Governor Bill Haslam and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau announced the winners of the 2016 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards on Wednesday. EPB and green|spaces were named recipients. The awards recognize exceptional voluntary actions that improve or protect the environment and natural resources with projects or initiatives not required by law or regulation.
“The quality of our air, land and water is essential for public health and the marketability of our state,” Governor Haslam said.
“I thank all of the winners for their individual contributions to keeping Tennessee a beautiful state to live, work and visit.”
“It is important that we pause to recognize the people and organizations that work so hard to protect our environment while teaching others about sustainability,” Commissioner Martineau said. “These winning efforts will help pave the way for future ideas on how we can further protect our natural resources.”
The 2016 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award recipients are:
· Belmont University – Davidson County
· Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition
· green|spaces – Hamilton County
· Emmett Elementary School – Sullivan County
· EPB – Hamilton County
· The Jackson Walk – Madison County
· Sevier Solid Waste, Inc. – Sevier County
· Tennessee Environmental Council – Natural Heritage
· Sharp Transport, Inc. – Lawrence County
· Music City Center – Davidson County
· Lipscomb Academy Elementary – Davidson County
A panel of 24 agricultural, conservation, forestry, environmental and academic professionals judged more than 85 nominations and selected this year’s award recipients based on criteria including on-the-ground achievement, innovation and public education. The winners will be recognized for their achievements and positive impact on the state’s natural resources in an awards ceremony to be held in Nashville on June 15. The Robert Sparks Walker Lifetime Achievement Award will be announced at a luncheon on June 15.
A full description of the winning efforts and award categories are included in the attached document.