DeKalb city awards locals for sustainability work

DeKALB – DeKalb city residents who lead efforts to strengthen sustainability and environmental engagement in the area have earned awards for their work.

The DeKalb STARR (Sustainability Through Action, Resiliency and Responsibility) Awards were presented April 5 as part of a city presentation at the second annual Earth Fest, according to a news release. Earth Fest was sponsored by DeCarbon DeKalb and Northern Illinois University and held at Founders Memorial Library.

“The recipients are true leaders in local environmental sustainability efforts,” Mayor Cohen Barnes said in a news release. “They have taken the initiative and given their time and energy to make DeKalb a better place to live, and I’m certain their work will inspire other community members to do the same.”

Nominations were solicited and received from community members. Awards were presented in five categories.

The Rooted for Good School Gardens program received the Sustainable Community Project award for organizing community and student volunteers to tend to gardens at DeKalb School District elementary schools.

Sweet Life Garden Group was named the Green Business of the Year for its gardening and beautification projects at locations throughout the DeKalb area, including Hope Haven which served people who are homeless.

The DeKalb Aldi grocery store was recognized with the Corporate/Institutional Environmental Leadership award for discontinuing the use of plastic shopping bags.

Resident Nick Dory was named the Individual Sustainability Champion for his work picking up litter in his neighborhood and supporting the CEC.

Resident Saige Ruback was named the Youth Sustainability Leader for making time to support local sustainability initiatives even with a busy schedule as a student and travel hockey player.

To coincide with the adoption of the City’s updated Sustainability Plan, the CEC reinvigorated the City’s annual environmental award with a new name and the creation of five categories showing how sustainability can happen in many ways.

The effort was a success with more nominations submitted from the community than in recent years. Community members are encouraged to keep an eye out for their neighbors making a difference in sustainability locally and submit their names for a STARR Award when the nomination period reopens early next year.