On September 22nd, our community will come together for the 13th Annual Leadership in Sustainability Awards Celebration to celebrate and honor those who demonstrate outstanding commitment and leadership in making Contra Costa communities healthy, beautiful, clean, and resilient. We’re excited to be joined by special guest environmental scientist Andrew Gunther for an interactive discussion on the latest progress on climate action.
Andrew Gunther is a consulting environmental scientist with published research in the field of ecotoxicology, and extensive experience in applying science to the development of air, water, and endangered species policy.
After graduating from Amherst College and applying to be a NASA astronaut, the subsequent rejection letter that arrived shoved Gunther into what proved be a solid shove in the right direction- back to school to earn a PhD in Energy & Resources from UC Berkeley. In 2000, Dr. Gunther founded the Center for Ecosystem Management and Restoration in 2000, which became a regional leader in bringing salmon and steelhead back to California’s waterways.
After an array of jobs from testing the impact of DDT on fish to restoring Prince William Sound after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Dr. Gunther felt an irresistible pull to restore and protect the natural environment in the Bay Area. Soon after, he started creating the first State of the Bay Report and was the first manager of the State of California’s program that monitors for toxic substances in San Francisco Bay.
Dr. Gunther is currently working with a variety of organizations to prepare the Bay Area for a changing climate- including, but not limited to assembling expert teams, facilitating projects and assisting government agencies, NGOs and private corporations like Google.
Dr. Gunther has been recently appointed to the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board by Governer Gavin Newsome, where he focuses on building resilience to the impacts of a changing climate while applying clean water laws to enhance the Bay Area’s environment. He also on the Board of Directors of the Union of Concerned Scientists.
Please join us for this free, online event on Wednesday, September 22 from 7:00 PM – 8:45 PM!
Your attendance supports and celebrates local individuals and organizations for their outstanding contributions and commitment to climate change work, a healthy environment, economy, and society – so that Contra Costa remains a wonderful place for generations to come.
As a fundraiser for Sustainable Contra Costa, this event will also feature a fun silent auction, with a chance to bid on exciting items donated by local businesses.
Click here to learn about becoming a SCOCO Partner and supporting the Awards Event.
The Awards Event will be presented on Zoom, and also livestreamed on Sustainable Contra Costa’s YouTube channel.
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