Region 1: EPA New England
2006 Environmental Merit Award Recipients
| By Category | By State (Press Releases) |
|---|---|
| Lifetime Achievement | CT |
| Individual | ME |
| Environmental, Community, Academia, & Non-profit Organizations | MA |
| Governmental | NH |
| Business, Industry, & Professional Organizations | RI |
| VT | |
Download 2006 EMA program (PDF) (22 pp, 4.7 MB, about PDF) |
|
Lifetime Achievement
Environmental Merit Awards
Jane Stahl
Jane K. Stahl, formed Deputy
Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Environmental
Protection (DEP), joined the Department as an Environmental
Analyst in the Office of Long Island Sound Programs
in 1978. In the 27 years Deputy Commissioner Stahl
worked at the Department, she held a number of managerial
positions while helping the create one of the nation's strongest coastal
management programs. Over the last eight years, she
has served in the capacity of Deputy Commissioner,
overseeing the operations of the Environmental Quality
Branch of the Department. Under her leadership, the
DEP continued to explore, develop and implement a number
of innovative approaches to environmental protection,
including enhancing the agency's environmental
justice program, developing the agency's first
multi-media strategic plan and developing and implementing
the state's aquifer protection program. Her specific
accomplishments include: overseeing the development
and implementation of one of the most comprehensive
mercury reduction programs in the nation, managing
resource protection efforts that resulted in the Lower
Connecticut (CT) River being recognized by the Ramsar
Convention as a “Wetlands of International Importance”,
developing CT's Nitrogen Credit Exchange Program,
leading CT's efforts to establish Total Maximum
Daily Load plans for all of the states waterways, coordinating
the effort to create and manage the Silvio O. Conte
Wildlife Refuge and providing leadership in balancing
a number of large scale redevelopment projects—to
name a few. We honor Jane for a lifetime of service
Alexandra Dawson
Lawyer, advocate
and teacher, Alexandra has changed the landscape through
her own direct efforts as well as through her influence
on the work on the countless public officials and citizen
she has inspired. She has devoted the past thirty-five
years to environmental protection in Massachusetts
and throughout New England. Her commitment is demonstrated
by her long and concurrent service as Director of Legal
Affairs for the Massachusetts Association of Conservation
Commissions (MACC), Co-Director of the Water Supply
Citizens Advisory Committee, and Director of the Resource
Management and Administration Program at Antioch in
New Hampshire. Over her long career, Ms. Dawson has
always been an activist. She has written columns for
newspapers, advocated for revisions to state regulations,
opposed some projects and supported others. She is
well known for her role as a consultant—not
to project proponents but to cities, towns, and concerned
citizens who struggle to find legal solutions to environmental
and land use problems. She serves as a chair of her
conservation commission in Hadley, and has developed
and reviewed municipal bylaws and ordinances to protect
wetlands resources. Alexandra's dedication, professionalism,
talent and commitment to the environment will be remembered
always and are honored today.
Judeth Van Hamm
Over the past three
decades Judeth Van Hamm has dedicated herself to environmental
causes ranging from a “sustainable” South
Shore, climate change and recycling to preserving open
space in her hometown of Hull, MA. Judeth has been
instrumental in the development of the Weir River Estuary
Park Land Protection Plan, which has been designated
an Area of Critical Environmental Concern (ACEC). The
Weir River Estuary is one of the last remaining salt
marshes in the Greater Boston area, and is the habitat
to a variety of fish, shellfish and waterfowl. If it
was not for Judeth's vision of keeping the Weir
River Estuary Park “forever wild,” the
habitat would have undoubtedly suffered much more encroachment.
She has also led the development of the Weir River
Estuary Center; a place where future generations of
youth can learn and develop value for their environment.
A community leader, Judeth has shared her vision, and
led her community to make land preservation a priority
in one of the most densely populated towns in the state.
She is honored today for aiding Massachusetts in retaining
Ronald Poltak
Having spent 30-plus
years in environmental policy development and implementation,
Ron Poltak has served as the executive director of
the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control
Commission (NEIWPCC) since 1983. Under his leadership, NEIWPCC has dramatically
increased activities to protect surface water; treat
wastewater; address non-point source pollution, mercury
and underground storage tanks; and expand training
opportunities. Leading an organization that coordinates
efforts among the six New England states and New York
to protect and restore water quality is a daunting
task. To provide such high quality leadership
for nearly a quarter century is extraordinary. As
executive director of NEIWPCC, Ron coordinates efforts
between and among state administrations and agencies,
federal agencies, Congress and other national organizations. He
ensures that the organization serves the needs of member
states, coordinates programs and direction among members,
educates the public about critical water quality issues,
and provides training programs serving several thousand
environmental professions to help local people do their
jobs better and more efficiently. Under Ron's
guidance, NEIWPCC has undertaken a Regional Research
Initiative to develop and implement a strategic approach
to water resources research in the Northeast. Before
joining NEIWPCC, Ron served in several influential
and senior environmental positions in his native New
Hampshire. These include being the Director
of Parks and Recreation in N.H., serving in the Governor's
office for 15 years, and other roles that made him
instrumental at developing and directing environmental
policy on a local and state level.
