Mayor Gray, Congresswoman Norton, Diplomats to Honor 2012 Mayor’s Sustainability Awards Winners

WHAT/WHO:  Mayor Vincent. C. Gray, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, Swedish Ambassador Jonas Hafstrom, EPA Region III Administrator Shawn M. Garvin, and NBC4 News Anchor Wendy Rieger will announce the 10 winners of the 2012 Mayor’s Sustainability Awards Competition. The winning individuals and organizations, selected for embodying sustainability in their lives and business operations, are: Andrea Northup of DC Farm to School Network; Habitat for Humanity of Washington, DC; Cassidy Turley; FRESHFARM Markets; Groundswell; Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID); Hotel Monaco; Sol Systems, LLC; Urbana Restaurant & Wine Bar; and Ethan Landis of Landis Construction Corporation. Fijian Ambassador Winston Thompson, Cameroonian Ambassador Joseph Bienvenu Charles Foe-Atangana and representatives from several other foreign embassies are expected to attend.

WHEN:                                 Thursday, June 14, 2012
6:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

WHERE:                                House of Sweden
                                                2900 K Street NW

BACKGROUND:                 Since 2009, the Mayor’s Sustainability Awards (previously called the Mayor’s Environmental Excellence Awards) has honored outstanding achievements in sustainability by individuals, businesses, schools, institutions, and organizations based in the District. The winners’ projects and programs support the Mayor’s Sustainable DC initiative, which includes the built environment, climate, energy, food, nature, transportation, waste, water, and the green economy. Summaries and case studies on Award winners become a part of an on-line library of best environmental practices in the District, posted on DDOE’s website at www.ddoe.dc.gov. These will be available to the public after the winners are formally announced on Thursday evening. To follow the 2012 Mayor’s Sustainability Awards Ceremony on Twitter, use the hashtag #SustainableDC.