more information on the Climate Leadership Gala or to RSVP, go to http://bit.ly/zAQ7Iw.

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