On April 19, CRBI celebrated Earth Week by recognizing five entities accomplishing extraordinary work to protect natural resources in northwest Georgia and northeast Alabama.
CRBI Board President presents the Innovation Greenie to Ivan and Leah Phillips of Paragon Wool Products.
Among those recognized were Paragon Wool Products of Calhoun, the Georgia Alabama Land Trust, the Boys and Girls Clubs of Rome and Dalton, Forsyth County Parks & Recreation and the Chatsworth Water Works Commission.
Each year CRBI recognizes outstanding achievement in water conservation, outdoor recreation, sustainability, land protection and innovation through its G
reenie Awards. Winners must do business in or reside in the upper Coosa River basin and their efforts must have a direct impact on the Coosa and/or the rivers and streams feeding it.
This year’s Water Conservation Greenie went to Boys and Girls Clubs in Dalton and Rome. The clubs implemented water conservation measures that reduced water use at club facilities by more than 70 percent, saving hundreds of dollars annually on water bills while setting an example for the youth they service.
CRBI Board President Nina Lovel presents the Land Protection Greenie to Katherine Eddins of the Georgia Alabama Land Trust.
Forsyth County Parks and Recreation was recognized with the Outdoor Recreation Greenie. In 2008, Forsyth County voters approved a $100 million bond to develop more parks in the county. Among those now under construction is Eagle’s Beak Park, a key link in the 163-mile-long Etowah River Water Trail.
CRBI awarded its Sustainability Greenie to the Chatsworth Water Works Commission (CWWC). CWWC converted a vacant lot near their wastewater treatment plant into a one-megawatt solar farm that now powers the wastewater treatment plant and the CWWC’s main office.
The Georgia Alabama Land Trust won the Land Protection Greenie. The Trust has worked with property owners throughout the region for years, assisting with the creation of conservation easements that have resulted in the permanent protection of more than 350,000 acres of land, including tens of thousands of acres within the upper Coosa River basin.
CRBI Board President Nina Lovel presents the Sustainability Greenie to Steve Smith, General Manager of the Chatsworth Water Works Commission.
Paragon Wool Products in Calhoun
CRBI Board President Nina Lovel presents the Water Conservation Greenie to Auburn Brasher, Development Director with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Northwest Georgia.
received the Innovation Greenie. Makers of wool home insulation and other wool products, this upstart company sells high-end wool home insulation that is more efficient than traditional fiberglass and blow-in products while also being longer lasting, biodegradable, renewable and non-toxic.
The upper Coosa River basin includes the Georgia counties of Lumpkin, Dawson, Fannin, Pickens, Gilmer, Cherokee, Forsyth, Fulton, Cobb, Paulding, Polk, Bartow, Floyd, Chattooga, Walker, Whitfield and Murray as well as Cherokee County in Alabama.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT JESSE DEMONBREUN-CHAPMAN AT 706-232-2724 OR VIA E-MAIL AT JESSE@COOSA.ORG