2009 Green Living Awardees
Green Living Honored at GLEE Annual Awards Event
A couple who have promoted converting septic systems to cisterns, a B&B that includes organic food as part of its service, and a public utility leading the way with sustainable architecture were among those honored with Green Living Awards by a Keys’ environmental group Saturday.
Florida Keys Green Living & Energy Education (GLEE) staged its 2nd Annual Green Living Awards at the Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Gardens on Feb. 21 to honor those who have taken progressive steps towards sustainability and carbon reduction. Winners were selected by the GLEE board, and also by a popular vote conducted via GLEE’s website.
In the Individual category, GLEE selected Fran and Mali Wagner for their work convincing the State Department of Health not only to approve the conversion of septic tanks to cisterns, but to make that conversion less cumbersome and less costly. The Business winner was Deer Run Bed & Breakfast on Big Pine Key. The local resort led by example, reducing its own footprint and modeling both organic and vegan lifestyles. The Agency honor went to Florida Keys Aqueduct Authority. The Keyswide water company plans to build a LEED-certified building in Marathon. The planned Service Center will feature solar panels, a vegetative roof and demonstrate the benefits of solar and wind energy. And finally, Islamorada received the Local Government Award by adopting sustainable policies and initiating programs that establish a strong leadership position for green living.
The public or “popular” vote for the Individual award was won by Carole and Bill DeHart, a couple who practices the 4Rs in every aspect of their lives; The Hammocks in Marathon, a DEP Green Lodging and Green Marina vacation spot, that won the Business category; and the City of Layton, which follows the tenets of the Mayors Climate Action Plan, won the greenest local government. Two entities tied as winners in the Agency category: Key West High School Alternative Energy Center, which has a student biodiesel program; and Florida Keys Electric Cooperative, which just installed a solar installation that can power up to 600 homes.
Of the many nominated in the Individuals Category were Amy Jones, Kathryn dePoo, Leda & Thor Dunmire, Pam Godfrey, Pamela Suarez, Roland & Sloan Muench, the Gerbracht Family, Tina & Dennis Henize, Tom Lavender & Debbi Rothstein, Debra Stucki, Rosalind Brackenbury, Jim Chenault, Jane Tallman and Jedde Regante.
In the Businesses Category nominees included Andrew’s Inn & Garden Cottages, Bonsai Gift Gallery & Dive Shop, Casa Marina Resort & Beach Club, Coca Cola, Dri Wash N Guard International Waterless Car Wash, Five Sixes Taxi, Leigh Ann’s Coffee House, Mariners Hospital, RL Grant Construction, The Banyan Resort, Waste Management, WeBeFit Personal Training Center, First State Bank of the Florida Keys, SOBOCYCLE, Yoga on the Beach, The Banyan Tree Nursery, Well-Tech Wellness Products, Island Water, Margaritaville, Northstar Resort Enterprises Corp., Sea Air Land Technologies (SALT), D'Asign Source, and Help Yourself Restaurant.
Agency/Organizations nominated included Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock State Park Volunteer Nursery, Dolphin Research Center, FDEP Green Lodging Program, Healthy Start Coalition, Keys Energy Services, Keys to Peace, Monroe County School District, Montessori Elementary Charter School and Reef Relief.
Other Local Governments nominated were Marathon and Monroe County.
Those interested can view applications of nominees here, which detail their accomplishments in living simply with a low environmental impact.