Peter Clavelle
Having served seven terms as Mayor of Burlington,
Vt., Peter Clavelle has been integrally involved in
public service and city management for more than 30
years. Under his leadership, Burlington
continued to gain international recognition for innovative
programs to promote sustainable development and quality
of life. Peter served on numerous local and state
organizations which collectively promoted a clean environment
and healthful living for Vermonters. Among his
environmental accomplishments, the Burlington “Legacy
Plan” stands out as a forward-looking effort
to make Vermont's largest settlement “the
nation's most sustainable city.” Under
his tenure as Mayor, Burlington aggressively targeted
childhood lead poisoning in older housing as a preventable
health concern, worked to address and redevelop Brownfield
properties, and became the first Vermont community
to adopt mandatory curbside recycling. Peter
Clavelle's legacy as Mayor and citizen
is a city that has applied its environmental convictions
in positive innovative ways to improve the community
and health of its citizens.
Individual Environmental Awards
Anne D. (Andy) Burt
Environmental
Justice Director, Maine Council
of Churches
From her base as the Environmental
Justice Director for the Maine Council of Churches,
Andy Burt has demonstrated an enormous personal commitment
to environmental protection. Her
capacity to lift spirits, mobilize creativity and energize
individuals, environmental organizations, congregations
and government has resulted in a long list of accomplishments
in recent years. From designing a “Let
There Be Light” program where congregations audit
and reduce their energy use resulting in a 2 million
pound reduction of carbon dioxide emissions, to organizing
over 35 local churches to “practice their faith
by caring for creation” through the “Earthcare
Team Initiative,” Andy's long list of accomplishments
are seemingly endless. Other activities include:
bringing together environmental groups and the Maine
DEP to enact a pilot “Clean Air Zone” in
Freeport, Maine, an anti-idling initiative aimed at
changing public behavior; working as a key stakeholder
in the development of “A Climate Action Plan
for Maine 2004” which produced the first greenhouse
gas plan in the nation developed to meet statutory
emissions reductions; and developing a new initiative “Soul
Food” in partnership with the Maine Organic Farmers
and Gardeners Association to promote environmentally
responsible farming for local food production and consumption.
Jennifer Carlino
Conservation Director, Town
of Norton, Massachusetts
Jennifer
Carlino is being recognized for her innovation and
ambition to preserve open space and protect conservation
areas in and around Norton, Mass. Through her
determination and ingenuity, Ms. Carlino is directly
responsible for the permanent preservation of over
119 acres of land and under Jennifer's direction
the Town of Norton increased its acreage of permanently
protected land from 9 percent to 19.5 percent. Ms.
Carlino researched the deeds for conservation land
and recorded the respective town meeting votes at the
Registry of Deeds for property transferred to conservation
management. The steps she took to record town
meeting votes will prevent an accidental sale of protected
land, a problem for most Massachusetts communities. Among
many other notable preservation efforts Jennifer is
responsible for: negotiating conservation restrictions
within proposed residential developments in order to
protect 18 acres along the Canoe River; negotiating
conservation restrictions for 76 acres to protect a
wildlife corridor extending from the Great Woods area
to the Wading River; securing a 25-acre donation of
land containing six vernal pools; certifying 19 vernal
pools with the Mass. Natural Heritage and Endangered
Species Program; completing a survey for the Conservation
Commission's 940 acres of protected land and
water bodies; and authoring the Town of Norton's
Five-year Open Space and Recreation Plan.
