PGC Founders Award

Founders Award and Recipients

This Founders Award will not be an annual award, but the Steering Committee of the Partnership for a Green City will confer the award when exemplary service is noted. For the premier Founders Award, the Partnership Steering Committee, however, recognizes three gentlemen without whom, the Partnership would not exist. These three visionaries had ideas about how Louisville could improve environmental management, environmental education, and environmental health in our fair city. They met with Gordon Garner and the Louisville Mayor, JCPS Superintendent, and UofL President and in August 2004, the Partnership was formed. Jefferson Community & Technical College joined the Partnership in 2010, and the foresight of Allan Dittmer, Russ Barnett, and David Wicks has produced some staggering results. Through working together, the partners made achievements in many areas. Here are just a few:

-Joint Purchasing Contracts– saved approximately $13 million(M) since 2005

We save about $900,000 a year on 30% post-consumer recycled content paper annually

-Energy Efficiency Improvements – saved approx $66 M (2011 – 2022)

-Moving toward Zero Waste – approx. $1.5 M/year in avoided landfill costs

-Reduced 320,800,000 kilowatt hours (2011 – 2019), which equates to reducing 223,000,000 lbs. of CO2 or the equivalent electricity of powering 42,000 homes’ for one year

-Recycled or composted millions of pounds of materials annually including Louisville Metro Solid Waste Management

-Funded projects in schools and through the Louisville Sustainability Council Micro Grant program

-Youth Summits and Educational Symposia on UHI, Reduce/Reuse/Recycle, Urban Trees, Food Systems/Food Security, Sustainability, Green Roofs/Walls

-Climate Change Team Report 2009 – over 200 community participants and PGC made 175 recommendations with 145 having action completed

-and received grants for hybrid electric school buses, solar powered streetlights and vending misers

Speaking on behalf of Dr. Pollio, Dr. Hardy, and Dr. Gonzalez, I would like to thank Al, Russ, and David for their foresight creating the Partnership!

The 2022 award plaques read:

This Premier Founders Award is presented to you as an original founder of the Partnership seeking to improve environmental education, health, and management; transitioning to sustainability initiatives in Louisville Metro, UofL, JCPS, and JCTC. A great idea continues in your honor, given your commitment!

2004 – 2022

2022 Recipients - Allan Dittmer, Russ Barnett, and David Wicks

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