Andy Sawyer & Carol Bingham Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) SKK Developments Rob and Maureen Burness Vista Properties Ralph Propper Robert and Anne Meagher Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1000 Physicians for Social Responsibility Sacramento Chapter Sierra Club Sacramento Group Sacramento Natural Foods Coop McCord Environmental, Inc. Kuvara Law Firm Earl Withycombe Fair Oaks EcoHousing
Each sponsorship is an investment in the ongoing success of ECOS, as well as the recognition provided by the Environmentalist of the Year Awards.
The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) has been giving the Environmentalist of the Year Award to hard-working, local environmentalists since 1973. This award is a way to celebrate and recognize the past year’s regional champions and community sustainability successes. This year, because of the pandemic, we will be hosting the awards via a video you will be able to stream online, featuring our wonderful awardees and their inspiring environmental work. We are excited to honor our community and reflect on the work we still have in front of us in the year ahead.
Environmentalist of the Year
Dr. Michelle Stevens
Dr. Michelle Stevens, a professor in the Environmental Studies Department at CSUS, has been leading the Bushy Lake Restoration Project along the lower American River Parkway, which protects, studies, and restores Sacramento’s riparian ecosystem. Michelle was able to “sell” this idea to the local community, a myriad of stakeholders, regional professionals and experts, and fellow colleagues. Michelle started with planting a few plants that are important to native peoples in the region, and nurtured it until it grew into a grant-funded restoration plan involving CSUS students and volunteers. Her work is informed and guided in uplifting the historic indigenous practices and culture of traditional ecological knowledge, and provides a hands-on opportunity for college students through CSUS and volunteers. In 2019, this project won an award at the annual CSU-wide Student Research Competition.
Environmentalist of the Year
Brandon Rose
Brandon Rose was ECOS President 2016-2017. During his tenure, ECOS put on a California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) workshop, which helped to attract and train volunteers. ECOS supported Sacramento’s plastic bag ban and ethics reform ordinances. Under his leadership, ECOS also helped the City obtain a $44 million “Green City” grant to construct electric vehicle charging stations and acquire electric vehicle fleets for car sharing programs in disadvantaged neighborhoods. Also during Brandon’s board presidency, ECOS worked with Wilton Rancheria to locate their proposed casino within the County of Sacramento’s Urban Service Area, rather than a rural area. In 2017, ECOS sued Caltrans over its approval of extra lanes on US 50 without considering the environmental impacts of increased traffic, which led to a settlement providing funding for transit. Later that year, Brandon was elected to the Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) board, which has since committed to carbon neutrality by 2030.
Early Career Environmentalist
Moiz Mir
Moiz Mir was the president of the Environmental Student Organization at CSUS, 2017–2019. As an intern at the Sacramento Mayor’s Office, he organized youth summits to include students’ voices in the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change, and served on the Commission’s Community Health & Resiliency and Equity Technical Advisory Committees. He co-won a statewide “Best Practice in Student Sustainability Leadership Award” for organizing the CSUS Student Summit on Climate Change. As a student, Moiz worked with Michelle Stevens, supervising student plant experiments at Bushy Lake. With Sunrise Movement Sacramento, Moiz is engaging youth in climate justice action. Moiz recently became the first staff at 350 Sacramento, where he developed a new after-school student climate organizing program.
Climate Hero
Anne Stausboll
Anne Stausboll chaired the Mayors’ Commission on Climate Change, which presented its recommendations in June 2020. She obtained a unanimous vote on a very progressive set of recommendations, which took two years to develop. The goal is to achieve carbon neutrality in Sacramento and West Sacramento, by 2045. Anne made sure the Commission reviewed and considered everything through a lens of racial and income equity. She is inspiring us to be active with the City of Sacramento to ensure that these recommendations are incorporated into the Cities’ Climate Action Plans, and into appropriate ordinances and other city actions. As Anne says, “it is a crisis situation, and we need to act now. We want the city to start seriously adopting and acting on the recommendations. Now. It’s not something that can wait.”
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Since 1973, ECOS has honored local persons, groups, businesses and innovations with the Environmentalist of the Year awards. Although we won’t host an in-person event this year, we feel it’s important to honor those worthy. Please take some time and recall an event – in the past year or so – which you were taken with. Then think of the people or group which made that positive impact. If you thought this important, here is your opportunity to have that recognized. Please submit your nomination using the nomination form by Monday, December 21st, 2020.
We appreciate and will consider all nominations. We hope to host an online celebration of the awardees in the coming months. Thank you in advance for your time and effort.
We hope you had as much fun as we did at the 46th Annual Environmentalist of the Year awards reception and ceremony! We loved gathering with so many friends, family members, colleagues and supporters once again for the annual Environmentalist of the Year awards. This time we enjoyed hosting the event at a larger venue, The Atrium 916, with a real piano, and were able to add a silent auction, more socializing space, sustainably handcrafted decorations, more beverage options and more! We cannot give enough thanks to everyone who attended, sponsored or otherwise supported the event. We couldn’t have done it without you!
Additionally, we invite you to let us know how the awards event was for you, if you attended. Please send us feedback for next year at office[at]ecosacramento[dot]net. Thank you!
Photos from Environmentalist of the Year Awards 2019
The Environmental Council of Sacramento (ECOS) first started hosting the Environmentalist of the Year Awards in 1973. The awards ceremony is a time to celebrate and recognize the past year’s regional champions and community sustainability successes. It is also a time to reflect on the work we still have in front of us in the year ahead. The reception includes hors d’oeuvres, wine and live music.
We are now accepting nominations for Environmentalist of the Year Awards 2019 for our event in the fall (Date TBA). Click here for a list of the past awardees. Does someone you know deserve to be recognized for their environmental work or lifestyle? How about a group, coalition or project? Their name could be added to this prestigious record of awardees! Please send the name of your nominee, a short biography about the person or group, and the reasons why you believe they deserve the award to office[at]ecosacramento[dot]net. Nominators will be entered to win a special prize! The deadline for nominations is September 2, 2019.
Is there someone who has achieved a special accomplishment in regards to our environment in approximately the last year, or someone you think has been overlooked in being recognized for their long-standing work for environment?
Let us know! Send an email to office[at]ecosacramento[dot]net with the name of the nominee and a paragraph on why you think they deserve the award. It can be an individual, group, coalition, agency or project. The award categories are flexible.
In addition, we would love to have you join the planning committee for the Environmentalist of the Year awards. We are currently meeting every other Wednesday at 6pm at the ECOS office. The next meeting will be July 25. Please join us!
