Washington D.C. (Sept. 19, 2006) -- Actor and Conservation International (CI) board member Harrison Ford was honored at the inaugural gala for the International Conservation Caucus Foundation (ICCF) dedicated to raising awareness in Congress about international conservation issues. An active member of CI's board of directors for more than 15 years, Ford continues to be an integral part in shaping Conservation International's mission to conserve biodiversity around the world. Ford was recognized Tuesday night with the "ICCF Good Steward Award" for his lifetime of passion toward environmental issues.
"We can unite the world to take individual responsibility by establishing a global conservation ethic that every person rich, poor, indigenous can embrace," Ford said in his acceptance remarks. "We need every person on the planet, all 6.5 billion inhabitants, to understand that they must do their part and take individual responsibility for conserving, protecting and restoring nature."
Ford has also been deeply involved with other conservation groups with work such as:
The ICCF also honored Yves Chouinard, Founder of Patagonia, and Office of Management and Budget Director Rob Portman. As the original author of the Tropical Forests Conservation Act (TFCA), Portman helped create the framework for many developing nations to engage in "debt for nature" swaps with the U.S. Government, which offer them the opportunity to relieve some official debt owed the U.S. while at the same time generating funds to conserve their country's natural heritage.