Ellen Mass
President, Friends
of Alewife Reservation
Like
few other people, Ellen Mass has brought many groups
and individuals together to give the greater Alewife
ecosystem a significant place in the minds and hearts
of the citizens of Belmont, Arlington, Cambridge
and surrounding communities. As President of
the Friends of Alewife Reservation, Ellen has worked
tirelessly for the past six years on behalf of a small,
but significant urban wild of 130 acres. Owned by the
Department of Conservation and Recreation, this urban
swath of land receives constant attention and stewardship
under Ellen's leadership. Ms. Mass has
organized over 100 reservation clean-up days, enlisting
helpers through local neighborhood groups, classes,
and community service organizations. Ellen has worked
with Lesley University to develop a successful public
forum on improvement projects for the Alewife sub-watershed;
held forums and educational events; organized canoe
trips, sponsored multiple naturalist docent training
sessions and reservation walks; and led a two-year
Mural Project that resulted in a 90 foot mural featuring
wildlife of the Alewife Reservation which is prominently
displayed at the Alewife T stop. Ellen is currently
orchestrating an impressive multi-agency effort to
restore natural buffers on a 10-acre parcel of the
Reservation. Ellen has made a significant contribution
to the Alewife Reservation and has heightened our environmental
awareness of this important urban jewel.
Christian Martin
Senior Wildlife Biologist, New Hampshire
Audubon Society
We can all offer our thanks to
Christian Martin for increasing the populations of Bald
Eagles, Osprey and Peregrine Falcons in New Hampshire
over the past 15 years. Working well beyond his job requirements
as a Senior Wildlife Biologist at the NH Audubon Society,
Christian has built partnerships that leverage scarce
financial resources to enlist and personally train
volunteers to become educated advocates for conservation
in local communities. For nearly a decade, Christian
has coordinated NH's statewide surveys of Bald
Eagles, Osprey and Peregrine Falcons during their nesting
seasons. As recreational opportunities and development
are negatively impacting the areas utilized by these
birds and each of these species still face challenges
in NH, , the data provided through Christian's
work and the species profiles that he recently drafted
for NH's Wildlife Action Plan, will guide the
state's future protection efforts. The
impact of Christian's work extends to cities
and towns throughout NH and to future generations,
by fostering conservation.
Alyson McCann
Water Quality Program Coordinator at the Univ. of Rhode
Island
Alyson McCann is being recognized for addressing an
important public health issue in New England: the testing
of private drinking water wells. In Maine, New
Hampshire and Vermont, it is estimated that 40 percent
of the population is served by private drinking water
wells – amounting to more than 800,000 private
wells serving 2.3 million people. The threats
from untreated private well water in New England are
significant and can include contaminants such as arsenic,
bacteria, MTBE, uranium, radionuclides, among others.
Before Alyson's leadership crafting and implementing a New England-wide strategy for addressing private wells, efforts to assist the public and inform them of the risks from contamination and well testing for homeowners were severely limited. The goal of the Private Well Initiative is to encourage testing well water on an annual basis.
In 2006, Alyson was the key organizer for a regional consortium among public health and environmental agencies. Through initial funding from EPA, Alyson created and distributed a large inventory of state and contaminant-specific brochures to reach private well owners, public health officials, realtors and other groups. Alyson has advanced efforts of the initiative at the 2006 Private Well Consortium which was attended by over 100 private well professionals and included speakers from several universities and government agencies. Alyson continues to reach out on private well issues by offering information through community institutions such as libraries and local boards of health.
Environmental, Community, Academia & Non-Profit Organization Environmental Merit Awards
Green Mountain Conservation
Group
Blair Folts, Executive Director
Founded in 1997, the Green Mountain Conservation Group
(GMGC) is a community-based charitable organization
dedicated to the protection and conservation of natural
resources in the Ossipee watershed in New Hampshire – including
the towns of Effingham, Freedom, Madison, Ossipee,
Sandwich and Tamworth. Adopting a style of “non-confrontational” advocacy,
GMGC is educating local officials and residents about
the Ossipee watershed and the impact that a projected
50 percent growth will have on the area over the next
15 years. The Ossipee watershed is uniquely vulnerable
to pollution and contamination because it is home to
the largest drift aquifer in New Hampshire – allowing
the aquifer to recharge very quickly and also carry
pollutants more easily to underground water supplies. Working
with the Saco River Corridor Commission, GMGC has established
a volunteer-led water quality program and has collected
three years of data upon which water quality trends
and changes can be measured. GMGC has also protected
450 acres of critical habitat from development and
is currently working to protect another 2000 acres
of critical land around Trout Pond in Freedom, NH. The
GMGC is an excellent example of a grassroots organization
that is making a large impact on the protection of
critical natural resource areas in New England.
New Hampshire Partnership
for High Performance Schools
An Initiative of the Jordon Institute
This young and highly effective group was formed
to put in place a state-wide comprehensive approach
for designing and constructing healthy, high performance,
energy efficient, environmentally benign and economically
sensible school facilities. The New Hampshire
Partnership for High Performance Schools has successfully
reached out to more than 70 communities – educating
school administrators, facility managers, teachers
and parents on ways to make their schools healthier. By
forging partnerships with the NH Department of Education,
the NH Office of Energy and Planning, NH utilities,
the public health community, school design and engineering
firms, and environmental organizations, the work of
the Partnership has resulted in nearly a dozen districts
planning or moving forward with designs for construction
or renovation of schools to high performance standards. All
of these projects will mean better, healthier indoor
environments for students and staff. The Partnership
is a successful and replicable example of an effective
state-wide initiative to improve the lives of individuals
and the environment in which they live, work and play.
