Erik Lindbergh will be the Master of Ceremonies
On this Saturday
evening, May 21, at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul, the
Lindbergh Foundation will present its annual honorary Lindbergh
Awards to aviation pioneer Dr. Bertrand Piccard, the first person
to fly around the world non-stop in a balloon, and environmental
leader Yolanda Kakabadse, executive president of the Foundation for
the Future of Latin America.
The Lindbergh Award event will begin with a reception in the
Great Hall overlooking the State Capitol. Erik Lindbergh, grandson
of Charles and Anne Morrow Lindbergh and Vice Chairman of the Board
of Directors of the Foundation, will serve as the Master of
Ceremonies during the program.
Yolanda Kakabadse will be recognized for her lengthy record of
coordinating the efforts of international environmental agencies,
and for resolving conflicts between industry and environmental
concerns throughout Latin America and the world. "We also applaud
her focus on clarifying the role of ethics in globalization and on
working to emphasize 'being rather than having,'" said Lindbergh
Foundation Vice Chairman Kristina Lindbergh.
Dr. Bertrand Piccard will be recognized not only for his
historic 'round-the-world flight in a balloon, and his spirit of
adventure (which so closely mirrors that of Charles and Anne Morrow
Lindbergh), but for the new perspective on the environment that
evolved from that experience. The Lindbergh Foundation is
particularly impressed by his recent Solar Impulse project, which
aims to promote sustainable development through an entirely solar
powered aircraft.
Kakabadse and Piccard are both dynamic speakers and each will
give a presentation. The evening includes an elegant sit-down
dinner in the Great Hall and concludes with a dessert buffet
reception in the rotunda. The Minnesota Historical Society has
created a special Lindbergh display exclusively for this event.
Since 1978, the Lindbergh Foundation has presented the honorary
Lindbergh Award to individuals whose work has made significant
contributions toward improving the quality of life through
balancing technological advancements and preservation of our
environment. "One of the Lindbergh Foundation's core values is to
honor individual achievement. In doing so, we also honor the
Lindberghs who were each outstanding individual contributors to
society - through aviation, writing, and the environment," said
Foundation President Marlene White.
Unquestionably, Charles Lindbergh is best known for his historic
New York-to-Paris flight in the Spirit of St. Louis. It is much
less known that the Lindberghs held a unique perspective on the
Earth stemming from Charles' boyhood growing up on the banks of the
Mississippi River outside Little Falls, Minn., his barnstorming
days in the early 1920s, and the survey flights he and Anne
pioneered in the 1930s. Pioneer aviators flew much closer to the
ground than we do today, keeping them more in touch with the land.
Over the years, the Lindberghs witnessed enormous changes in the
land, sky and water in the name of progress.
In addition to the honorary Lindbergh Award, the Foundation
administers the Lindbergh Grants program, which is designed to put
the Lindberghs' concept of balance into action.
The Foundation is pleased that several 2005 Lindbergh Grant
recipients will be in attendance:
- Franco Basile, from the University of Wyoming, whose project is
entitled, "Rapidly Detecting Bacterial Pathogens in Drinking and
Waste Water to Prevent Contaminated Water from Being Released for
Human Consumption" This project in health and water quality is
sponsored by Maureen Lloyd.
- Laura E. Farrell M.Sc., from Bear Mountain Natural History
Center in Vermont, whose project is entitled, "Determining the
Bobcat and Lynx Diet and Distribution in the Northern Forest of
Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont using DNA analysis and Scat
Detecting Dogs" This project in Conservation of Animal Resources is
sponsored by Reeve Lindbergh.
- Dr. Rebecca V. Ferrell, from the Metropolitan State College of
Denver, whose project is entitled, "Protecting the Earth's Oceans
by Improving Vacation Resort Sewage Systems with a Quick Start
Nitrification System in the Existing Wetlands of Quintana Roo,
Mexico" This project in Waste Minimization and Management is
sponsored by Knox Bridges.
- Sarah B. Lovern, from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee,
whose project is entitled, "Analyzing the Impact of the Production
of Nanoparticles on the Physical and Behavioral Responses of the
Small Crustacean, Daphnia, a Major Source of Food for Fish"
- Dr. David Sands, from Montana State University, whose project
is entitled, "Producing Biolubricants from Common Vegetable Oils in
Order to Reduce Costly and Toxic Petroleum Motor Oil Use"
This Lindbergh Grants program provides grants in amounts up to
$10,580 (the actual cost of building the Spirit of St. Louis in
1927) to individuals who are dedicated to finding appropriate
solutions to our global environmental problems. These people have
the talent, skill, energy and foresight to implement strategies
that will work in the communities they plan to serve. The
Foundation is particularly proud of its grants program, which
enjoys an excellent reputation among the scientific community and
the public sector for supporting exceptional, high-quality projects
and dedicated researchers. Applicants undergo a rigorous, five-step
selection process, including two independent volunteer review
panels. To date, more than 250 individuals from around the world
have received in excess of $2.4 million to support their work.
Individual tickets for the event are $95 per person ($50 is
tax-deductible).