NRDC honors three sustainable food-system leaders at first-ever Growing Green Awards

May 11, 11:44 AMDenver Sustainable Restaurants ExaminerWill Sullivan

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Logo courtesy of the NRDC.

This past Saturday, May 9, the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) celebrated the three winners of the organization's first-ever Growing Green Awards, which recognize leaders and innovators in the field of sustainable food

The winners are:

• Food Producer: Will Allen of Growing Power
• Business Leader: Fedele Bauccio of Bon Appétit Management Company
• Thought Leader: James Harvie of Institute for a Sustainable Future

Will Allen received a $10,000 cash prize for his achievements in sustainable food production.

“The extraordinary contributions of these individuals are making a difference for how people produce, consume and think about food and our natural environment,” said Michael Pollan, best-selling author of The Omnivore’s Dilemma and chair of the award selection panel. “We’re delighted that Will Allen, Fedele Bauccio and James Harvie are the winners of the first-ever Growing Green Awards.”

An independent panel of sustainable food experts selected the three winners from a pool of 140 impressive candidates that included diverse growers, entrepreneurs and business leaders across the country.

Will Allen, founder and CEO of Growing Power, won in the Food Producer category for his innovative urban farm in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, that integrates year-round urban aquaculture and vegetable production. Waste from the fish is used to fertilize the plants, which in turn filter the water so it can be returned to the fish – both eliminating the need to add fertilizers or release polluted waste-water. The farm provides fresh fish, produce and jobs to an underserved community, in addition to training and outreach through on-farm classes and lectures.

Business Leader winner Fedele Bauccio, CEO and Founder of Bon Appétit Management Company, has been a pioneer in addressing the connection between food and climate change through Bon Appétit’s Low Carbon Diet initiative, which is on track to reduce its associated carbon emissions by 25 percent from 2007 to 2010. To get there, Bauccio has made sweeping changes to the menu at Bon Appétit’s 400 cafeterias nationwide, reducing foods with largest global warming impacts (beef and air-transported ingredients), sourcing locally, and reducing food waste.

Thought Leader winner James Harvie, founding member of Health Care Without Harm, has helped catalyze a national campaign to encourage the inclusion of social and environmental awareness in hospital food service. To date, 240 hospitals around the country have signed the Health Food in Healthcare Pledge, which aims to support methods of food production and distribution that are better for public and environmental health.

Members of the selection panel include: Larry Bain, Founder of Nextcourse and Food from the Parks and Co-Founder of Let’s Be Frank; Fred Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow of the Leopold Center, and President of Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture; and Karen Ross, President of the California Association of Winegrape Growers.

For more information, see NRDC’s Eat Green fact sheet about making environmentally friendly food choices, and find out what’s fresh and local in your community at the NRDC's Food Miles page.

The NRDC provided the above information via press release.