Safe Routes to School
Program
Lexington, MA
The Safe Routes to School Program is a creative
community approach to encouraging non-car transportation. Sparked
by a survey of parents who identified concerns for
their children's safety as the primary reason
for not allowing them to walk or bike to school, the
Program successfully worked to overcome many obstacles
in order to allow children to walk safely. The Program
is a collaborative effort of Lexington's Bridge
Elementary School parents, the PTA staff, the School
Committee, the Board of Selectmen and the Department
of Public Works, and encourages students at the school
to use any form of transportation, other than automobiles,
to get to school. Of the 320 potential walkers, as
many as 200 walked, biked, or rode their scooters to
school, vastly reducing the volume of single car transportation
to and from school. The Program worked collaboratively
with the Sidewalk Committee, which identified main
walking routes, and Public Works employees who repainted
heavily used crosswalks and strategically placed “Yield
to Pedestrians” signs. Students who participated
received ribbons to acknowledge their awareness of
the benefits of reduced car traffic, and designated
meeting points were established for families to safely
gather and walk together. The Program resulted in reduced
traffic and car pollution by more than 50% during the
program's kickoff week and families were encouraged
to continue the program throughout the year. The
success of the Safe Routes to School Program has paved
the way for Lexington's four other elementary
Local, State or Federal
Governmental
Environmental Merit Awards
Connecticut Clean Diesel
Plan Team
Commissioner Gina McCarthy, Tracy Babbidge,
Paul Farrell, Pat Kelly, Bill Menz, Susan Amarello
and Ariel Garcia
The Connecticut Clean Diesel Plan Team is being commended
for their extraordinary efforts in developing a comprehensive
plan for reducing diesel emissions that went beyond
those required in a special act of the state Legislature.
The Team worked to tirelessly address the problems
caused by diesel exhaust which cause people to breathe
fine particles that aggravate heart and lung diseases
and has been linked to cardiovascular symptoms, cardiac
arrhythmias, heart attacks, respiratory symptoms, asthma
attacks and bronchitis. By enlisting a broad-base of
stakeholders including businesses, environmentalists,
educational and government actors, and local community
groups, the Team developed an inventory of diesel vehicles
to identify the most cost-effective strategies to reduce
diesel emissions through a combination of cleaner fuels,
early vehicle replacement and vehicle retrofits. Through
stakeholder meetings, the group also identified creative
strategies for overcoming funding barriers by employing
tax incentives, contract specifications, Department
of Energy State Energy Program funds and other funding
available for vehicle retrofits. One of the great benefits
of the Plan is that it will reduce emissions in several
communities in the state which suffer disproportionately
from the impacts of air pollution thereby addressing
environmental justice concerns. The plan will not only
serve as a blueprint for the state of Connecticut,
but will serve as a model for other states to develop
diesel reduction strategies.
ThinkBlueMaine Partnership
In order to address the problem of polluted stormwater
runoff from damaging Maine's urban streams
and water bodies, the ThinkBlueMaine Partnership
was created to raise awareness and change human behaviors
to help reduce the amount of contaminants that enter
Maine's waterways. The Partnership includes
28 municipalities that are responsible for meeting
stormwater regulations, Soil and Water Conservation
Districts, the Maine State Planning Office, the Maine
Department of Environmental Protection and the University
of Maine Cooperative Extension. The Partnership has
produced and funded mass media ads to promote clean
water, used focus groups and social marketing to
orchestrate an education campaign, and planned area-wide
cleanup days at many river locations throughout the
state. The communities worked to stencil storm drains
to educate people that whatever goes down the drain
ends up in a local body of water and created a thinkbluemaine.org
website linking all of the communities, events and
activities around clean water issues. Through the
Partnership, many of Maine's regulated stormwater
communities, agencies and organizations agreed to
take steps to go beyond state and federal stormwater
requirements by informing people on ways that they
can change their behaviors to reduce stormwater pollution.
