The Mayor and Council honored community members and two local restaurants on April 26 with Environmental Excellence Awards recognizing contributions to Rockville’s environmental health and sustainability.
Eric Walsh was honored for Outstanding Individual Environmental Stewardship for his years of picking up litter while walking (plogging). Walking up to two hours and up to 8 miles each day, he collects an average of 50 pounds of refuse daily, much of which he reuses or recycles.
Stephen Chesterton was honored for Outstanding Individual Environmental Stewardship for seven years of service on the Rockville Environment Commission’s Watersheds Committee and for his volunteer work promoting watershed stewardship. Chesterton spearheaded the Rockville Brewshed program, a fun partnership that emphasizes the importance of protecting water quality.
The Twinbrook Park Forest Restoration Project was honored for Outstanding Leadership in Environmental Practices. In 2019, certified Weed Warriors and volunteers, led by Anne Goodman, Sarah Salazar and Chuck Woolery, in coordination with city staff, spent 118 hours removing hundreds of non-native invasive plants throughout nearly two acres of parkland in the Twinbrook neighborhood. In 2020, volunteers partnered with Pope Farm Nursery and the city to plant 649 locally grown native plants to revegetate the areas.
Restaurants St. Veg and Yuan Fu Vegetarian were honored for Outstanding Leadership in Environmental Practices for being the only restaurants in Rockville that offer completely plant-based, low-environmental-impact menus. Plant-based foods produce less greenhouse gas emissions, use less water and land, and produce less waste compared to animal-based foods.
Find more information, and video of the awards presentation, with the April 26 Mayor and Council meeting listing.