 | | | Green Award winners, from left: Tina Goodfriend, Scott Thomsen, Erika Pringsheim-Moore, Ahmed Shibli, Maria Gastelumendi, Philip Hunsucker, Marie Montoya, Sharon Lingane and Mayor Don Tatzin. Photo Cathy Tyson | | | | | | Recognizing local residents and businesses that have made outstanding efforts that contribute to a more sustainable community, the 2013 Awards of Environmental Excellence, also known as the Green Awards, were selected by Lafayette's Environmental Task Force and announced at a recent city council meeting.
Tina Goodfriend wins the resident award for serving as a good friend to the earth. She chaired the Lafayette Earth Day Festival and is Volunteer Director for Sustainable Lafayette.
Scott Thomsen took the Green Building Award for connecting architecture to the environment via his work at Ward-Young Architecture and Planning for designing the Fresh Connection building that includes numerous elements of sustainable design.
Erika Pringsheim-Moore won the Green Award for schools, for teaching the next generation to value our resources. She's the leader of the Lafayette School District Green Team and has focused her energy on a demonstration garden, campus composting and partnered with the district and PG&E to swap out old gym lights, saving $30,000 annually.
Ahmed Shibli and Maria Gastelumendi, owners of the Rising Loafer CafÇ, won for serving as a model green restaurant in Lafayette. They feature organic and locally grown ingredients, some coming from their own garden, bio degradable to-go containers and environmentally friendly cleaning products; the tables in the cafÇ are made from re-purposed doors.
For local environmental law firm Hunsucker Goodstein PC, Philip Hunsucker and Marie Montoya were recognized for their commitment to protecting the environment. They have reduced waste, hardly use any paper in the office (even then its recycled paper that is printed on both sides) and organize an annual clean up of the Lafayette Reservoir.
Sharon Lingane, manager of The Friends Corner Bookshop, accepted the Green Award for her community organization for reducing, re-using, and recycling. Everything in the store is donated, from the roughly 25,000 donated books, CDs, puzzles, notepads and shopping bags to the labor of 135 volunteer staffers. The profits benefit everyone in the community by going to support library services.
C. Tyson
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA