2000 Environmental Stewardship Awards
2000 Awards (presented January 2001)
The Sally Gibson Award (Individual):
Ted R. Smith. Ted
Smith has been involved with the Remedial Action Plan from the start,
and has worked tirelessly to make the CAC an interstate group. Ted has
worked for the Wisconsin State Department of Natural Resources for many
years. His knowledge of pollution problems in our area is combined with
a dedication to environmental protection. -- Ted has really "made
a difference" in our watershed.
The
Randy Marshall Award (Business/Industry): Midwest Engery Resources.
Pat
Perfetti is Midwest Energy Resources's contact for water permit issues.
Midwest Energy Resources has designed and successfully operates a system
to contain and recycle all of the stormwater generated at their coal pile
storage facility in Superior. The coal is placed on an impervious pad
and all stormwater runoff is collected in a detention ditch that encircles
the pile. The runoff is then recycled back onto the pile for dust suppression
measures. Therefore, the runoff from the coal pile does not result in
any discharge of pollutants to the St. Louis River. The facility is a
wonderful example of pollution prevention from a water discharge perspective
and also serves as an example of how to recycle stormwater runoff to meet
air permit limits as well.
School/Institution:
Lake Superior Research Institute. The LSRI staff- Mary Balcer,
Sue O'Halloran, Diane Brooke, Larry Brooke, and Kurt Schmude - have introduced
hundreds of students, teachers, and other interested citizens to the ecosystem
of the St. Louis River, the Duluth-Superior Harbor, and Lake Superior
from aboard their research vessel, the L.L. Smith. In one program students
of all ages are taken out to collect samples of water and sediment from
the St. Louis River, the harbor, and Lake Superior. The staff members
teach the students what to look for in their samples and what their findings
might mean and encourage the students to reach their own conclusions about
the health of the St. Louis River ecosystem. A second program takes participants
up the St. Louis River to Riverside, MN. Then drifting slowly downstream,
the participants learn about and examine wetland communities along the
lower St. Louis River.
Government/Agency:
City of Duluth, Environmental Advisory Council. This year, the
City of Duluth passed a city-wide ordinance that bans the sale of mercury
fever thermometers. This event was the first in the nation for a city
of this size. Additionally, the city contacted hundreds of other cities
and their councils to inform them of the actions taken by Duluth, and
to encourage these cities to consider similar actions on mercury-based
products.
Special
Recognition: Duluth Federal Prison Camp. For the past
decade, the Federal Prison Camp has been recycling a majority of the solid
waste produced by the nearly 600 inmates living there at any one time.
They have demonstrated how an institution can take responsibility for
their own solid waste and reduce costs and volume by approximately 50
percent. In the fall of 1999 they began a food composting program using
vermiculture. Through this they eliminate a large portion of the food
waste going to the landfill. Their food service produces nearly 100 gallons
of foodwaste per day. The prison camp has also recently begun a mattress
recycling project with WLSSD.
The
2000 ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARDS Nominees:
City of Duluth Environmental Advisory Council, City of Duluth Public Works,
EAGLE, Federal Prison Camp, Doug Jensen, KBJR Special Report / Barbara
Reyelts, Lake Superior Research Institute, Lincoln Park School / Michelle
Benson, Midwest Energy Resources, Nancy Nelson, Northland Reader, Ted
Smith, Stowe School, West Skyline Planning and Preservation Alliance
The
2000 ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARDS Nominators:
William J. Anderson, Barb Olsen Browne, Terry Brown, David Conley, Terry
Cottingham, Lynelle Hanson, Anne Holy, Nancy Larson, Craig Minowa, Phil
Monson, Mark Nelson, Nancy Nelson, Barb Peichel, Will Rhodes, Deanne Roquet,
Diane Thompson