Introduction of Mr. John Fahey

Remarks by John J. DeGioia
Introduction of John Fahey, CEO of The National Geographic Society
Earth Day
Copley Formal Lounge
Georgetown University
April 22, 2009

Thank you, Jessica Kuntz for your leadership and the work of the Lecture Fund in planning this event.

It’s my pleasure to be with you today for this Earth Day celebration, and we’re honored to have with us Mr. John Fahey, President and CEO of The National Geographic Society, to share his thoughts on the environment, on sustainability and on his work at the Society.

I want to especially thank the many campus organizations who were involved in planning this event and who all do their part in increasing the awareness of environmental issues at Georgetown:
• The Office of the Senior Vice President Dr. Spiros Dimolitsas
• The Georgetown Center for the Environment
• The Georgetown University Lecture Fund
• EcoAction
• And, The Corp


Through your numerous efforts, you’ve aided our environment, and have helped to make us a better community. Thank you for your service, and your sustained engagement.

In 1970, at the very first Earth Day, 20 million people in the United States joined together on April 22nd to raise awareness about environmental causes and to make the environment a national priority.

The principle founder of Earth Day, U.S. Senator from Wisconsin, Gaylord Nelson, attributed the wide appeal and success of Earth Day to the grassroots element of the movement—ordinary people…from all parties…from all walks of life…coming together to show their concern and their care for the environment.

Twenty years later, by 1990, Earth Day had grown into an international phenomenon, supported by thousands of grassroots organizations, and with participation by 200 million people in 141 countries. Today, people from over 184 nations take part in Earth Day celebrations. It’s a reminder of what it means to be a responsible global citizen, reaching across national and international boundaries to support the environment—and the common good of the global community.

But despite the growing awareness of the environment as an issue of global concern, there’s still much work to do. A Pew Research Center Poll released on January 22nd of this year recorded that the US public ranked protecting the environment as only 20th on the list of national US priorities. It’s vital that we continue to expand our efforts to protect the environment and continue to promote environmentally sustainable policies.

Georgetown has been taking the call for sustainability very seriously. This past year, we did a study of our greenhouse gas emissions from 2003-2007 and mapped the University’s carbon footprint…a calculation that is useful in determining our impact on the environment. We found out that our calculated carbon footprint of 17 represents a environmental impact consistent with many of our peers. Additionally, after a 10-week “RecycleMania” competition among more than 200 colleges and universities, Georgetown ranked in the top quarter [48 out of 206] of schools in the “grand champion category”—which measures overall recycling.

The Georgetown community understands the importance of sustainability. Someone else who certainly understands this is the President and CEO of The National Geographic Society, Mr. John Fahey.

As many of you are aware, The National Geographic Society was founded in 1888 with the mission to promote the exploration and conservation of the natural world. Since assuming his present position in 1996, Mr. Fahey has expanded the reach of the Society by spearheading the launches of the National Geographic Channel—produced in 34 languages and received in 165 countries…as well as the National Geographic Adventure and Explorer! Magazines. He also expanded the international reach of the iconic National Geographic magazine, which is now available in 31 local-language editions.

Mr. Fahey also serves as chairman of the executive committee of The National Geographic Board of Trustees, and on the board of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Additionally, he’s a member of the Newseum Advisory Committee, and he represents National Geographic on the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Given his vast experience and expertise—as well as his dedication to the environment, I can think of no one better to hear from on Earth Day, and it’s now my pleasure to introduce to you John M. Fahey, Jr…