A record-breaking SustainaBall!
Guests at the fourth annual Earthwatch SustainaBall helped to celebrate our 40th birthday in record-breaking style!
3 September 2011: Earthwatch Sustainaball, Henley-on-Thames
The fourth annual Earthwatch SustainaBall, generously supported by Rio Tinto, was held at the sumptuous riverside setting of Greenlands, part of Henley Business School. Earth's precious forest ecosystems provided the theme, and guests arrived in 'Green Tie', ready for an evening of fantastic fun, fine food and wine, and of course, fundraising!
Our entertaining guest speakers included explorer Paul Rose; David Macdonald, Professor of Wildlife Conservation at Oxford University; entomologist Dr George McGavin; and our very own Nigel Winser. Auctions, an impressive Tree of Life (a real 12 foot high silver birch!), and amusing dinner-party games ensured that nearly every guest left clutching amazing - and sustainable - prizes.
The evening raised over £55,000 - a phenomenal outcome - and a SustainaBall record. We couldn't have managed it without all of our extremely generous and glamorous guests, sponsors, supporters and prize donors. Not to mention staff and volunteers who worked tirelessly to make sure the evening went off with a bang! The funds raised will go towards our continuing conservation research and will contribute towards the global effort to ensure that our ecosystems and the biodiversity they support are managed sustainably and conserved for future generations.
The SustainaBall is just one of many events in which all members of the Earthwatch community are invited to participate. Each year we run a series of lectures, open days, and, of course, the annual debate. Many of our events are free of charge, although we warmly welcome donations at any level to help us to continue to fund environmental research and conservation work around the world. Find out what's happening at earthwatch.org/events. We look forward to seeing you soon!