Winners will be announced at the GSDFW Awards Dinner Nov. 9 at the Dallas Arboretum​. 

Oct. 9, 2017

We had a great turnout for the Green Source DFW Sustainable Leadership Awards Voting! Nearly 4,500 ballots were cast online. Now that the contest has been narrowed to the top three finalists in each category, a panel of judges selected from the North Texas green community will decide the final winners.

Be sure to register for the Green Source DFW awards Nov. 9 at the Dallas Arboretum when the winners will be announced. Special guest speaker is Lee Stetson as John MuirTICKETS HERE 
 

Here are the finalists:

LARGE BUSINESS OR NONPROFIT PROJECT OR PROGRAM

DCCCD Sustainability Summit
Dallas County Community College District Sustainability Summit was initiated in 2011 to provide sustainability education and outreach to DCCCD students, employees and the community. Launched on a shoestring budget, relying on local pro bono keynote speakers and presenters and using creative “guerilla” marketing strategies, the free, one-day conference was a success that started a yearly tradition. Since then the Summit has been hosted by five colleges, has reached more than 4,000 attendees and has attracted more 80-plus corporate sponsorships. READ FULL NOMINATION HERE

Tetra Pak
Tetra Pak opened its packaging material converting plant in Denton in 1982, where today the converting plant produces over 5 billion cartons annually. On average, over 75 percent of its package is made from renewable materials. All paperboard sourced by Tetra Pak comes from wood from FSC-certified forests and other controlled sources. In addition, the Denton plant recycles approximately 98 percent of its waste. Tetra Pak has actively supported the development of a low carbon economy and pledged to source 100 percent of its electricity from renewable energy by 2030. Tetra Pak works to expand access to carton recycling across the U.S. Through investments in bio-based caps and coatings, Tetra Pak has created the Tetra Rex® bio-based, the first fully renewable gable top package, and the Tetra Brik® Aseptic Edge LightCap™ 30, the first aseptic package on the market that has achieved the highest class of certification from the world-recognized assessment body, Vinçotte. READ FULL NOMINATION HERE

TreeHouse
TreeHouse is the world’s first home upgrade company specializing in curated products and services that promote healthy and sustainable spaces with an emphasis on high performance and design. The recently launched TreeHouse location in Dallas is the world's first energy-positive big box store that produces more energy than it consumes giving back to the city of Dallas through solar panels, Tesla batteries, north-facing windows and other energy-efficient features. TreeHouse is also the first retailer of Tesla, Haiku Fans, Romabio paint, Nebia shower systems, Interface FLOR and other ground-breaking building technologies and products. The company is led by green visionary Jason Ballard with backing from Dallas entrepreneur and environmental philanthropist Garrett Boone, a founding member of Texas Business for Clean Air. A second DFW-area store is opening in January 2018 in Plano. READ FULL NOMINATION HERE

 

SMALL BUSINESS

Recycle Revolution
Since launching in 2008, the Dallas-based recycling business has grown thanks to the leadership of cofounder and operations manager Maria Lott, who took over from her son Eddie Lott in 2014. Over the last three years, Maria has developed the company’s food waste collection from 5-10 tons to 100 tons a month. The company’s other streams have also increased dramatically including e-waste and plastics. In addition, she has shown her commitment to sustainability by hosting summer community classes, with topics including recycling, upcycling and composting. She personally separates hundreds of children's books received at the RR center each month and donates them to various charities and outlets around DFW. She works with local green industry businesses at every opportunity, preferring to steer recyclables to Dallas-based companies over national and multi-national companies. READ FULL NOMINATION HERE

GoodWork Coworking
GoodWork Coworking, set to open later this year in Dallas, is the brainchild of Amy King, a Dallas-based creative consultant and LEED Green Associate, and Steve Kinder, founder of LOFTwall. Amy has created a business model to answer a growing need among green professionals for coworking and community. Her vision is for GoodWork to be a living lab for workplace wellness, responsible companies and green building/sustainability practices. She believes that this is a more direct way to influence the startup and broader business community and to not only positively impact their health, but inspire and educate them to build responsible companies. She shares her love for eco-friendly design with her fiance and longtime green architect Gary Olp, principal of GGO Architects, who was enlisted to oversee a LEED-based renovation of the 60,000-square-foot warehouse where GoodWork Coworking is located. They are pursuing LEED Gold certification, as well as a grant for a solar array and also evaluating the WELL building standard.  READ FULL NOMINATION HERE

