Individuals Category

Although the 1st Annual Green Living awards had many well-deserving nominees, voting is limited to the individuals, businesses and policy-makers that turned in a submission. Please choose your top pick from the list of submitted applicants below. For more information about all the nominees scroll below the poll or use the list on right. For a full list of nominees (includes those who did submit applications and those who did not) click here.

The popular vote is in! See below for the final online votes for the 1st Annual Green Living Awards. Click here for the winners in both the "Popular Vote" and the "Green Ribbon Committee" selections, and how each was selected.

Ike & Karen Beal

Being a couple of 'old hippies', sustainability concepts and activism were already a part of our lives. They were reflected in how we built our home in the 80s with the help of our Whole Earth Catalog and Mother Earth News magazine. Now, the critical need and awareness has grow along with the amazing resources available on the internet, but the concept is the same - we still try to limit our impact on our world. And we have so many talented, energetic people, like GLEE, who want to help! Living a green life is not hard, it does not require sacrifice - just some thoughtful living and joyful sharing. See, I said we were 'old hippies'.

Douglas Bedgood

I feel the reflexes and needs of nature, that the new future and the environment are in peril, that we can help the earth heal, that the deadline to pursue corrective research is upon us now, that the source of fuel for electricity can be entirely green, that it is the responsibility of everyone on the planet to do their part and to educate all people who are deficient in the necessary knowledge needed to develop healthy habits for themselves and the global environment. I feel optimism.

Christopher C. Belland

Like most folks, until I raised my hand to co-chair the Key West Chamber of Commerce's Clean and Green Committee, I had no idea what I was doing to the environment. What started out with just organizing a couple city wide cleanups with Annalise Mannix at the city of Key West, has become a journey of education, participation and activism in saving the city, country and planet where I live. The more I learn, the more I realize I have a long way to go, but am up for the challenge. Because of the high profile of my own companies, I have been able to bring the attention to green living to a sector of the community that unfortunately, more often than not dismisses its importance.

Dick Conklin

During the past year and a half, I have written several newspaper articles on various "green" topics. My goal in writing has been to motivate and educate Keys readers to practice environmentally-friendly techniques. Most of these articles can be found on the Keynoter Web site, keynoter.com, and Keys Sunday site, keyssunday. com. The article on stopping cruise ship dumping can be found at keysy.com/dumping.pdf.

Ralph and Jackie DeGayner

Being Nominated and filling out this form makes one take inventory of what they are doing to help protect the environment and what one can work at. What we both love about the Keys is what GLEE is trying to protect. Sometimes there are things that happen here that you wonder why should one ever bother but then you go to a GLEE event or an Earth Day Event and see that there are others that really care what happens to this beautiful place we call the Keys. We first come to the Keys in 1979 and have seen a lot of changes, some not so good. We are lucky to be able to spend our winters in such a beautiful place and what to help where can so we can continue to enjoy what we fell in love with almost 30 years ago.

Mirine Dye

I am really happy to be nominated. I stared out with my ideals of parenting as a health choice- cloth diapers, breastfeeding, natural homemade baby foods, and reducing toxic plastics. This was 12 years ago. I easily incorporated these ideas into my profession, and have extended my ideas into my current role with Healthy Start Coalition. I see our personal health as both an extension and reflection of the health of the Earth and the two are not mutually exclusive. I see my food choices and home environment as my first line of contributing to the health of the community and planet.

Tina and Dennis Henize

We're hard-pressed to brag about ourselves, and are pretty ordinary. We use "clean & green" products and buy organic to the extent that we can, not always available, and not always affordable. We put time and effort into conservation of native habitat because we recognize that powerful forces want to destroy what's left of the "natural" Keys, in the name of profit. As for energy conservation, it makes economical sense as well as environmental, to reduce energy use. Enlightened self-interest often coincides with the common good. We are honored to be nominated for recognition, and if our activities encourage others to do more, this is a good thing.

Kim Gabel

I work, and live to educate myself and my fellow island residents on how to live lightly on the earth. My passions are in education people on environmentally friendly landscaping practices from mulching, composting, water conservation, planting natives and identifying those insects before you spray.

Todd German

While at first blush many would not think of me as "Green", digging down a bit finds the environmentalist that lies in all of us. During my years in the military I spend a lot of time in the jungle and forest. I believe this is where my love of plants really took hold., My last two vacations have been to the Amazon and most recently to Panama. Being a Banker by profession and thus, particularly attuned to finances, the efficiencies of Green Living show themselves to be good common sense. Looking at it another way, anything that can be done to reduce long term cost and impact is good for everyone involved and is just good business. I truly believe that as technology improves and the "green intelligence level" of our population increases, the results and progress will be exponential. I plan on doing my part to help us keep moving forward.

