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Health & Fitness

It Ain't Easy Being Green, But It Ain't So Hard Either

Who do you know that deserves recognition for their environmental efforts - big or small?

And other inspirations as I search for people who “Go for the Green”

 

     Among other titles (“mom of_____”,  “my teacher”, “the lady from the Park”, or “oh yeah, I see you running down County Line”) I am the Chair of the Lower Merion Township Environmental Advisory Council.  The EAC is an all-volunteer group that is appointed by the Board of Commissioners to help advise and educate the BOC and Township residents on environmental issues. Over the years, the EAC has had many knowledgeable and committed members because, as usual, we have such a great pool of educated and caring residents to draw from. We are truly fortunate.

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     But, many of you have probably never heard of the EAC.   So, six years ago, we started an annual awards program to help raise awareness of our group and to recognize all the wonderful environmental efforts that occur on a daily basis throughout Lower Merion and Narberth (that’s right, we’ve even included Narberth). As JFK said, “One person can make a difference and every person should try.”

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     The “Go for the Green” Awards recognize different areas in environmental achievement  - resident/individual, commercial, organization, educational, commercial site greening (because don’t we all want a greener commercial corridor?) and the highest honor – the Lifetime Achievement Award.  Past winners have included: Mike Weilbacher and Wally Maclean (Lifetime Achievement), Helen and Lee Peachey (resident), Terren Landscapes (commercial), Friends of the Cynwyd Trail (organization), the Pre-K class at Temple Beth Hillel/Beth-El (education), and the management company at 308 Lancaster for their greening of the apartment/office building (commercial site).  These are just a few examples.

 

     Now, it is time for a new batch of nominees and I am asking all of you to help.  It can be a big environmental contribution-such as a business installing solar panels on its roof - or what some would say is small, such as someone who cleans up the litter in a park once a week or someone who has given up their car and now bikes or walks to work.  Should it be my Narberth friend, Jim Speer, who organizes a monthly walk to school day from Narberth to Belmont Hills Elementary (try it, it ain’t that easy)?  Could it be my cousin Kelly Andrews, who lives in Penn Wynne and wrote a great kids book, Deadwood, about middle school kids who try to save a tree from the chopping block? Or my neighbor, Scott White, who runs his VW on used fry oil he gets from Hykel’s around the corner.  These are just the people I know about.  There are a lot of people and organizations that I don’t know about.  Which is why I need you all to got to http://www.lowermerion.org/Index.aspx?page=50&recordid=2600&returnURL=%2findex.aspx and find out more and send in a nomination for someone or something you think deserve recognition for environmental efforts.  The form is not too long, but the deadline is soon- March 1st, so go, now!  And the ceremony for the winners is May 21st at Appleford, with food and drink by Whole Foods and just a real nice Springtime evening. All welcome.  

Remember, we are all in this together.

 

 Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.

Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

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