Cowboy Compost
Cowboy Compost, LLC was created by two resident leaders in Fort Worth: Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra’s Music Director, Miguel Harth-Bedoya, and small business owner and entrepreneur, Johanna Calderón. The mission of Cowboy Compost, LLC is to raise awareness in the Greater Fort Worth Area about current organic waste challenges and to provide outstanding residential and commercial composting services to residents, companies and organizations in Fort Worth. Cowboy Compost has provided an opportunity for smaller organics producers, such as restaurants and grocers, who have never had access to composting services, to divert food waste thereby prolonging the life of the landfill. Because of its meticulous inspection process, Cowboy Compost provides uncontaminated raw feedstock to composting partners from which can come good, clean, rich compost to return to the earth. READ FULL NOMINATION HERE

 

SMALL NONPROFIT

Texas Trees Foundation
Established in 1982, Texas Trees Foundation has been improving the quality of life in North Texas communities for 35 years. TTF has planted 510,843 trees to date in school yards, neighborhoods, parks and public rights-of-way. In 1994, TTF developed Pioneer Plaza in downtown Dallas. Since then it has launched Cool Schools, NeighborWoods and Downtown Dallas to strategically plant trees in the areas in most need based on our urban heat island research data. In addition, Texas Trees Foundation is a leader in urban forestry and urban heat island research, including the largest UHI study of its kind, conducted in partnership with Georgia Tech. Texas Trees has developed mitigation solutions to combat the urban heat island effect in North Texas. READ FULL NOMINATION HERE

Liveable Arlington
This small but mighty nonprofit has impressed local veteran environmental activists with a successful campaign this year to stop a disposal well from being built next to Lake Arlington. The grassroots group, led by Ranjana Bhandari, through careful and strategic planning, convinced BOTH the City Councils of Arlington and Fort Worth to oppose this permit. They also enlisted Rep. Turner and Rep. Tinderholdt in their quest. In addition, Liveable Arlington enlisted other groups to help knock on doors in neighborhoods near the lake to inform them that their drinking water was threatened. Even the Tarrant Regional Water District, another tough organization to enlist in environmental issues, was secured in opposing the well. Liveable Arlington also secured thousands of letters in opposition to the Railroad Commission. In the end, the citizens WON and a drinking water source for half a million people was protected. READ ALL NOMINATIONS HERE.

Arlington Conservation Council
ACC is one of the oldest, if not THE oldest indigenous conservation/environmental groups in DFW. They continue to meet regularly, have fun (their July 4th parade floats always do well), and be effective at City Hall in Arlington. They've never roamed from their original mission. There's no question that if you're an environmentalist or conservationist looking to do something in Arlington, you start with ACC. They provide all kinds of routine volunteer opportunities and resources, while also taking on the bigger fights. There's no other group that does more across the spectrum of issues in DFW. READ FULL NOMINATION HERE

 

NONPROFIT PROFESSIONAL

Brandon Morton
Brandon Morton is the Sustainability Project Coordinator for North Lake College in Irving, part of the DCCCD system. He loves to teach others about sustainability – especially North Lake College students and employees in workshops he’s designed. Those instructional efforts earned Morton the 2017 Mayor and Keep Irving Beautiful Educator Award. In addition, Morton has been involved in environmental activism, working with members of Sierra Club to oppose drilling in Lewisville Lake and fighting new natural gas plants in nearby communities. He also served on the Sub-Committee for the Solid Waste Plan 2040 and presented his original research studies on Emissions Reduction with Ecosystem Soil Carbon Storage at the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry conference in Houston in 2007, and at International Emissions Trading Association’s first Carbon Forum in San Francisco in 2008.  READ FULL NOMINATION HERE

