# EPA Honors New York Environmental Leaders

- Link: https://greenlivingguy.com/2011/05/epa-honors-new-york-environmental-leaders/
- Published: 2011-05-03T02:29:47-04:00
- Author: greenlivingguy

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that it has honored 14 
individuals, organizations or businesses from New York with Environmental Quality
Awards for their achievements protecting public health and the environment. EPA 
Regional Administrator Judith Enck was joined by Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez to
present the awards to this year’s recipients at a ceremony at EPA’s offices in Manhattan.

“These honorees work tirelessly to protect the environment and to ensure that all
of us can look forward to a cleaner, healthier world,” said Regional Administrator
Judith Enck. “We can all be proud of what they have accomplished and the example
they have set.” 

EPA presents Environmental Quality Awards annually in conjunction with Earth Day
to individuals, businesses and organizations in EPA Region 2, which covers New Jersey,
New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight federally-recognized Indian
Nations. The awards recognize significant contributions to improving the environment
and public health in the previous calendar year. For information about the Environmental
Quality Awards in EPA Region 2, visithttp://www.epa.gov/region02/eqa/. 

Attached is a list of the award winners.

**2011 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AWARD WINNERS**

**Individual Citizen
Edward Taylor, The Bronx

As the president of Down East Seafood,
Edward Taylor understands the impacts of truck exhaust pollution on community members
inThe Bronx. To reduce emissions, Edward Taylor purchased an all electric powered,
zero-emissions delivery truck for Down East Seafood’s daily business needs. The 
truck, named “Big Green,” has paved the path for a carbon-free delivery system that
allows residents of New York City to receive their goods in a clean way.

**Manna Jo Greene, Beacon**
As a community leader for the environment, peace and
social justice, Manna Jo Greene has been an integral part of the ongoing and recent
success of the Hudson River General Electric PCBs removal, and the promotion and
implementation of green infrastructure practices within local communities. As the
environmental director for the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Manna Jo actively 
promotes green building and landscaping practices and to date has built a model,
solar-powered sustainable living resource center. 

**John Lipscomb, Ossining**
John Lipscomb has been the captain of the Hudson Riverkeeper
patrol vessel R. Ian Fletcher for the last 10 years, a platform he uses in his role
as a teacher, scientist, and environmental advocate. Mr. Lipscomb had an integral
role in establishing a Hudson River water quality sampling program in 2006 to examine
the impact of sewage discharge on the river ecosystem. Since then, the water quality
partnership has expanded to include monthly surveys of 75 sampling sites where more
than 2,000 samples have been collected, analyzed and made available to the public.

**Syd Mandelbaum**
Syd Mandelbaum founded the non-profit organization Rock and Wrap
It Up! as a means to recover food for agencies fighting poverty. The organization
collects prepared but untouched meals following rock concerts, sporting events and
school functions, and delivers them to local food banks and charitable agencies.
Since 2010, Mr. Mandelbaum has worked with the [Buffalo](https://greenlivingguy.com/2020/03/tesla-needs-tech-hiring-in-buffalo/)
Sabres, New York Rangers, New York Islanders and New Jersey Devils hockey clubs.
Following the Rock and Wrap it Up! Sports Wrap! model, over 11,000 meals have been
recovered through the efforts of these hockey teams, keeping four tons of solid 
waste out of landfills and 29,333 pounds of CO2 out of the atmosphere. 

**Business and Industry
Monroe Industries, Inc., Avon

In 2008, John and Bonnie 
Webster launched an initiative to transition their cultured marble business, Monroe
Industries, Inc., into the “greenest composite shop in the country.” They created
a product called Robal Glass, a combination of recycled post-consumer, pre-landfill
glass and soy-based and other resins that are designed to save the environment and
help architects qualify for points under the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership
in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program. Much of the waste generated at 
Monroe Industries, Inc., is cast into products that are donated to local charities,
meaning that little or no material waste goes into landfills.

**Kingston Block & Masonry Supply, LLC, New Rochelle**
Kingston Block & Masonry 
Supply, LLC (KBMS) is an authorized manufacturer of Pozzotive sustainable concrete
products, a new post-consumer Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM) derived 
from post-consumer recycled glass. Through the dedication of managing partner Louis
P. Grasso, Jr. KBMS has saved over 1,250,000 pounds of CO2 emissions from being 
released into the atmosphere to date by replacing up to 30% of Portland cement in
their concrete mix design with Pozzotive.

**Federal, State, Local, or Tribal Government or Agency
The Town of North Hempstead


The Town of North Hempstead was the first municipality in the Nassau County area
to host a pharmaceutical disposal event. To date, the pharmaceutical collection 
program has collected over 3,000 pounds of expired and unwanted pharmaceuticals,
providing a means to keep prescription and over-the-counter drugs out of drinking
water and landfills. In October 2010, the Town of North Hempstead partnered with
various other entities to host the first pharmaceutical collection event on school
grounds, furthering its goals to keep residents and the environment safe.

