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ANNUAL ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP AWARDS Our awards go to an individual for his/her outstanding contribution to making an environmental difference and to a group who has done much to foster environmental awareness/activism. In 2005, a business award was added to recognize those whose actions positively impact the health of our planet and local communities. 2008 Environmental Leadership Award Winners Individual Award Dirk Detlefsen  Dirk Detlefsen, Countryside elementary School along with students, accepts the Individual award. "Mr. D" is a favorite of students and parents of Countryside Elementary 5th graders. His students have dominated the Newton Student Energy Conservation Essay & Art contest for two years, not only in number of participating students, but also in quality of work and enthusiasm at the awards ceremonies. One parent describes him as "a holistic teacher," who conveys a sense of appreciation of the whole child before him. By example, he shares personal vignettes from his life appropriately that allow the children to see him as a person with family, friends, and a very caring heart. It is not surprising that he has supported this environmental project which reflects a caring for our whole world. It fits with who he is -- a person of strong ethics, values, responsibility, mutuality and love. Present and former students of "Mr. D" — describe him as "a really great guy who finds ways to make our lessons and projects really fun and never boring!" An Inconvenient Truth was shown as part of the unit on weather, climate and global warming, and his students make simple weather instruments and posters on how to reduce their carbon footprint at home and at school. This inspired combination of fun and learning has helped create a whole new generation of informed young environmentalists. Group Award Newton/San Juan del Sur Sister City Project  Margaret & David Gullette, coordinators and Jim & Jan MacDonald accepted their awards. The Newton/San Juan del Sur Sister City Project has helped solve environmental and health problems in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, using technology appropriate to their area, notably building with them BioSand Filters using Solar Panels to purify water, EcoStoves for cleaner air, and Composting Toilets for safer waste disposal.They have built or renovated seventeen school houses, constructed model homes for teachers, rebuilt playgrounds, sponsored teacher workshops, and shipped them school and medical supplies, books, clothing, shoes and toys. And they are still devising new ways to help that community. With skill, commitment, and spirit, the Newton/San Juan del Sur Sister City Project has inspired hundreds of Newton citizens, NNHS and NSHS students, churches and academics to work together with the citizens of San Juan del Sur to make that part of the world a better, healthier place. And for us, they have been a shining example of what is possible. Business Award Chapman Construction & Design  John Hall, President of Chapman Construction & Design accepts the Business Award from Peter Smith. Chapman Construction/Design: a leading Newton-based construction management firm that in their words "aims to be environmentally responsible, energy-efficient, and leaders in the green building industry." In renovating their own offices to be Platinum LEED certified, they are replacing most fixtures, equipment and appliances with energy efficient alternatives and adding a 47 Kilowatt solar panel array to their building to control their energy costs. Their offices are being rebuilt with recyclable materials and low VOC paint finishes. Another hallmark of what makes Chapman unique is their willingness to share: their office is a living laboratory of how you can transform your space to a more environmentally friendly and sustainable workplace. Finally, Chapman has instilled the "green" movement into their entire company by offering incentives to employees who purchase fuel-efficient vehicles and by investing in their employees with on-going education in green building strategies and sponsoring them in earning LEED accreditation. |