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News Release Rhode Island Earth Day Committee 235 Promenade Street, Suite 330 Providence, RI 02908 (401) 222-3434/Fax (401) 222-2591
RI EARTH DAY COMMITTEE HONORS EARTH DAY ENVIRONMENTALISTS OF THE YEAR PROVIDENCE - On Saturday, April 20, as part of the Earth Day celebration that attracted more than 6,000 visitors to the Roger Williams Park Zoo in Providence, the Rhode Island Earth Day Committee issued several awards for contributions to Earth Day and environmental issues and causes in Rhode Island.Verizon received the committee's corporate award for sponsoring Earth Day activities in Rhode Island since 1998 and for publishing recycling guides in its Verizon SuperPages telephone books throughout the Northeast region that provide local residential recycling information. By providing this information, Verizon hopes to encourage recycling and to assist in phone book recycling efforts. Verizon also earned the 2001 Financial Times Global Energy Award and the 2001 EPA EnergyStar Award, by implementing some 15,000 energy-reduction projects in 5,000 buildings across the country. These projects have reduced energy costs by about $20 million annually since 1999. Loraine Tisdale, an 88-year "young" native of Wood River Junction and a registered nurse, received the RI Earth Day Committee's individual award. Tisdale is one of the founders and a former president of GASP (Group for Alternative to Spraying Pesticides), which achieved adoption of a RI General Law to ban chlordane in the state. Active in the Environmental Council of Rhode Island, Tisdale has missed only two meetings in 20 years, and has been an active fundraiser for the group. She has volunteered for many organizations over the years: Clean Water Action, Save the Bay, Sierra Club, and Audubon, was active on the national level in NCAMP (National Coalition Against the Misuse of Pesticides) and regularly provided testimony on human health and environmental issues before the Rhode Island General Assembly. She was named "Senior of the Year" several years ago by the City of Cranston. Grade six, team B of the Curtis Corner Middle School in South Kingstown earned the RI Earth Day Committee's group award for its From our Class to Yours environmental science project. Fifty-five sixth graders researched habitats and environmental issues affecting them and created storybooks, coloring books, videos and PowerPoint presentations to inform audiences about the issues in easy-to-understand, fun ways. Topics included ecosystems, food chains, algae blooms, deforestation, and an interview with a wildlife biologist. The students then presented their projects to elementary classes throughout the school district. The effort was led by teacher, Lynne Arcand. The RI Earth Day Committee also recognized the Rhode Island Resource Recovery Corporation for its participation in Earth Day activities, as well as Department of Environmental employees, Terri Bisson and Melinda Hopkins, both of Burrillville, for "going above and beyond the call of duty" in planning and organizing Earth Day activities throughout the state. -30- |
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