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Hutchcroft Environmental Youth Award winner Sarah Gessner (from left) receives her award from Annabelle Gurwitch, guest speaker at the Earth Day Awards Luncheon, and Lori Gummow, executive director of Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful.

From press release

LOVES PARK, Ill.—Winners of Keep Northern Illinois Beautiful’s (KNIB) 2010 Earth Day Awards were honored April 8 at the Earth Day Awards Luncheon. The luncheon featured Annabelle Gurwitch, actress, author and environmentalist, as the keynote speaker.

The Outstanding Corporate Friend of the Environment Award was presented to Anderson Packaging, Inc. They instituted a recycling and separation program that resulted in a 50 percent reduction in the volume of hazardous waste generated. A company-wide recycling program resulted in 100 percent recycling throughout their facility of cardboard, paper, plastic and metals. Because of their environmental conservation efforts, their plant and program have been designated as a model environmental program throughout their parent corporation. Anderson Packaging actively encourages its employees to participate in community clean-up efforts, with 60 people working in the Great American Cleanup in 2009 and more than 100 signed up to volunteer at this year’s event April 24.

The Outstanding Individual Friend of the Environment Award recipient was professor Joe Haverly, of Rock Valley College. He was the leader in the effort that led to a campus-wide recycling program and is responsible for the school installing new water controlling and limiting plumbing in each of the school’s 40-plus-year-old buildings as they are renovated. Rock Valley College developed a community-wide Earth Day recognition event and volunteer expo largely because of his efforts.

The Hutchcroft Environmental Youth Award is so named in honor of long-time KNIB volunteer, board member and past president, Dr. Alan Hutchcroft. This award was presented to Sarah Gessner. She has created four outstanding costumes for school plays using recycled items including Coke cans, bubble wrap, plastic grocery bags and old neckties. She continually gathers recycled materials and makes jewelry and small sculptures. Her recycled art has been chosen for juried art shows at Judson University and Rock Valley College. A collection of her work will be showcased later this month at the Rockford Art Council’s Spring ArtScene, April 16-17.

KNIB congratulates these winners for their contributions and efforts to make our community a cleaner, greener place to live, work and play. For more information about the Earth Day Awards or other programs, visit www.knib.org ^[2] or contact KNIB at (815) 637-1343.