Moby and James Blunt among the artists pledging support for connect2earth.org

The website, launched earlier this year by WWF and IUCN, and powered by Nokia, allows users to rank other entries, discuss the issues that matter most to them, share smart ideas and solutions from their own communities, and win some fun prizes in the process, including a Nokia mobile phone awarded each month for the most popular entry. The site is also optimized to be used on mobile phones (www.connect2earth.mobi). 

The overall winner – the creator of the best video, picture or message - will be selected from the highest ranked entries by a panel of prominent conservationists, including Sir David Attenborough, Jessica Lax, Wangari Maathai, Dr Leena Srivastava and Achim Steiner. The winner will then get the chance to participate in the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Barcelona this October to present his or her ideas directly to political, environmental and business leaders from around the world.

Some of the celebrities who have already expressed their support for connect2earth:

•  Moby – the American DJ, songwriter, musician and singer who has sold over 16 million albums worldwide.
• James Blunt – the British singer-songwriter whose debut album, Back to Bedlam, and smash single "You're Beautiful," brought him to fame in 2005.
• Estelle – the award-winning British R&B singer, songwriter, rapper and producer whose most recent single, “American Boy”, reached #1 on the UK singles charts.
•  Panic At the Disco - the band’s 2005 debut “A Fever You Can’t Sweat Out” has sold over 2.2 million copies to date and their video for “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” became a #1 hit on MTV and snagged one of the network’s video music awards for best video in 2006.
• Jason Mraz – American singer-songwriter, an eclectic artist with multiple and varied stylistic influences, including pop, rock, folk, jazz, country, and hip hop.
• Steven Page - a founding member of Canada’s Barenaked Ladies, who have sold nearly 14 million albums, as well as a board member of WWF Canada.
• Missy Higgins - the Australian singer-songwriter whose critically lauded debut “The Sound of White” was Australia’s best-selling album of 2005.
• Adam Gardner – musician and co-founder of the environmental organization Reverb, that helps musicians reduce the environmental effects of their concert tours and spread the message to their fans.
•  Maggie Grace – the American actress playing Shannon Rutherford in the critically-acclaimed TV series “Lost”. She has also made appearances on a variety of hit shows, including “CSI Miami” and “Law and Order: Special Victim’s Unit”.
• Emma Roberts - the American actress and pop singer who made her acting debut at the age of nine in the film “Blow” and is known for her role as the lead character in the TV series “Unfabulous”, as well as her roles in the films “Aquamarine” and “Nancy Drew”. Her debut album, “Unfabulous and More”, was released in 2005.
• Paul Van Dyk – as one of the world’s leading electronic dance music DJs and producers, German-born Paul van Dyk is currently ranked the World’s No. 1 DJ by DJ Magazine’s “Top 100 DJs poll” for the second consecutive year and has sold over 3 million albums worldwide.

For more information, please contact:

• Moira O'Brien-Malone, Head of Media Relations, WWF International, Tel.: +41 22 364 9550; Mobile: +41 79 377 7958; E-mail: mobrien@wwfint.org

• Sarah Halls, IUCN Media Relations Officer, Tel: +41 22 999 0127; Mobile: +41 79 528 3486; Email: sarah.halls@iucn.org

Note for editors:

The link to the artists’ videos and statements of support (http://www.connect2earth.org/celebrities) becomes live at 00.01hrs Wednesday 28 May 2008. Celebrity bio details come from official artists’ websites and Wikipedia.

About IUCN

IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, helps the world find pragmatic solutions to our most pressing environment and development challenges by supporting scientific research; managing field projects all over the world; and bringing governments, NGOs, the UN, international conventions and companies together to develop policy, laws and best practice.
IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest global environmental network. IUCN is a democratic union with more than 1,000 government and NGO member organizations, and some 10,000 volunteer scientists in more than 150 countries. IUCN’s work is supported by 1,100 professional staff in 62 countries and hundreds of partners in public, NGO and private sectors around the world.
www.iucn.org

About WWF

WWF, the global conservation organization, is one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. WWF has a global network active in over 100 countries with almost 5 million supporters.

WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the earth's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature, by conserving the world's biological diversity, ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption.

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