International Environmental Pioneer to Visit Australia Next Week

Media Release

‘You can look at plenty of satellite pictures and see change in them, but until you get on the ground—in some cases down on your hands and knees—you can't fundamentally understand what climate change is all about."…..Brian Rosborough

Melbourne August 3 2011 Brian Rosborough is the Founding Chairman of Earthwatch Institute who headed up the organisation for 25 years, is set to visit Australia early next month. Way ahead of his time in 1971, Brian was responsible for one of the most visionary approaches to supporting scientific research; involving the community in the research, to help them understand changes in the climate and the environment.

Richard Gilmore, Executive Director of Earthwatch Australia has announced that Brian will be a special guest at Earthwatch’s 40^th Anniversary to be celebrated in Melbourne on August 10 at a black tie gala event at Crown Palladium to raise funds for much-needed oceans research.

A former investment banker, Brian Rosborough, launched Earthwatch in 1971 with the goal of providing ‘social venture capital’ to scientists by enlisting volunteers to do fieldwork.

Now, one of the world’s largest private funders of field research, Earthwatch sends nearly 4,000 volunteers each year on join scientific expeditions in 60 countries.

Since 1971 Earthwatch internationally through 100,000 global supporters, volunteers, scientists and educators have committed nearly 11 million hours to conservation research - equal to more than 5,000 years of work.

Currently raising millions a year from the generosity of institutions, individuals, governments and corporations, Earthwatch has a global reach.

Earthwatch is supported by more than 150 staff, locatedin our headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts, as well as in offices in Oxford, England, Melbourne, Australia, and Tokyo, Japan.

Mr Gilmore said, Brian Rosborough has a significant history with Australia arriving with very few connections and little money to set up the Australian Earthwatch Institute some 30 years ago.

“He soon gathered a small but esteemed group of prominent Australians. That group included legendary names like Sir James Vernon, Sir Jack Crawford, Sir John Proud and Sir Laurence Muir,who along with the Myer and Darling families chose to take a gamble on an untried and unproven idea.”

Brian Rosborough serves as a Member of Advisory Board of CMarket; Inc. and serves as a Trustee of Deerfield Academy.

He served as a special envoy to the United Nations, as well as serving on a wide variety of boards including PrincetonUniversity, the Fulbright Institute, Mt Holyoke College, the Rocky Mountain Institute, and numerous others

Mr. Rosborough Founder Earthwatch Institute in 1971. Mr. Rosborough has been involved in social venture capital since ... leaving the investment banking business in 1971. Mr. Rosborough served as Director of EarthCare Co. since December 16,1998. He served as a Member of the Advisory Committee of CMarket, Inc. More

Links

Brian Rosborough CV
Earthwatch Australia
Earthwatch International

About Earthwatch

Earthwatch Institute is an international non-profit organisation that brings science to life for people concerned about the earth's future. Founded in 1971, Earthwatch supports scientific field research by offering volunteers the opportunity to join research teams around the world.

This unique model is creating a systematic change in how the public views science and its role in creating environmental change.

Today, Earthwatch recruits close to 4,000 volunteers every year to collect field data in the areas of rainforest ecology, wildlife conservation, marine science, archaeology, and more. Through this process, we educate, inspire, and involve a diversity of people, who actively contribute to conserving our planet.