Environmental Media Field, Environmental Activist Category

Emcee: Debra Poneman

A leading activist for environmental causes and social issues, Keely Shaye Brosnan is an award winning broadcast journalist. She has nurtured a diverse career covering a wide range of topics, from gardening and celebrity journalism to apprehending fugitives.

Formerly a correspondent for Entertainment Tonight, she has interviewed a myriad of A-List celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Mel Gibson and Michael Jordan. Previously, Keely was Co-Host of NBC's Unsolved Mysteries for three years, where she interacted with callers and offered live updates on pending cases. The show helped law enforcement officials capture 39% of all fugitives profiled. She also served as correspondent for ABC's Good Morning America and NBC's Today Show, and hosted Great Bears, a series for the Outdoor Life Network.

Creating a weekly environment segment for ABC's Home Show earned her two Genesis Awards, a Special Achievement Award at the 1991 Environmental Film Festival, and a nomination from the Environmental Media Association. Her versatility and artistic flair with flowers and plants also inspired a loyal audience of gardening enthusiasts.

As a producer, Keely created and hosted Home Green Home for PBS, an eco-friendly home and garden how-to series. Her soon-to-be published book, Gourmet Gardener, is the first in a series about her odysseys in the garden. The book explores the history, folklore and medicinal uses of edible plants, and details descriptions, varieties and easy-to-follow care tips. Keely believes Gourmet Gardener will inspire readers to protect their families health by embracing the world of organic gardening. Her book will be followed by a television series of the same name.

A world traveler, Keelys interests have led her to report on everything from toxic waste and biodiversity to children's issues and organic gardening. She regularly volunteers her time and talent to numerous environmental causes such as marine mammal and wetland protection; anti-nuclear, clean air and clean water campaigns; endangered species; and environmental education in the classroom for grades K-12.

Ms. Brosnan has emerged as a respected and passionate activist addressing any number of issues in an effort to protect the planet and the species that inhabit it. The Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Media Association, Earth Communications Office, Heal the Bay, and Women in Film have all honored Keely for her ongoing commitment to the environment. Upcoming projects include the completion of a vocational school for Tibetan refugees in Dharmsala, India.

Native to California, Keely resides in Malibu and Hawaii with her husband, Pierce, their 11 year-old son Dylan and 7 year-old son Paris.

Keely and Pierce together have also both demonstrated a long-term commitment to environmental education and are active supporters of Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots, the global environmental and humanitarian youth program Dr. Goodall established in 1991. This past September, the Brosnans gave the keynote address in Jane’s absence at the 2008 California Roots & Shoots Day of Peace celebration in Los Angeles. Both Keely and Pierce will be honored by The Jane Goodall Institute and Dr. Jane Goodall this month in recognition of their efforts to inspire others to become involved in environmental education in their communities.

The Brosnans regularly volunteer their time and talent to support numerous other environmental causes such as marine mammal and wetland protection; and anti-nuclear, clean air and clean water campaigns.

Last year, they spent eighteen months actively working with California Coastal Protection Network (CCPN) and the Environmental Defense Center (EDC) to successfully stop the proposed BHP Billiton Cabrillo Port Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) facility off the coast of Malibu and Oxnard, in California. This project posed significant and potentially irreversible negative impacts to the coast, the environment, and to the health and safety of the neighboring communities. Their unprecedented victory helped to establish new environmental standards for all future facilities in the United States and raised awareness of the problems associated with these facilities worldwide.

The Brosnans are also committed to a long-term campaign with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to challenge the United States Navy's deployment of a new sonar system in more than 75 percent of the world's oceans, citing scientific evidence that low- mid- and high-frequency sonar poses a grave threat to whales, dolphins, seals and other marine mammals.

For more than a decade, the Brosnans have lobbied with Earth Island Institute against legislation designed to weaken current federal standards for canned tuna labeled "Dolphin Safe."

From 1997 to 2000, they worked with The Natural Resources Defense Council and the International Fund for Animal Welfare to stop a proposed salt factory from being built at Laguna San Ignacio on Mexico's Baja California peninsula. Their unprecedented victory prevented the destruction of the last pristine breeding ground for the California gray whale.

In 1997, Green Cross International (Global Green USA) Founding President Mikhail Gorbachev presented Pierce with an Environmental Leadership Award, citing him as "a truly committed leader whose bold actions and clever voice have been instrumental in marine mammal protection, as well as that of fragile ecosystems."

Together the Brosnans have been honored by Oceana, Heal the Bay, Women in Film, Environmental Media Association, Earth Communications Office, In Defense of Animals, and numerous other organizations for their humanitarian efforts and ongoing commitment to the environment.