The Orang Utan Republik Foundation (OURF) with the support of the Consulate General of the Republik of Indonesia (KJRI) will present the 8th Annual Pongo Environmental Awards and Benefit for OURF in the event auditorium of the newly remodeled Consulate General of Indonesia's Los Angeles building. This will mark the first time OURF will be holding its Pongo Environmental Awards at the Consulate and its first social gathering since the pandemic began.  The collaboration with the Indonesian Consulate is ideal as OURF conducts most of its charitable support in the country of Indonesia.  All proceeds go directly and solely to OURF.

The theme this year is: "Respecting Nature: Celebrating the Biodiversity and Beauty of Indonesia."  Actor and environmental activist, Ed Begley Jr. will be participating in our evening gala, and 10-year-old Indonesian-American actor and singing sensation Malea Emma will be performing live on stage. 

This year's recipients of the 2021 Pongo Awards are:

• Acclaimed environmental Director/producer/writer Jonnie Hughes and Silverback Films for their Netflix documentary “David Attenborough: A Life on Our Planet”

• Global environmentalist Dianna Cohen (Founder, and CEO) and Plastic Pollution Coalition for working to end plastic pollution around the world with projects in 75 countries.

• Aspiration Partners, Inc. for sustainable commerce for their environmental advocacy and initiatives as a B-corp green financial organization.

• Indonesian businessman and conservationist Tomy Winata for his stewardship of the Tambling Wildlife Nature Conservation and Sumatran Tiger protection initiatives in Sumatra.

• International conservationist Ashley Leiman for her 30 years of advocacy of protecting wild orangutans in Central Borneo and founding the Orangutan Foundation UK.

Previous Pongo Award recipients have included Dr. Jane Goodall; James Cameron's “Years of Living Dangerously;” Netflix and their groundbreaking series, “Our Planet;" Louie Psihoyos for "Racing Extinction"; global climate advocate, Climatologist Michael Mann; scientists Ian Singleton and Anne Russon. CNN’s Bill Weir for environmental reporting; “The Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” for the use of CGI rather than live ape actors; Fisher Stevens for "Before The Flood;" GoPro and Director Bradford Schmidt for the film, “Our Orangutan Brethren;” and the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, Greenpeace and Rainforest Action Network for their many years of environmental activism; actors and activists Ed Begley Jr., Ed Asner, and Mike Farrell, among others.

The event will be an opportunity for OURF supporters and guests to learn more about the work of the Foundation and the beautiful country of Indonesia as well as enjoy music and entertainment as we honor individuals and organizations who have made significant environmental achievements as recognized by OURF. 

During the evening, attendees will be able to bid on items and experiences offered at our online Silent Auction and Live Auction. The Silent Auction will actually start 1 week before the gala and will end at 8:45 pm on November 13th (PDT). This will enable people across the country to help OURF raise funds through the silent auction. Out of respect to OURF's principles of protecting wildlife and animals, the food served will be vegetarian and vegan, tastefully prepared by Indonesian culinary professionals. 

We will be Livestreaming the presentation portion of the evening so others can watch and enjoy the Pongo Awards globally. We will be streaming on our YouTube and Facebook channels. 

The event is now sold out. Tickets are no longer available on this platform. Thank you to those sponsors who have generously donated to the gala. 

Past attendees have remarked about how much they enjoy the Pongo Awards program. This will be an excellent opportunity to experience our recognition program this year being supported by the Consulate General of Indonesia in Los Angeles. 

About COVID-19 safety at the Pongo Awards:  OURF and the KJRI are committed to offering the attendees a safe and enjoyable evening and will keep health and safety foremost while implementing COVID-19 mitigation protocols during the event.  This includes all attendees wearing face masks while attending the event except when eating and drinking, and following social distancing guidance.  Body temperature by forehead scanning will be conducted on our guests upon arrival. OURF reserves the right to deny entry of any individual to the event if it is determined they pose a health risk to other attendees. 

Showing proof of vaccination or negative test:   In order to maximize the assurance of the health & safety of our guests, we are following the Los Angeles City ordinance for indoor events to require ALL attendees to show proof that they are either fully vaccinated against COVID-19 or have had a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of attending our event.  Registered attendees will be contacted regarding proof of vaccination prior to the event to facilitate rapid check-in.