PICTORAL MASTERPIECE CHRONICLES 2007 EPIC GLOBAL JOURNEY FOR WORLD WATER AWARENESS
June 13, 2008—SAN FRANCISCO, CA—Blue Planet Run, a photo essay by renowned photographers Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt that provides an extraordinary look at the global water problem, was awarded the Outstanding Book of the Year IPPY Gold Award (Independent Publisher Book Award) in the category of “Most Likely to Save the Planet.” With the Independent Publishers Awards attracting a total of 3,175 entries, Earth Aware Editions and the Blue Planet Run Foundation are proud to accept this honor.
The “Most Likely to Save the Planet” award comes from books entered in the Environment, Current Events and Science categories. The IPPY judging criteria consists of content, originality, design and production quality, with emphasis on innovation and social relevance. For the Outstanding Books of the Year, Blue Planet Run is a “work that exhibits the courage and creativity necessary to take chances, break new ground and bring about change, not only to the world of publishing, but to our society, our environment, and our collective spirit,” said Jim Barnes, Managing Editor and Awards Director, Independent Publisher Online.
Blue Planet Run provides an extraordinary look at the water problems facing humanity and some of the hopeful solutions being pursued by individuals and organizations around the world. The Blue Planet Run is designed to be a wake-up call to the world, sounding both a warning and a note of hope, letting mankind know that there is still time to solve this problem if we act now, before it is too late.
Blue Planet Run is two books in one: It is a showcase of powerful, inspiring, disturbing and hopeful images. For one month, 40 talented photojournalists crossed the globe taking photographs to show the extent of the problem. At the same time, a team of researchers contacted photographers on every continent to identify existing bodies of work focused on this crucial issue. The book also documents the epic 2007 Blue Planet Run® – an inspiring 15,000-mile relay race, the longest in human history, in which 20 athletes spent 95 days running around the globe to spread awareness of the global water crisis.
In addition to the world class photographs, Blue Planet Run includes essays from a passionate group of writers, environmentalists, inventors and journalists including Robert Redford, Diane Ackerman, Fred Pearce, Bill McKibben, Jeffrey Rothfeder, Michael Specter, Dean Kamen, Michael Malone, Paul Hawken and Mike Cerre.
Blue Planet Run is available for $45.00. All proceeds go directly to clean drinking water projects around the world. Select images from Blue Planet Run are currently available on TIME.com and a free, downloadable .pdf file of the book is available on Amazon.com.
For more information or to order a copy of Blue Planet Run, please visit http://www.blueplanetrun.org.
About Blue Planet Run Foundation
The Blue Planet Run Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to raising global awareness about the need for safe drinking water and funding working solutions today for the billion people living without water.
The U.S.-based foundation connects nongovernmental organizations worldwide with funding and promotes operational sustainability. In 2007, the foundation conducted the Blue Planet Run – a first-ever around-the-world relay race to raise funds and awareness for drinking water projects. The Blue Planet Run mission is extended within the Blue Planet Run 24 series.
For more information about Blue Planet Run Foundation, or to make a donation, please visit http://www.blueplanetrun.org.
Blue Planet Run is a registered trademark of Blue Planet Run Foundation.