Press Releases | May, 15 2015
AUSTIN, May 21, 2015 – The LBJ Foundation will present entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner with the Lady Bird Johnson Environmental Award on May 21 at a gala ceremony in the LBJ Presidential Library. Veteran CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer will conduct a conversation with the iconoclastic media mogul.
"Just as he paved a daring new path in the 1980s with the creation of CNN, Ted Turner continues to innovate today as an environmentalist and advocate of clean, renewable energy sources," said Larry Temple, Chairman of the LBJ Foundation. "His remarkable commitment to protect and preserve our natural world embodies the very spirit of Lady Bird Johnson and her own life’s work."
As chairman of the Turner Foundation, Ted Turner has supported efforts to improve air and water quality, develop a sustainable energy future, safeguard environmental health and maintain wildlife habitat protection. Since its inception in 1990, the Turner Foundation has given more than $300 million to hundreds of environmental organizations.
An early advocate of alternative energy sources, Turner believes that investing in renewable energy is not only a prudent financial decision but also a crucial step toward ensuring our planet’s future health. Turner is also one of the largest landowners in North America, and his Turner Endangered Species Fund works to conserve biodiversity of endangered or imperiled species.
“Ted Turner, just like Lady Bird Johnson before him, stands for a lasting devotion to conservation and the environment,” Temple said.
The LBJ Foundation Board established the Lady Bird Johnson Environmental Award in 1992. The award honors outstanding achievements in the preservation, restoration or improvement of the natural world that embrace Mrs. Johnson's style, energy and commitment to her work. Past recipients are U.S. Senator John Chafee, Laurance Rockefeller, Patrick Noonan, Michael Dombeck and Bruce Babbitt.
Lady Bird Johnson was President Johnson’s partner in running one of the most active administrations in conservation since Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin D. Roosevelt. Among the major legislative initiatives enacted during LBJ’s presidency were the Wilderness Act of 1964, the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Program, and many additions to the National Park system – a total of 200 laws relevant to the environment.
By presenting Ted Turner with the Lady Bird Johnson Environmental Award, the LBJ Foundation continues Mrs. Johnson’s legacy of preserving our land and the beauty of our nation.
LBJ Foundation
The LBJ Foundation is a non-profit organization that was created by President and Mrs. Johnson to support the LBJ Presidential Library and the LBJ School of Public Affairs at The University of Texas at Austin. Through the fundraising efforts of its Board of Trustees, the Foundation provides support to the Library that enhances quality programming, expands educational outreach and exhibits, and administers grants for researchers and scholars. The Foundation supports the LBJ School in the outstanding education that it provides its graduate students in public policy and governmental affairs, community outreach, and the exploration of global initiatives. One looks to the past and the other to the future, providing an ongoing legacy for President Johnson’s accomplishments and his vision for our nation. www.lbjfoundation.org.
