Sustainable Contra Costa is pleased to announce the 2017 Leadership in Sustainability Award winners! The award winners were honored at the 9th Annual Contra Costa Leadership In Sustainability Awards Gala on September 20th.
The Contra Costa Leadership In Sustainability Award is given to those demonstrate outstanding commitment and leadership in building healthy, beautiful and resilient communities for all generations to enjoy.
2017 Award Winners
Category: Leadership in Sustainable Communities
Julie Haas-Wajdowicz
Julie Haas-Wajdowicz, Environmental Resource Coordinator for the City of Antioch, works tirelessly to promote a variety of causes that promote sustainable practices, environmental stewardship and community engagement. For nearly 15 years, Julie has managed and developed programs that reduce waste and greenhouse gas emissions, conserve water, and eliminate water pollution.
New Leaf Collaborative
New Leaf Collaborative (NLC) is a California Nonprofit Public Benefit Corporation whose mission is to provide hands-on, experiential learning and leadership opportunities, in areas of science, nature and ecological literacy in order to nurture the social and emotional health of K-14 students, educators and community partners. NLC does this through several programs in and out of schools throughout Contra Costa County where program outcomes are guided by social and emotional learning standards and create connection to place, community, and civic engagement. NLC strives to cultivate healthy communities and individuals, intellectually curious learners, and responsible, ecologically literate citizens.
Category: Leadership in Sustainable Resource Management
Daily Digital Imaging
In 2004, Daily Digital Imaging moved to Pleasant Hill and installed the first all-digital, full color printing press that uses no chemicals, solvents, or water in its process. No special air or sewage handling, noise control, or personal protective equipment is needed. Waste is sent to Xerox for reuse. In 2006, Daily Digital completed the Bay Area Green Business certification, making them one of the longest certified green businesses in Contra Costa County! Daily Digital has been a member of Green America, a national green business organization, since 2009. They conscientiously focus on the highest rung of the "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rot" hierarchy by significantly reducing their waste and in turn, protecting their workers, community, and environment.
Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority
Eastern Contra Costa Transit Authority (ECCTA), also known as Tri Delta Transit, has been a member of the Contra Costa Green Business Program for over ten years. ECCTA provides fixed route and paratransit public transport services to almost 315,000 residents in eastern Contra Costa County. More than 80% of transit-dependent passengers are from low income households. ECCTA received its first Sustainable Contra Costa award in 2011. Since then it has made even greater strides in promoting sustainability and community development. CCTA’s safe, reliable, and inexpensive public transport is beneficial to the environment, the community, saves on highway wear and tear, and is a greener option to driving. ECCTA is proud of their steps to reduce its overall impact on the environment.
Rising Sun Energy
Rising Sun Energy Center is a sustainability leader whose innovative green job training programs and community advocacy efforts tackle head on the challenges of social and economic inequity and climate change. Their programs make investments in underserved communities, while creating immediate, tangible benefits for local people and the planet. Rising Sun program participants gain meaningful employment, valuable career training, empowerment to take practical, immediate action in response to climate change, and universal skills in professionalism, teamwork and project planning.
Category: Rising Star
Girl Scout Troop 33333, Martinez
A commitment to sustainability, their community, and pursuit of the Bronze Award -- the highest honor for Scouts their age -- motivated Girl Scout Troop 33333 from Hidden Valley Elementary to launch a program to improve access to recycling and start a compost program on their campus. Troop members worked after school for two months to write, stage, and deliver skits during Earth Day assemblies educating classmates on recycling and composting. They provided original content ideas, performed multiple rehearsals, and took ownership of the numerous props, upcycled costumes, and media needs. The Girl Scouts also served as the lead lunchroom monitors of trash/recycling/composting, providing on-the-spot education to students and helping train new Green Team members on how to recycle and compost. Their troop caught the attention of the City of Martinez, where Mayor Rob Schroder and the City Councilmembers honored them. Most of the girls are moving on to Valley View Middle School where they are excited to start the program there.
Category: Lifetime Achievement
Kathryn Lyddan
As Director of the Land Resource Protection Division at the California Department of conservation since 2016, Kathryn Lyddan works with state and local governments, land trusts, landowners, farmers, researchers, nonprofits and local governments to conserve our farmland, natural resources and open spaces, promote local agriculture, and build a sustainable California food system. From 2003 through 2016 Kathryn served as the Executive Director of the Brentwood Agricultural Land Trust, a nonprofit established to permanently protect Contra Costa productive farmland and build a vibrant local agricultural economy on the urban edge of the Bay Area. In addition to a farmland conservation program, Kathryn oversaw a wide range of projects promoting food and farming through agricultural enterprise zoning and regional marketing, such as the Contra Costa Buy Fresh Buy Local marketing campaign and the Brentwood-Richmond Farm-2-Table Community Supported Agriculture. She coauthored Sustaining Our Bounty (2011) and Triple Harvest: Farmland conservation for climate protection, smart growth and food security in California (2013).
The gala is a fun and festive event recognizing and celebrating individuals and organizations throughout the region for their outstanding contributions and commitment to creating a healthy environment, economy, and community. It draws 250 dynamic and engaged Bay Area sustainability leaders and activists from the business, educational, government and nonprofit sectors. Tickets included food, dessert, wine and beer from our sustainable partners such as True Food Kitchen, Sunrise Bistro, Chef Lauren Mahlke, DVC Culinary Arts, Captain & Viano Vineyards, and Calicraft Brewing.
In addition to the Leadership in Sustainability awards, Central San presented their Pollution Prevention Awards, and Contra Costa County's Green Business Program showcased certified green businesses.
This year our event theme was "Our Choices, Our Impact", focusing on the choices we make as consumers and how these choices affect the environment around us. Sustainable Contra Costa has committed to using the 10 One Planet Living Principles as a framework for all programs; to highlight this commitment there will be an exhibit at the gala demonstrating each principle.
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