Climate Change Awards encourage conservation and innovation
By Alex Wilson 05/14/2009
Winners of the first annual Countywide Climate Change Action Awards were honored by Ventura County Supervisors during a recent board meeting.
Supervisor Steve Bennett says he hopes the contest he organizes will motivate local residents, schools, public agencies and businesses to follow the examples of the winners. “To have role models out there, and recognize them, and thank them and honor them … is just one step towards trying to have us all collectively change our behavior,” says Bennett.
The award for Adult Leadership was presented to Rachel Morris, president of a group dedicated to curbing global warming called Ventura Climate Care Options Organized Locally (VCCOOL).
Morris credits groups as diverse as bicycle enthusiasts, elected leaders, and small business owners with helping to create a greener economy since VCCOOL’s formation two years ago. “The reason VCCool is able to go forward as quickly as we can is because the community is behind the concept that we need to take action on global warming. We just happen to be the tip of the iceberg that shows,” says Morris.
The Private Industry Award went to Patagonia for a program called the Footprint Chronicles, which tracks the amount of emissions generated by the clothing manufacturing process at locations around the globe.
Two companies shared top honors for the Agricultural Industry Award.
Limoneira won for its commitment to renewable energy projects like building an ambitious solar generation project called a solar orchard, and its plans to install a wind turbine to further reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
Agromin was honored for encouraging the recycling of green waste that would otherwise be trucked to landfills.
The Ventura Regional Sanitation District won the award for a Public Agency for its work on a biosolids drying facility and electrical generation system. The operation at the Toland Road Landfill will create energy from sewage sludge.
Two Ventura residents, Trey Anderson and Alec Loors, shared the Youth Leadership Award. Anderson has been lauded for founding a group called Kids vs. Global Warming, and even appeared on stage with former Vice President Al Gore.
“It’s just amazing that people are starting to realize what an important role youth can play in this movement, because really, we’re going to be affected more than anyone else by climate change and global warming. So we should be the ones at their table leading the movement and included in the discussion,” says Anderson.
Loors won for helping revitalize a recycling program at Foothill Technology High School. “Now, I have at least 20 people involved in it, and I’m just super excited to be a part of the whole green movement that seems to be going on right now,” he says.
Saticoy Elementary School won the award for Reduction in Vehicle Miles Traveled, for a Valet Team program that speeds the process of dropping kids off at school and reduces auto emissions.
Oxnard’s Ormond Beach Task Force was top Community Organi-zation for efforts to restore wetlands threatened by rising oceans.
During the ceremony, Supervisor Bennett joked about the green colored plaques for the award winners, as they are apparently green in more ways than one. “One of the things we’re really pleased about is that the award itself is made out of recycled corn husk. Don’t hang it out in the rain or it will dissolve,” Bennett said to laughs in the boardroom.
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