Jacqui Patterson, Sam Rose, Seth Goldman, and Marlén Garcia to Be Honored at EARTHDAY.ORG’s 2023 Climate Leadership Gala

Seth Goldman, and Marlén Garcia to Be Honored at EARTHDAY.ORG’s 2023 Climate Leadership Gala

Amanda Seyfried Joins Gala as Special Guest

Washington, D.C. (April 11, 2023)– EARTHDAY.ORG, the global organizer of Earth Day and largest recruiter of environmental movements worldwide, will host the annual Climate Leadership Gala at the historic Mayflower Hotel in Washington, D.C. on April 27th. The event will bring together over 300 global leaders from government, philanthropy, tech, arts, policy, finance, conservation, and more to celebrate monumental climate achievements and transformative leadership.

“Earth Day 2023 presents a great moment of opportunity for billions of individuals, governments, and businesses to Invest In Our Planet and push for a greener, more equitable future” said Kathleen Rogers, President of EARTHDAY.ORG. “This year’s honorees are leading the way to create widespread awareness and accelerate critical action to change the trajectory of the defining crisis of our time: the climate crisis.”

Jacqui Patterson, Founder and Executive Director of The Chisholm Legacy Project, will receive the 2023 Women and The Green Economy Leadership Award for her extraordinary work in the environmental movement. Her advocacy for intersectional approaches to social justice have brought a much-needed kindness and human-centered perspective to the discourse surrounding the climate crisis. By providing critical resources to Black communities on the frontline, Patterson’s work is having an immediate impact and has positioned her as a role model and mentor for young women around the globe.

Sam Rose, Climate and Education Philanthropist, will be honored with our Climate Education Champion Award for his unrelenting dedication and philanthropic passion for education. Rose’s immense generosity and commitment to the environmental movement have brought equitable education onto the global agenda for COP 28 and also helped amplify voices across the world fighting for equal opportunity and against the climate crisis.

Seth Goldman, Cofounder and CEO of Eat the Change, Chair of the Board of Beyond Meat and Co-founder of PLNT Burger and Honest Tea, will receive the 2023 Climate Visionary Award in recognition of his exceptional leadership and decades of tireless efforts as an innovative entrepreneur, environmental and climate activist, and philanthropist. His bold passion for democratizing plant- based and plant-healthy foods worldwide has significantly contributed to solving the challenge of climate change and building a strong and equitable green economy.

Marlén Garcia, Executive Director of Earth Uprising International, will be honored with our Youth Climate Leadership Award for her passionate and energetic leadership as an activist on the frontlines. From her early organizing efforts as an accomplished Young Legislator, to her work with Youth Vs. Apocalypse, and to stepping up now to lead Earth Uprising, Garcia has proven to be a leader focusing on justice as a key component to fighting the climate crisis. She shines a light on a more comprehensive systems approach and humanizes the environmental movement by giving voices to marginalized groups.

Featured speakers at this year’s gala will include Jane Poynter, Founder and Co-CEO of Space Perspective, the world’s first carbon-neutral space travel experience company and EARTHDAY.ORG supporting partner. Poynter will be joined on stage by Jeff Hoffman, former NASA astronaut, professor of aerospace engineering at MIT and Space Perspective Technical Advisor, to discuss the important role space travel can play in transforming humanity’s perception of our planet. Ann Druyan, longtime collaborator and wife to late astronomer Carl Sagan and Emmy and Peabody-Award winning writer and producer, will contribute a special video message in support of Space Perspective’s new campaign, which features Sagan’s immortal words from the 1994 book, Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space.

EARTHDAY.ORG is proud to announce Amanda Seyfried, the award-winning actress and co-founder of Make It Cute, will join us as a special guest for the event. Make It Cute is a toy company offering children’s play houses made out of completely sustainable materials. In addition to her sustainable entrepreneurship and highly successful acting career, Seyfried also serves as a member of the board of the non-profit organization International Network for Aid Relief and Assistance, which provides medical treatment to children in areas of crisis and conflict.

To purchase tickets, please visit: https://earthdayoeg.thundertix.com/events/210216?only_one=true.

ABOUT EARTHDAY.ORG:
EARTHDAY.ORG’s mission is to diversify, educate, and activate the environmental movement worldwide. Growing out of the first Earth Day (1970), EARTHDAY.ORG is the world’s largest recruiter to the environmental movement, working with more than 150,000 partners in nearly 192 countries to build environmental democracy. More than 1 billion people now participate in Earth Day actions each year, making it the largest civic observance in the world. Learn more at EARTHDAY.ORG.