**Hon. Steve Bellone, Babylon**
Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone has spearheaded
a variety of sustainable policies that exemplify green, sustainable building and
land use, and [community planning](https://greenlivingguy.com/2014/02/progressive-planning-alternatives-for-unpromising-times/).
In addition to passing several local green building and [smart growth](https://greenlivingguy.com/2011/05/smart-growth-achievements-for-a-sustainable-future/)
ordinances and leading inter-municipal efforts to achieve sustainability on Long
island, Steve Bellone has taken the personal initiative to revitalize downtown Wyandanch–
an often neglected Long Island hamlet comprised largely of low-income underserved
communities, Brownfield contamination, environmental injustice and urban plight.

**Northern Westchester Energy Action Consortium, Somers**
The Northern Westchester
Energy Action Consortium (NWEAC) was formed by several neighboring municipalities
in Westchester County with the shared goal of increasing energy efficiency throughout
their respective communities. NWEAC members work together to reduce fossil fuel 
use for municipal, non-profit, commercial, and residential entities, mitigate carbon
emissions and increase energy efficiency. The Consortium shares grant writing services,
pools its resources and co-develops pilot programs that can be expanded throughout
the region.

**Non-Profit Organization, Environmental or Community Group
Housing Works Thrift
Shops, Inc., New York City

Housing Works was founded as a means to serve the tens
of thousands of homeless men, women, and children in New York City living with HIV
and AIDS. Since 1990, Housing Works has provided health, housing and supportive 
services to more than 25,000 homeless and low-income New Yorkers living with HIV
and AIDS, earning the majority of their revenue through 10 thrift stores across 
Manhattan and Brooklyn. Clothing and items that are unsellable in the stores are
donated or sold in bulk for reuse, ultimately averting waste that would otherwise
end up in a landfill.

**The FUND for Lake George, Lake George**
The FUND for Lake George is behind the
acclaimed publication, “Do-It-Yourself Water Quality: A Landowner’s Guide to Property
Management that Protects Lake George.” The publication exemplifie s the FUND for
Lake George’s commitment to outreach around the lake, which they achieve through
public workshops, individual meetings with landowners, and local government outreach.
These efforts have been augmented by a media campaign, a series of Lake George fact
sheets and extensive web postings.

**Tri-State Transportation Campaign, New York City**
The Tri-State Transportation
Campaign (TSTC) is a non-profit group that works to reduce car dependency in New
York, New Jersey and Connecticut. TSTC advocates for and educates the public about
pedestrian and bicycle resources for transit oriented development, focusing on mass
transit hubs that serve major commercial areas, as a means to reduce the number 
of cars on the road and to provide a low-cost option for travel. TSTC reduces congestion,
improves air quality and creates safer communities for people to work and live in.

**Bronx River Alliance, The Bronx**
Since 2001, the Bronx River Alliance has succeeded
in transforming the Bronx River into a thriving ecosystem and a tool for environmental
education and recreation. In 2010 alone, the Bronx River Alliance worked with 1,500
students, providing hands-on lessons in hydrological science, ecosystems and environmental
responsibility. Additionally, one of the Bronx River Alliance’s large-scale community
programs, the Bronx River Greenway, will form a 23-mile long stretch of parkland
along the river which will ultimately facilitate environmentally sound community
recreation events such as canoe and bike trips.

**Oyster Research and Restoration Project**
In 2010, a special partnership of scientists,
non-profit groups and government agencies began the first stage of a research effort
to determine if oysters can once again flourish in the New York Harbor. This partnership,
led by the Hudson River Foundation, the U.S. [Army Corps](https://greenlivingguy.com/2016/12/army-corps-denies-easement-for-dakota-access-pipeline-reports-npr/)
of Engineers, NY/NJ Baykeeper, the New York-New Jersey Harbor Estuary Program and
the Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, has worked to develop a multi-phase plan
to address the question of where and how sustainable oyster populations can be reintroduced
in the New York Harbor and Lower Hudson.

 – EPA Press Release

**More On Green Living News from The Green Living Guy:**

EPA Honors New York Environmental Leaders

Supreme Court Reaffirms EPA Role to Address Global Warming Pollution

The Suburbs, Unplugged (NYPA/THINK Clean Commute Program)- NY Times 

EPA Launches New Strategy to Promote Use of Green Infrastructure for Environmental
and Economic Benefits

GE Technology and How It Will Help Integrate Electric Vehicles Into the Smart Grid

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 The Green Living Guy, Seth Leitman is an independent power producer, a green living
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