Friday, April 16, 2010 from 6-9 pm
2010 Environmentalist of the Year Celebration
NMEAC is Celebrating 30 Years as the oldest and best known grassroots environmental organization in Northern Michigan.
The Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council is proud to be the only organization to award outstanding regional environmentalists who protect our legacy for future generations.
When: Friday, April 16, 2010; 6 to 9 p.m.
Where: Park Place Dome, downtown Traverse City
Who: Open to public; tickets available online or at the door - $20
Featured Highlights :
- Circle of Blue founder J. Carl Ganter, will speak about the world water crisis and how that may impact the Great Lakes.
- NMEAC president Ken Smith will provide a colorful and heartfelt tribute to NMEAC — a must experience event.
- Music will be performed by Pat Ivory.
Traverse City—When the Northern Michigan Environmental Action Council was only seven years old, it presented the first “Environmentalist of the Year” award to local activist Clarence Kroupa. That modest beginning has grown into an annual event that local activists and conservationists now consider a highlight of the year. “The contributions by the people nominated for awards is amazing,” says Ken Smith, NMEAC's executive director. “They range from students who study Bay ecology to citizens groups who’ve stopped bad development, to public officials who’ve taken a stand for protecting our clean air and water. Many don’t even think of themselves as environmentalists, but they really are.”
The names of recipients are a closely held secret, says NMEAC Chairman, Greg Reisig. “No one knows who the recipient will be until the moment the award is presented,” he says. This year, more than a dozen awards will be distributed among a record number of nominees. Environmentalist of the Year Awards will be presented in the following categories: Journalism and Communications, Public Service or Public Office, Education, Business, Student and General. A number of special awards will also be presented.
The NMEAC events are a celebration of community and are designed to engage the public in active stewardship of the Great Lakes region and to foster cultivation of a vibrant and sustainable community. It is an, all ages, family-oriented, community-centered event that offers the freshest local music, the freshest local food, and minds.
Also featuring the “Bioneer of the Year Award”
‘Bioneers’ is a new word made up to describe the emerging culture of social and scientific innovators who mimic nature’s operating instructions – working with rather than against, and collaborating rather than competing. Meeting at the crossroads of ecology and social justice, the bioneers are engaged citizens from all walks of life who focus on solving our most urgent problems within a framework of interdependence: It is all connected. Taking care of nature means taking care of people – and taking care of people means taking care of nature. This award honors an individual who incorporates Bioneer values into their life and work.
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More information at NMEAC.org
