Sustainable Sandhills recognizes businesses, organizations, and individuals in our community who have made outstanding commitments to environmental stewardship.
COMMUNITY PARTNER OF THE YEAR
City of Fayetteville
The City of Fayetteville was named Community Partner of the Year for outstanding support of Sustainable Sandhills’s waste management efforts. The City partners closely with Sustainable Sandhills on monthly litter cleanups, which have resulted in a measured decrease in litter within city limits. Together, the organizations are also bringing a number of outdoor recycling bins to the downtown area.
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
Dr. Connette McMahon
Natalie Jones
Natalie Jones, student body president at Cross Creek Early College High School, and Dr. Connette McMahon, the president of the school’s PTSA, received joint Volunteer of the Year Awards. Together, the two have coordinated students to volunteer a staggering total of roughly 564 hours at Sustainable Sandhill’s monthly litter cleanups.
GREEN BUSINESS ‘WALK THE WALK’ AWARD
Symphl Creations
Business owner Malaya Simmons uses all natural ingredients for her soaps, as well as eco-friendly paper packaging, rather than plastic.
SPONSOR OF THE YEAR
Fayetteville Public Works Commission
The Fayetteville Public Works Commission (PWC) sponsored and had employees volunteer at the Fayetteville Beautiful cleanup in the fall of 2021. The organization also hosted Sustainable Sandhills’s annual Drive Electric Car Show. PWC promotes the use of electric vehicles by offering free charging stations around Fayetteville and by working with Sustainable Sandhills to organize the Sandhills Electric Vehicle Advisory Club.
SUSTAINABILITY HERO
Julio Gonzalez
Mr. Julio Gonzalez is a dedicated advocate for electric vehicles. He assists in coordination of Sustainable Sandhills’s annual Drive Electric Car Show each fall and is actively involved with the electric vehicle community in Fayetteville and Fort Bragg.
GREENEST SUPERHERO AT YOUR SCHOOL AWARD
Joanna Alicea
Ashley Thompson
Ms. JoAnna Alicea from Elizabeth Cashwell Elementary School has done an outstanding job managing the school’s garden and coordinating the “Green Paws” program, which allows students to work in the garden during their lunch break. In addition, she coordinated teachers to participate in SSH’s fall recycling competition. Ms. Ashley Thompson from Seventy-First Classical Middle School enthusiastically encourages her students to participate in SSH’s conservation programs, such as the energy conservation poster contest and the birdhouse painting project.