Staff, friends, and trustees of Chewonki celebrate the Green Champion Award in Boston.

For immediate release

Boston, Mass. --  Chewonki received the Climate Champion Award from Clean Air - Cool Planet for leadership in climate action at an awards dinner in Boston on October 15.

More than 280 people attened the gala dinner, which celebrated and honored a host of environmental leaders.

"We've been proud to call the people of Chewonki friends and colleagues for a decade," said Clean Air-Cool Planet CEO Adam Markham. "Tonight, we have the great pleasure to present them with a Climate Champion Award for the leadership in educating people about the causes and the solutions to global warming," said Markham.

Clean Air-Cool Planet's Climate Champion Awards are presented annually to outstanding individuals, campuses, communities, science centers and corporations that have demonstrated leadership and excellence in implementing solutions to global warming. The Climate Champion Awards serve not only as a mark of distinction, but as a motivation for other individuals and institutions who seek inspiration and leadership on this issue.

Chewonki received this year's Climate Champion Award because of its exemplary institutional commitment to solving the climate change problem, especially the organization's outreach efforts, including:

• Greenhouse gas emissions reduction and education;
• Development of materials, lessons, and demonstration projects on a wide range of topics, from solid-waste management to the use of renewable fuels;
• Origination and support of the nation's first publicly accessible direct high-pressure hydrogen system, designed to explore the use of hydrogen as a storage medium for all renewable energy sources.

This year's winners also include

• Furman University in Greensville, SC, for its innovative climate action planning model, the breadth of its campus sustainability initiatives, and the visionary leadership in the higher education community of its President, Dr. David Shi;

• Hannaford Brothers Co. for opening the world's first LEED Platinum certified supermarket in Augusta, Maine and leadership in corporate climate action;

• Sven-Olof Lindblad for his tremendous commitment to global conservation issues;

• Representative Edward J. Markey for leadership in the fight for a more progressive energy strategy in the House of Representatives;

• SunEdison for its unique business model supporting the development of large scale renewable energy projects;

• Dr. Susan F. Tierney, founding board member at CA-CP, former environmental affairs commissioner for Massachusetts and assistant secretary for policy in the US Department of Energy, for her work in the energy and climate field;

• And the Town of Temple, NH for its common sense, citizen-supported efficiency projects, conservation and continuing education.

"On behalf of everyone at Chewonki, I can say that we are pleased and proud to receive this award," said Chewonki President Don Hudson. "We have been trying to ‘walk the talk' since the energy crisis of 1973, so this special award is wonderful recognition that we have had some success."

Past winners of the award for their leadership in climate action include governors John Baldacci of Maine and George Pataki of New York; Bank of America, Oakhurst Dairy, Staples and Timberland; Hull, MA, and Maplewood, NJ; Middlebury College, UNH, and Tufts University.

About Clean Air-Cool Planet

Clean Air-Cool Planet is the leading science-based, non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated solely to finding and promoting solutions to global warming. Through our Climate Policy Center we develop and promote economically efficient and innovative climate policies. CA-CP provides hands-on assistance to companies, campuses, communities and science centers throughout the Northeast to help them reduce their carbon emissions. We celebrate the commitment, innovation and success of our partners as they implement practical climate solutions that demonstrate the economic opportunities and environmental benefits of action on climate change.

Contact: Bill Burtis, communications manager, bburtis@cleanair-coolplanet.org
603-570-7505