Corey Troiani
As the DFW Program Director for the Texas Campaign for the Environment, Corey has aided just about every recent local environmental fight besides tending his own group's agenda on solid waste issues. There haven't been many environmental fights or progressive campaigns in North Texas that haven't used the TCE canvassers, and Corey's program work to advance their cause. Instead of only doing just his TCE job, which is full time, Corey has also become an integral part of the all-volunteer Dallas Green Alliance leadership and helped steer the group in the recent city council elections that finally gave us a majority to defeat the Trinity Toll Road. His and TCE leadership on the "Tree Bill" helped provided the first real victory for local control in Texas since HB 40 was passed in 2015. READ THE FULL NOMINATION HERE

Meghna Tare
Meghna Tare is the executive director for the Institute for Sustainability and Global Impact at the University of Texas at Arlington where she works collaboratively with faculty, staff, the student body and community members to promote sustainability. She’s initiated many projects including the Community Garden, the award-winning composting program, a car sharing program, a bike sharing program, an e-waste recycling program, a pilot sustainable landscaping program, a office green team program and an environmental and sustainabilities minor. In addition, she works collaboratively and has established working relationships with various stakeholders and agencies like EPA Region 6, North Central Texas Council of Governments, North Texas Commission, local governments, DFW Airport, United States Business Council for Sustainable Development, Chamber of Commerce, Community College Districts and other nonprofits. READ FULL NOMINATION HERE

 

VOLUNTEER

Dr. Robert Haley 
Dr. Robert Haley has been a tireless opponent of the East Texas coal plants and the pollution they release for many years. Not only has he organized the Dallas County Medical Society to endorse clean air strategies, he's successfully brought the entire Texas Medical Association around as well. On top of all that, he's personally directed and written the only journal-published, peer-reviewed study of the public health impacts of bad air on DFW residents. He's spoken at every EPA and state air quality hearing for at least a decade on their behalf. He's still the only doctor in DFW that can give a presentation on air pollution. He was a member of the committee that oversaw the unprecedented use of the state's computer air model by local officials to determine the effectiveness of air pollution controls. And now, he's published the only study to put a dollar amount and body count to dirty air in North Texas. He's done all of the above without every being on any group's payroll. He's volunteered his time on all the committees, all the hearings, all the trips to Austin, all the appointments, all the research and writing. READ FULL NOMINATION HERE

Ranjana Bhandari
Ranjana is a committed environmentalist who founded an organization called Liveable Arlington to advocate for clean air, clean water and responsible stewardship of our environment for future generations. Recently, Ranjana and Liveable Arlington led the fight the creation of a disposal well near Lake Arlington. She rallied citizens via the group’s website and social media pages to send letters to the authorities to stop the well. She gained the support of the local media, other environmental organizations and lawmakers. She met with local authorities, the Railroad Commission and other influential stakeholders to make sure everyone was aware of the risk our city was in. Thanks to her efforts, the company that wanted to build the disposal well in the city of Arlington withdrew its application and Lake Arlington was saved from the threat of contamination it posed. READ FULL NOMINATION HERE

Hester Schwarzer
This former teacher with a double major in education and environmental science began volunteering at the Fort Worth Nature Center in the 1980s. She helped create the Junior Master Gardener program for our area and develop the Arlington Wildscape with Molly Hollar. Over the years, she has been an active volunteer, board member or officer in a long list of environmental organizations: Friends of Fort Worth Nature Center (registrar for the monthly Canoe Fest); River Legacy Science Center (Saturday information desk); North Texas Master Naturalists (former president); North Texas Master Gardeners (teaching classes as propagation specialist, gardening specialist, and first responders/triage); North Central Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas (former president); Native Prairies Association of Texas (former registrar); BRIT (assists with special events); the Molly Hollar Wildscape (greenhouse manager, Walk on the Wildside leader); and Arlington Conservation Council (active member, assists with special events). Hester claims her favorite activity is to teach propagation of cacti and succulents, but most rewarding is to work with children, from kindergarden to middle school. Somehow this indefatigable polio survivor still finds time and energy to run a children's garden at a Fort Worth community center and to take in rescued dogs; her crutches are never idle. READ FULL NOMINATION HERE


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