Green Drinks McHenry County, the Crystal Lake Park District and Broadview Farm and Gardens have been amongst these honored at the Environmental Defenders of McHenry County’s annual awards dinner final month.

The dinner, held March five at Hickory Hall in Crystal Lake, featured author John H. Giordenengo as keynote speaker and raised funds to help the organization’s paid summer time interns.

In the course of the occasion, the group presented 5 awards.

The Theta Award was presented to Green Drinks McHenry County for 14 years of month-to-month presentations educating the public of McHenry County and beyond on a wide variety of environmental subjects, such as solar power, monarch butterflies and other pollinators, sustainable enterprise practices, environmental justice and electric automobiles. Green Drinks also gives a space for these interested in the atmosphere to network.

The Government Award was presented to the Crystal Lake Park District for hiring a complete-time all-natural sources manager in 2022, preserving pesticide-absolutely free parks and renovating the nature center to expand environmental education courses for all ages.

It also has participated in the Mayors’ Monarch Pledge for a number of years in a row and partnered with the Environmental Defenders to handle Sterne’s Fen.

The Organization Award was offered to a neighborhood farm for the very first time ever. Broadview Farm and Gardens in Marengo was recognized for spending two years restoring its land with rotational grazing, seeding and planting to boost McHenry County’s soil overall health, promoting fresh fruits and vegetables to neighborhood organizations, and its neighborhood involvement and activism in sustainable meals production inside the county.

The Environmental Defenders’ Waste Reduction Action Group was offered the Volunteers of the Year Award for developing the Waste Reduction Action Group and expanding the attain of the organization by way of two Sustainability Summits in 2022.

The summits permitted the Environmental Defenders to perform with organizations, schools and officials to establish countywide waste reduction objectives. The group also hosted the very first waste reduction intern and supported her on a number of projects such as a meals asset map.

Sarah Lanza was offered the Young Defender Award for regularly volunteering for restoration workdays at Sterne’s Fen and Wingate Prairie, getting an active member of the Water and Organic Sources Protection Action Group and volunteering to table at the Green Living Expo and for serving as president of the Prairie Ridge Higher College Environmental Club.