Rock the Earth has announced the winners of its 2011 Planet Defender Awards, in conjunction with the group’s national Rock the Earth Day celebration. The Colorado-based environmental organization has named Pearl Jam, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Josh Fox as the award recipients. Pearl Jam is hailed for “setting a stellar example of how to Rock the Earth in a conscientious manner.” Rock the Earth notes that Kennedy’s “reputation as a resolute defender of the environment stems from a litany of successful legal actions.” Fox, the founder and Artistic Director of International WOW Company, “a film and theater company that works closely with filmmakers from around the world to create new work that addresses current national and global social and political crises,” wrote and directed the documentary film Gasland which premiered at the 2011 Sundance film festival and focuses the impact of natural gas drilling on the environment. Pearl Jam, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and Josh Fox received their Planet Defender Awards in the Artist, Community Leader and Grassroot Activist categories respectively.