EarthX founder Trammell S. Crow has been awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor for his efforts in creating the largest Earth Day celebration in the world.
“What an honor to be recognized for something that, at the most basic level, is really just my passion,” Crow said in a statement. “When I started EarthX, I was hoping to get others motivated about creating a more sustainable world, while also providing a platform to help us better create real solutions. Here we are, nine years later, celebrating record attendance and compelling impacts for this year’s event, and now this national award.”
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Crow accepted the award on May 11 at a special reception on Ellis Island, the museum and former immigration inspection station in New York Harbor. The event comes roughly two weeks after the ninth annual EarthX event in Dallas, which this year attracted more than 175,000 people interested in creating a healthier planet for future generations.
Former Medal winners form a diverse group
The Ellis Island Medal of Honor, established in 1986, is bestowed on 100 people annually. It’s sponsored by the Ellis Island Honors Society to recognize American citizens who have distinguished themselves and exemplified the values of the American way of life.
Past medalists are former U.S. presidents, world leaders, several Nobel Prize winners, and various industry titans in education, the arts, sports, and government. Previous winners include the late boxing champion Muhammad Ali, Rosa Parks, and former Presidents George H.W. Bush, Jimmy Carter, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and Richard Nixon.
Crow sat down with Dallas Innovates last month to discuss how he founded EarthX, formerly Earth Day Texas, in 2011 as a way to showcase environmental innovations and initiatives to help the public become catalysts for change.
Earthx2019 was three days of exhibitions, a film festival, music, entertainment, learning experiences, discussions, forums, and conferences.
EarthX announced that during the event, an agreement with the Independent State of Samoa was signed to transition the island nation to clean and resilient energy generation. Also, three early-stage startups focused on clean-tech were awarded a collective $300,000 at the EarthX E-Capital Summit, tripling the initial award offering of $100,000.
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