Watch video of Van Jones, Mayor Hickenlooper, and other Gala speakers!

This year's event was another great success! More than 400 CEC supporters, partners, friends and elected leaders filled the Seawell Grand Ballroom at the Denver Performing Arts Center to celebrate our state's conservation victories and reflect on what more we can accomplish in the coming year.

This year's "Rebel with a Cause" Gala featured a silent and live auction, which combined with ticket prices and sponsorships, helped raise more than $89,000 for CEC's important work to protect Colorado's natural heritage and quality of life! 

We also gathered to honor Van Jones as CEC's 2009 "Rebel with a Cause." Van founded Green For All, an organization dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans through job creation, job training, and entrepreneurial opportunities in a clean energy economy. Van is now bringing his vision to the national level as the Special Advisor for Green Jobs, Enterprise & Innovation at the White House Council on Environmental Quality, where he ensures that all climate and energy proposals from the White House will include the creation of new, green jobs.

Due to Van's demanding schedule at the White House, he could not join us at the event but his successor at Green For All, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins, accepted the award on his behalf. Introduced by the Governor's Climate Change Coordinator Alice Madden, the audience was very moved and motivated by Phaedra and her eloquent remarks about how activists and advocates from low-income, environment, labor, faith, and communities of color can collaborate to address our nation's most pressing need – the creation of green jobs to advance the clean energy economy.

Over 400 CEC supporters packed the ballroom at the 2009 Rebel with a Cause Gala. photo ©

CEC's work at the State Capitol directly links with Green For All's mission. CEC and the conservation community collaborated to pass more than a dozen pieces of clean energy legislation to advance a green economic recovery and generate green jobs. We will continue to work with a broad diversity of partners to further Colorado's new energy economy to meet our energy needs, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, rejuvenate our economy, enhance national security, and lessen the pressure to drill on Colorado's last remaining wildlands.

CEC also presented conservation awards to two extraordinary partners who have done so much for Colorado's environment. Mayor Hickenlooper received a Special Achievement Award for his sustainability achievements with Greenprint Denver and greening the Democratic National Convention last August. And the Save the Roan Plateau Campaign accepted a Conservation Partner Award for its tenacious efforts to protect the scenic Roan Plateau in Garfield County from the impacts of oil and gas drilling.

CEC relies on the commitment of our friends to enable us to lead the conservation community in achieving greater protections for our state's incredible environment and quality of life.