Westport, May 25 (U Thant Institute) – U Thant  Institute  at the Six Annual Luncheon honored Nobel Prize  Winner   together with the local couple for  their contributions and efforts to promote awareness to protect  environment  to the cause of peace .


In a special message to those attending the luncheon, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said climate change was the “defining challenge of our time.”  He added that it was important to move toward an ambitious agreement on the issue, and that “We cannot afford to wait. Nature does not negotiate.”  Deferred action would jeopardize the international community’s ability to achieve the UN’s Millennium Development Goals and avert climate chaos.

The keynote speaker was Dr. Rajendra Pachauri, who as Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), shared the Nobel Peace Prize in 2007 with former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore. Dr. Pachauri called climate change "the defining issue of our time" that must be addressed if calamity is to be averted. He attributed the increase in global temperatures mostly to greenhouse gases released by human activity and said continued escalation is likely to endanger at least 20 percent of the planet's species. Thant presented Pachauri with the U Thant Award.

Connie and Stewart Greenfield were honored with Special Appreciation Gifts at the U Thant Institute's annual luncheon at the Shore and Country Club in Norwalk on Sunday. Both Greenfields are trustees of the Institute, which was founded by Aye Aye Thant, daughter of the late Secretary-General and a Westport resident.

Stewart Greenfield was honored for his "exceptional support of the mission of The U Thant Institute and for his contributions and efforts in actively advocating environmental causes both locally and internationally to advance peace," and Connie Greenfield for her "dedicated commitment in supporting the mission of The U Thant Institute and improving the quality of life in the community and the world."

The mission of the U Thant Institute is to advance peace by supporting educational programs related to conflict prevention, poverty alleviation and public health. It was founded to further the goals of U Thant.