On April 13, 2011, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) presented Aveda with the National Conservation Achievement Award for corporate leadership based on the brand’s significant contributions to protecting wildlife through education, advocacy and on-the-ground conservation. The award was presented at the Federation’s 75th Anniversary Gala in Washington, D.C. Others honored during the gala included: First Lady Michelle Obama, Robert Redford and Senator Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.).
“Led by its mission to ‘care for the world we live in, from the products we make to the ways in which we give back to society,’ Aveda has set new standards in corporate social and environmental responsibility,” said Larry Schweiger, president of the National Wildlife Federation. “They are most deserving of the corporate leadership award for its protection of wildlife, utilization of alternative energy and environmentally conscientious best practices within the beauty industry.”
The award recognizes many of Aveda’s industry-leading environmentally conscious efforts, such as: the Caps Recycling Program, signing of the Ceres Principles in 1989, and habitat restoration at its Blaine, MN, campus, which has been recognized as a Certified Wildlife Habitat™ site by the National Wildlife Federation since 2008.
“It is an honor to be recognized for this historically-significant award by the National Wildlife Federation,” said Dominique Conseil, president, Aveda. “This acknowledgment is an affirmation of what we do each day at Aveda—we strive to set the example for environmental leadership and responsibility, not just in the world of beauty, but around the world.”
The NWF has honored conservation heroes since 1965, through its National Conservation Achievement Awards and Dinner. Previous recipients of the award include: President Jimmy Carter, Al Gore, Jim Henson, Lady Bird Johnson and Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Thomas Friedman. For more information on the National Conservation Awards, please visit, www.nwf.org/connies/