40th Anniversary Celebration Honors Past, Looks to Future
"Leo" awards presented; Roger Pryor Honored
On Saturday, November 21, environmentalists made their way down the red carpet in celebration of Missouri Coalition for the Environment's (MCE) 40th anniversary. As part of its 40th Anniversary Celebration, the Coalition inaugurated two new environmental awards, the Barry Commoner Science in Environmental Service Award and the Lewis C. Green Environmental Defense Award.
Barry Commoner is a world-renowned scientist and advocate for a clean, safe environment. Commoner was also a founder of MCE during the 1960's when he worked at Washington University. Lewis Green was an environmental lawyer who founded the Great Rivers Environmental Law Center and served MCE on some of the biggest environmental cases of the 70's and 80's.
The awards were christened "Leos" this year after another founding member, Leo Drey. Drey is the founder of Pioneer Forest, the largest private landholding in Missouri and a sustainably managed forest.
MCE's awardees represented a new kind of activist. The honorees ranged from a scientist to a farmer to a librarian. Even a furniture company, Newberry Studios, received an award for their use of recycled and sustainably harvested wood.
The award gala also served as an opportunity to remember one of Missouri's finest conservationists, Roger Pryor. A montage to MCE's former executive director featured photos from his personal life and his work.
Between the presentations of awards, MCE aired video clips from a short documentary produced by the Missouri History Museum. The clips featured testimony from prominent figures in Missouri's environmental movement including Kay and Leo Drey, David Wilson, and Louise Green. The nostalgic testimonies not only told of the past, but confirmed MCE's mission to serve as an environmental watchdog for years to come.
As current MCE Board President David Lobbig commented afterward, "One thing stands out in turning over and sifting through the Coalition for the Environment's 40-year history: The Coalition has survived and achieved because of the commitment and relationships of diverse people, often contributing selflessly, because they care about this world. Awarding recognition to individuals in our community celebrates that long chain of working towards something greater."
Awards were presented in several categories:
Jeffrey Bonner, CEO of the St. Louis Zoo, presented the 2009 Barry Commoner Science in Environmental Service Award to isotope geochemist and hydrologist Robert E. Criss, Ph.D. Criss, of Ladue, is a professor of Earth & Planetary Sciences at Washington University. Dr. Criss works in the area of isotopic analysis, focusing on the origin, character, and behavior of river and flood waters in the Mississippi, Missouri, and Meramec River basins. His research has caused him to take public positions on floodplain development and its damage to the environment and to decry the destructive practices of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in heedlessly hemming in rivers, and the migration of radioactive substances through groundwater.
Arlene Sandler, of University City, and Board member of MCE, presented the 2009 Kay and Leo Drey Environmental Stewardship Award to Leslie and Jack Warden, of Festus. The Wardens led the effort to clean up Herculaneum from lead contamination caused by the Doe Run smelter and have remained active in efforts to reduce lead exposures in the town even after moving out of Herculaneum.
Jerry Sugerman, of University City, and leader of the effort to stop the Meramec River Dam and now Project Coordinator for Friends of Ozark Riverways, presented the 2009 Lewis C. Green Environmental Defense Award to Dan Burkemper, Executive Director of Great Rivers Habitat Alliance (GRHA), for its outstanding work for wetlands preservation and floodplain protection. GRHA formed in 2000 to combat the growing consumption of the 100-year Confluence floodplain through commercial development and to encourage thoughtful alternatives.
David C. Wilson, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences at Webster University, presented the 2009 Ralph Wafer Environmentally Sustainable Business Award to Bill and Julie Newberry of Richmond Heigths for the Newberry Furniture Studio. The Newberrys produce handcrafted mantels, chairs, bookcases, computer desks from reclaimed and sustainable wood sources, and have also constructed green townhomes in Richmond Heights.
Linda Pryor, was the wife and singing partner of the late Roger Pryor, who served as Executive Director of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment in the late 80s until his death in 1999, presented the R. Roger Pryor Preservationist Award to Rebecca Wright, current MCE board member, and long-time environmental activist, for her work on countless campaigns to preserve open space, as well as her work on nuclear issues.
John Thomas, a former MCE board member who now leads hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoe, and backpacking trips for the Colorado Mountain Club, presented the 2009 Citizen Activist Award to Darvin Bentlage, a third-generation Missouri farmer and cattle rancher working to expose the harms of factory farms.
Former State Senator Patrick Dougherty, Senior Director of Advocacy at Catholic Charities, presented the 2009 Outstanding Environmental Organization Award to Jack Ginnever of Concerned Citizens for Crystal City for its efforts to fight for an open process and to limit industrial development threatening the quality of the Mississippi River floodplain and the quality of life in the communities of Crystal City and Festus.
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