For many decades, on the wall next to my computer, there has been an AT&T poster with a photograph of the moon in the night sky and a very large Saturn, Jupiter and a third planet, maybe Pluto, in the background. In white letters in the night sky the poster reads “Don’t recycle. We can always move.” That seems to be the motto for many nations. Just shift the burden to another location or leave the poisoned one behind. I’ve never agreed with this mentality and, through P4P, have made a point to cross international boundaries not with pollution, but with productive recycled materials. We don’t need to make more, we need to use what we have—and share it.

I have been fortunate to earn recognition for my efforts and now, by virtue of having become a Rolex Laureate in 2000, I have been invited to participate in the 1st International Convention of Environmental Laureates in Freiburg Germany in March, 2012.

The Convention is an academic platform for those who have earned various prestigious prizes for marked accomplishments on behalf of the environment in Europe and other international locations. The goal of this convention is to push “for the development and adoption of ‘The Declaration on Rio +20 by International Convention of Environmental Laureates,’ which aims to send a positive signal for achieving ambitious climate and sustainability goals and necessary innovations.”

I’m already packing my bags, suit and all, and while I’m humbled by the recognition, I plan on grabbing this opportunity to push for the very real and necessary changes to international environmental standards and cooperation. After all, how useful are bicycles on the moon?

For more information on the convention and the European Environment Foundation go to or click on the following link: www.european-environment-foundation.eu