Evergreen Rotary

Evergreen Rotary’s Project Earth Committee Earns Bronze Award

The Evergreen Rotary Club was the only service club among 29 Bronze award winners recently bestowed honors by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment in its ninth annual Environmental Leadership Award.

Mereth Meade, of Evergreen, co-chairman of the club’s Project Earth Committee, accepted the award on behalf of the club. Fifteen Gold and 25 Silver awards also were presented during ceremonies at the health department.

“Little did we know,” said Meade, “that having (Rotarian) Joyce Williams (unit leader of the hazardous waste control program at the department) embedded in our club—that her alertness to and support of our environmental activities—” would lead to the recognition.

Meade said Williams nominated the Evergreen club “because of our promotion of recycling, our collection events that kept toxins from electronics and household chemicals out of landfills while raising community awareness, and for promoting respect of landscape with maintenance of mountain trails.”

Meade said the awards were given to companies and institutions “that have exceeded state and federal regulatory requirements. Many demonstrated ways they reduced energy needs in lighting, temperature control, fuel use, as well as reductions in paper consumption, improved water management, and recycling that went above and beyond–like reuse of recovered chemicals that had previously been discarded.”

In September, Meade spearheaded the first-ever all-in-one household waste and cast-off electronic device pickup in the Evergreen area at the El Rancho business district.