Business, Industry and Professional Organizations Environmental Merit Awards
Tom's of Maine
Founded by Tom
and Kate Chappell in 1970, Tom's
of Maine is based on the central belief that a company
can be financially successful while behaving in a socially
responsible and environmentally sensitive manner. In
each of its 36 years since then, the company has grown
both financially and with regard to social and environmental
practices. In 2005, Tom's of Maine was
able to make further advancements in lighting, electricity,
and recycling. They replaced 400-watt metal
fixtures with sensor-controlled fluorescent energy-saving
fixtures to save 250,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity
per year. They also converted 100% of their electricity
consumption to wind energy to eliminate the production
of 1.5 million points of carbon dioxide emissions annually. And
finally, all of Tom's of Maine increased their
recycling to 200,000 pounds per year and eliminated
half of their weekly trash pick-ups by recycling aluminum
tubes, folding cartons, mixed paper, and shrink wrap. This
company continues to produce personal care products
using natural ingredients derived from plants and minerals
that are biodegradable and manufactured and packaged
in earth friendly ways. They annually donate
10% of all profits to charitable organizations and
encourage their employees to use 5% of their paid time
to do volunteer work.
Beacon Capital Partners LLC
Throughout
2005, Beacon Capital Partners LLC implemented a comprehensive
energy conservation and awareness program involving
all of its building employees and tenants. The
program established a monthly tracking report to monitor
the energy consumption at all of the properties in
Beacon's portfolio and implement energy efficiency
measures at three landmark Boston buildings: John Hancock
Tower, Berkeley and Brown Buildings, and the Newbry
at 501 Boylston - formerly the New England Life Insurance
Building. These ENERGY STAR labeled buildings accounted
for more than half of the total square footage of labeled
building space in New England in 2005. The Hancock
Tower is the tallest building in New England at 790
feet and scored an impressive 77 out of 100 on the
ENERGY STAR national performance rating system. EPA
calculates that the building uses one-third less energy
than similar buildings and avoids 30 million pounds
of carbon dioxide emissions; all while saving $3.5
million in annual energy bills. The three buildings
together comprise nearly 5 million square feet, collectively
save nearly $7 million each year, and prevent more
than 65 million pounds of carbon dioxide emissions
each year. Because of their extraordinary successes,
Beacon Capital Partners LLC plans to implement energy
conservation measures throughout their portfolio and
is encouraging tenants to reduce energy in their areas
by implementing a comprehensive Preventive Maintenance
Program at all properties and to monitor energy savings
after the implementation of energy conservation measures.
New England Lead Free
Electronics Consortium
Comprised of New England companies
representing the entire printed wiring board (PWB)
supply chain, the New England Lead Free Electronics
Consortium utilizes the “cradle to cradle” approach to research,
design, and test lead free circuit boards for use in
the electronics industry. Their goal is to demonstrate
the feasibility of achieving lead free electronics
assembly with comparable reliability to current leaded
technology. This project has been going on for
five years and will lead to the removal of approximately
6,500 lbs. of lead per year from the Massachusetts
electronics industry. Lead, a toxic chemical
that has been linked to health and behavioral problems,
is released into the environment through the disposal
of lead-containing products to landfills and incinerators. It
has been chosen by the National Waste Minimization
Partnership Program and is a cornerstone of EPA's
Resource Conservation Challenge. Because lead
is commonly found in the soldering used in disposable
electronic equipment, this project stands to significantly
reduce environmental lead and make long lasting changes
in the way New England companies manufacture their
goods. This approach and its results have been
shared with the electronics industry world wide through
the outreach of various consortium members.
Stonyfield Farm, Inc.
Stonyfield Farm,
a local yogurt producer, was, in 1994, the first manufacturer
in America to offset 100% of its carbon dioxide emissions
from its manufacturing facility's energy use. Nine years later,
Stonyfield Farm continues to steward the environment
by purchasing over 12,000 metric tons of renewable
energy credit (REC)-based carbon dioxide offsets from
new wind facilities and by purchasing solar energy
generated RECs to fund the 2005 installation of a 50
kW solar array system on its facilities in Londonderry,
NH – the largest in the state of New Hampshire. These
REC purchases have helped directly finance a farm methane
energy generator for a family-owned dairy farm in Pennsylvania
and help support the construction and initial operations
and maintenance expenses for three wind turbines in
Alaska Native Villages and new wind farms in the Midwest. In
the past, Stonyfield Farm has developed a ‘how-to' booklet
on carbon offsets, was the first for-profit organization
to register its greenhouse gas emissions with the State
of New Hampshire's voluntary greenhouse gas registry,
and purchased as many as 28,000 metric tons of carbon
offsets. The company also annually donates 10%
of its profits to support other environmental causes
including many relating to global climate change. Each
of these projects is a visible statement of the company's
commitment to supporting renewable energy projects
and helping to bring commercial viability to these
technologies.