Steven & Jackie Grasley

Steve & Jackie have long been proponents of self sufficiency and green living. Not only did they look forward and move to the Keys in 2001 to invest in one of the Keys only alternative energy businesses, they have built a model home that adheres to every green design principle & technique currently available. Steve, as an engineer, has been involved in GLEE since it's inception & has consulted throughout the Keys on alternative systems of all kinds. As one of the few true local "experts", he has spoken to foundations, organizations & municipalities about the technical aspects of green systems & energy conservation. He has designed alternative energy systems that have been installed throughout the Keys and the Caribbean. Together Steve & Jackie embody green living everyday, and are strong advocates with the experience to help others get it right.

Richard Jones

My home and yard incorporate numerous practical elements for energy conservation. I designed a very small home (expandable) with an open interior (few interior walls), high ceilings and numerous windows for air circulation. I have a solar hot water system and a 2500 gal. cistern tank for storing rain water. The electric bill is always low and the water bill is about $20 every month. The highlight of the home however, is the yard. It is totally vegetated, all native, and no exotics. That means no need for watering, cutting or fertilizing. I am a certified Master Gardener which helped increase my understanding of native landscaping- and no maintenance required! I have opened my home to visitors on the GLEE home tour the last two years, and we're doing it again this year. Come by and see what a high efficiency home and native yard can do for the planet and your own spirit. It's not that high tech...it just makes sense!e.

Nicky Laak

In 2000 Nicky Laak united homeowners and agencies to create a butterfly habitat in Key Largo. As FAVOR’s Crocodile Lake representative, she manages the refuge’s volunteer program. Laak and her family buy green, recycle and eat organic food as much as possible. Named 2006 Environmental Teacher of the Year by Monroe County Environmental Education Council, Laak teaches at the Academy at Ocean Reef. She has introduced environmental education and recycling programs to local schools. She is publishing a children’s book about a Key Largo woodrat, bringing a Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary Coral Reef Classroom to The Academy, and consulting on a butterfly garden project at KLS.

Christine Novak

The paper recycling program at HOB is the best and most wide-reaching part of my environmental effort because it impacts so many students and adults every day. As recycling becomes habit forming, we shape citizens who are more conscious of their effect on the planet. the personal reuse of materials is my personal way of doing my part for the earth at work. Finally, the water reuse that my partner and I do at home is a personal commitment to saving the precious water resources we share with the world. Water = life. There is no way around that equation.

Mark E. Songer

I am truly honored that Jody Smith-Williams thought to nominate me as an individual, and I anxiously await the beginning of voting so that I may support a much more deserving nominee.

Jane Tallman

I have worked with GLEE since it's inception to promote it's vision and extend green education throughout the Keys community. I have worked on each Expo, given presentations and assisted with workshops, created funding partnerships, organized multi-agency meetings (septic to cistern conversion), and provided technical assistance on water conservation matters. As a Board member and Secretary, I devote time and effort to organization development and administration, and am personally committed to the principles and success of GLEE.

Fran & Mali Wagner

Fran and Mali have done all they can think of to reduce, reuse, recycle and rot, but the accomplishment they are most proud of is their work with the State Department of Health to approve the conversion of septic tanks to cisterns and to make that conversion less cumbersome and less costly. If a homeowner converts a 1,000- gallon septic tank, he or she can, conservatively, save at least 3,000 gallons of stormwater runoff per year and can use that water for irrigation, thus saving our precious drinking water. Since the Keys are now in the process of installing sewers, this is a golden opportunity for homeowners to convert to cisterns at a minimum cost and disruption to their landscaping. They are trying to educate homeowners and to get the word out about this important ecological opportunity.

Karin Wolfe

I am honored to have been nominated for this award and am humbled to be working with GLEE members that have so much enthusiasm, passion, knowledge and commitment. On a daily basis I am thrilled to hear of people making positive changes in behavior that lessens our impact on mother earth. I am simply trying to do the best I can as an individual while realizing that major changes can only occur when our leaders change direction. I will continue to have my voice heard and ideas expressed as I learn and grow on my green path!

Michael Welber

Through our own personal commitment at home and through the actions we take in our daily lives plus the volunteer efforts made on behalf of both the City of Marathon and GLEE, we feel that we live our personal philosophy of trying to live as sustainably as possible in modern society. From the simplest actions such as minimizing paper use to the most complicated such as installing solar hot water, we have made the effort to reduce our impact upon the earth. We have lived all over the United States -- from California to New England -- and have never lived in as beautiful place as the Florida Keys. Our efforts to reduce consumption comes in part from selfish interest -- we want to preserve the incredible beauty of the Keys and the surrounding waters.