Clif Bar Inc. Owner and CEO Gary Erickson is Global Green USA's recipient of the 2004 Green Cross Millennium Award for Corporate Environmental Leadership, recognizing his company's efforts to use renewable energy, eco-friendly packaging and organic ingredients.
Global Green USA, the U.S. affiliate of Green Cross International founded by former Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev, will honor Erickson and other environmental leaders tonight at the star-studded 10th Annual Green Cross Millennium Awards ceremony in Los Angeles at the St. Regis Hotel. Gorbachev, the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize laureate, is expected to attend and receive a tribute for his continued efforts toward world peace and sustainability, marking his first California appearance in more than two years. Among those slated to present awards are film stars/activists Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelica Huston and Charlize Theron.
Erickson is being honored for his commitment to reduce Clif Bar Inc.'s ecological footprint on the planet through a variety of environmental programs. These include helping build the first large-scale, Native American-owned wind farm to help offset the company's CO2 production (a major cause of global warming); using recycled packaging and eliminating the use of thousands of pounds of shrink wrap; and incorporating organic ingredients into CLIF(R) BAR, the first major energy bar brand to be certified organic.
“Gary's deep commitment to the environment shines through both in and outside the workplace,” said Mathew Peterson, president and CEO of Global Green USA. “He demonstrates that quality products, the environment and social responsibility do go together.”
The Green Cross Millennium Awards celebrate the environmental leadership of extraordinary individuals, companies and organizations who recognize the connection between humankind and nature. Other 2004 winners of the award who will be honored tonight are Zac Goldsmith, editor of The Ecologist; Gale Anne Hurd, film and television producer for Vahalla Motion Pictures; and the Los Angeles Community College District. Past recipients include DiCaprio, Paul Hawken, Gary Hirshberg, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Ted Turner.
