NRCM Announces the Third Annual People's Choice Award Nominees
We are pleased to announce this year's five finalists* for our People's Choice Award! We had more than 30 nominations for this year's award, from all across the state. A special thanks to all of you who sent in nominations; we are so pleased to learn of so many people doing terrific work to help keep Maine a special place.
We thank you for your votes. Voting for this year's winner is now closed.
This year's finalists (in alphabetical order) are:
Kathleen Florance of South Thomaston
As a nurse at PenBay Hospital in Rockport, Kathy has single handedly started a Green Project at the hospital which has vastly reduced waste, laundry, Styrofoam, and other hospital items. She has gotten the kitchen to compost leftover food. She has gotten staff to recycle the batteries and other items that normally would have been thrown away. She has designed displays and given programs to staff and has changed the way the organization operates. The hospital recently began purchasing cloth bags to give patients for their belongings instead of the plastic bags they used to provide. They are saving money and the environment thanks to Kathleen.
Alfred Padula of Portland
Fred, a retired USM history professor, has been generous with his time, his knowledge and his wallet for years when it comes to helping people reduce their greenhouse gas emissions from buildings. He has been a persistent advocate for alternative energy in the Portland region since long before spiraling energy costs brought others out of the woodwork, even to the extent of using the Freedom of Information Act to get Portland school's oil consumption figures publicized. He was instrumental in starting and leading the Green Campus Consortium of Maine now viewed as a model for other states and regions. Fred likes to ask "why not here?" and his persistent advocacy for the environment challenges all of us to move beyond talk to action.
Willy Ritch of Woolwich
Willy Ritch helped mobilize, motivate and inspire local citizens to speak out against a coal gasification plant being proposed for Wiscasset at the site of the former Maine Yankee. He raised funds, spoke out at public meetings and in the media, and encouraged others to do the same. From planning media events to petition drives, Willy was there working with others to stop this project that would have created pollution, habitat destruction and increased carbon dioxide emissions had it been approved.
Susan Shaw of Blue Hill
Dr. Shaw is Founder and Executive Director of the Marine Environmental Institute (MERI) in Blue Hill. MERI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific research and education on the impacts of pollution on marine life and human health, and to protecting the health and biodiversity of the marine environment for future generations. She is the first scientist to have reported the alarming fact that brominated flame retardants (PBDEs) are accumulating in Gulf of Maine seals. This finding attracted the attention of the science community and the national media and positively influenced legislation in Maine. She co-authored the Nine-Year Gulfwatch Report on the levels and trends of toxic contaminants in Gulf of Maine mussels. Dr. Shaw also initiated the Blue Hill Watershed Monitoring Project, the first-ever water quality monitoring program in the Blue Hill Bay watershed.
Roger Woodbury of Ellsworth
Roger owned 53 acres of land in historic downtown Ellsworth. The land was surrounded on three sides by the Union River and afforded magnificent views. Had he chosen to sell the land, it would have made him a millionaire, but instead he chose to conserve it. Four years ago Roger partnered with the Frenchman Bay Conservancy to create a 14-acre waterfront park on part of this parcel, giving public access to this beautiful area. This land conservation effort is a testament to Roger’s love of Maine, the people, and the wildlife that inhabit this land. He serves as an example of putting protection over profits and saving Maine’s natural areas.
*The nominations do not represent endorsement by NRCM of any particular environmental position, stategy, or viewpoint.