Annual Eco Ball slated for Earth Day 2019
April 16, 2019
Governor, Senator, Pulitzer Prize winner, and Audubon conservationist to receive environmental awards
COLUMBIA, S.C. – Global Eco Adventures, Inc. (GEA) will host its 4th annual ECO BALL at Columbia’s Riverbanks Zoo & Garden, Mon. evening, Apr. 22 – Earth Day 2019 – and will present awards to S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, Sen. Thomas Alexander, nationally syndicated columnist Kathleen Parker, and conservationist Sharon Richardson.
The event, a black-tie gala including the awards presentation, dinner, dancing, and a silent auction will be held at Riverbanks’ Ndoki Lodge, and will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m.
Among the awards to be presented, Gov. McMaster will receive the GEA Lifetime Achievement Award. S.C. Senator Thomas Alexander will receive GEA’s Legislator of the Year Award. Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist Kathleen Parker will receive GEA’s Environmental Educator of the Year. And Audubon South Carolina’s Executive Director Sharon Richardson will receive GEA’s Conservation Champion Award.
Previous GEA award recipients have included Dr. Diego Quiroga, vice pres. of Research at San Francisco de Quito University and co-director of the Galapagos Academic Institute of Arts and Sciences; Jim Fowler, famed naturalist and host of the Emmy-winning television series, WILD KINGDOM; and Jason Waskey, deputy director for National Strategy of the Climate Action Campaign.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, GEA was established “to create awareness of environmental sustainability through education of protected areas that are considered natural phenomena with exceptional aesthetic importance and fragile ecosystems for future generations.”
Last year alone, GEA’s programs provided more than 2,000 hours of ecological training to students and participants from the Palmetto State. Throughout 2018, GEA continued its focus on education and environmental participation; creating greater awareness of overhunting of sharks – conducting field research aimed at protecting shark populations worldwide – protection of endangered species like the giant tortoises in the Galapagos; examining first-hand the effects of an ever changing climate; providing pro bono SCUBA training to as many marine enthusiasts as possible; and training environmental enthusiasts on four continents with 100-percent of all proceeds going toward GEA programs (with zero-percent of funds raised going to staff).
For tickets or for more information, please contact Cam Mullikin or Brant Tomlinson at (803) 425-7771.
