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The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection has recognized citizens and businesses who have demonstrated a commitment to the environment for this year's GreenCircle Awards.
Read this partial list of honorees below to become inspired, contact them to join in, or start an effort of your very own!
Dave Steinmetz – Woodbridge, CT
Dave Steinmetz and his sisters have worked on the "No Butts About It" litter campaign since 1996. Dave and his sisters have conducted neighborhood cleanups and maintained a website that promotes the elimination of cigarette butt litter.
Virginia Walton, Recycling Coordinator, Public Works Department – Mansfield, CT
Among numerous other strides to promote recycling, Virginia’s main effort is the composting program she installed in Mansfield’s schools. Virginia teaches K through 12 students through the actual composting of school lunch wastes, which fertilizes the Green Thumbs garden in the Southeast School’s greenhouse.
Allan Rawson & Jeffrey Rawson, Rawson Products – Putnam, CT
Allan and Jeffrey Rawson donated 37 acres of open space lands, which will preserve a section of Rocky Brook and provide a link from the Airline Trail to the Tri-State Marker.
Charles Keating, Trail Maintenance Volunteer, Chatfield Hollow State Park – Killingworth, CT
Charles Keating is the sole volunteer for the over 10 miles of trails at Chatfield Hollow State Park and adjoining sections of Cockaponset State Forest. He routinely works on clearing blown down branches from the trails, "armoring" wet spots, and improving drainage.
Kevin Watson – Norwich, CT
Kevin Watson adopted the streets Canterbury Turnpike and Old Canterbury Turnpike. On average, he cleaned them three times a month or about 3,000 volunteer hours per year. He has also been involved with various Wildlife Projects at Salt Rock State Camp Ground.
Chanelle Adams – Bloomfield, CT
Chanelle is a twelve year old, eighth grade student at the Lewis Fox Middle School Science Academy in Hartford. With the goal of educating the public on the importance of keeping a clean environment, she conducted a cleanup day in the vicinity of her school entitled: "Harford is Beautiful, Let’s keep it That Way!"
By Heather Burns-DeMelo
At least once a year, kids stop by my house to sell me junk food to raise money for their class. I hem and haw--and then lie and tell them I'm on a diet.
Well, last year a courageous group of 4th and 5th graders in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, boycotted a class fundraiser by refusing to sell the candy bars and potato chips they'd learned about in health class. Miles away in Westport, Connecticut, resident and owner of Natural Neighborhood, Rosie Haas, got an idea while reading an article about the students. "Customers of Natural Neighborhood were asking me if they could sell our natural and organic products to raise money for their kids' classrooms, I put two and two together and Fundraise Naturally was born," Haas recalls.
As of June 2006, schools in the U.S. have been required to form wellness committees to create and enforce nutrition in school-based cafeterias and other activities--such as the elimination of unhealthy products from fundraising programs. Haas says, "On the whole, schools are beginning to rethink the way they use their resources in the school environment and the impact on the greater community and that means seeking alternatives to fundraising as usual."
Fundraise Naturally only uses products that are eco-friendly, and are ethically made by caring manufacturers with the hope that as students experience entrepreneurship in an ethically-sound way, they will feel connected to their community and the planet, and get a real-life lesson in how small contributions can make a big difference.
Reforest The Tropics, Inc. (RTT) is a CT-based non-profit organization that works with schools to teach students about climate change. The approach to learning involves teaching students the somewhat grim realities of climate change, but offers practical steps that students can take to feel a part of the solution.
It's no coincidence that James Whelan heads up a Ridgefield, Connecticut-based environmental organization called RACE. In 1999, a heightened sense of eco-consciousness propelled him to buy an electric car, even though the price was high and several Connecticut car dealerships refused to fill his order. Who would have guessed that his penchant for a nifty, guilt-free electric car would foreshadow a full time commitment to the environment nearly ten years later?
Whelan says, "Global warming and climate change are upon us and virtually all scientists agree that human activity is a primary cause. Global temperatures and sea levels are rising. Storms are increasing in frequency and intensity, causing both floods and drought. Carbon emissions and other pollution are fouling the air we breathe, the water we drink, and endangering food stocks. These events are also damaging human health and driving many species to extinction." But it's not all doom and gloom for this Ridgefield resident, nor for other members of the Action Committee.
Twenty-one-year-old Mercedes DeMasi of Redding, Connecticut, has formed a group called Students for Environmental Action at West Connecticut State University. Top on her to-do list--a proposal detailing how the University can reduce its energy consumption by 10 percent within the next year by making small adjustments to day-to-day activities such as switching off lights, turning down thermostats and changing over to CFL bulbs. Her initiative and take-charge attitude also earned her a spot on the university energy council.
Students at Western Connecticut State University who want to join Students for Environmental Action can e-mail Mercedes DeMasi at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
What is the name of your organization and what is its mission?
The Farmington River Watershed Association was established as a 501©3 non-profit conservation organization in 1953 with a mission of protecting the Farmington River and its watershed forever through implementing research, education, and advocacy programs.
The aging Indian Point Nuclear Power point and its radioactive isotopes are far from a clean, green energy option. Previous arguements against closing the plant included not having enough power to replace the plant's output. This is no longer the case.
FUSEUSA (Friends United for Sustainable Energy) is a grassroots, not-for-profit organization, that advocates for the development and use of sustainable energy, in an effort to protect public health and safety and to preserve the integrity of the environment. Their current campaign is to STOP the issuance of relicensing of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plants, (located just outside New York City) that have a peak injury radius which includes Fairfield and Litchfield counties. They have already filed Contentions and Rulemaking Petitions with the NRC, and are currently preparing Intervener Petitions and other legal actions.
FUSEUSA is a member of the Indian Point Safe Energy Coalition (IPSEC) which is a coalition of over 70 community groups dedicated to the closure of Indian Point. Visit their website or read more about their recent legal action in the NY Times.
