Congratulations to NC’s Climate Champions
We’re excited to announce the winners of our 2021 Blue Sky Awards! Each year, CleanAIRE NC honors the individuals, organizations, and partners who have shown extraordinary commitment to tackling the climate crisis and improving North Carolina’s air quality.
On Wednesday, November 10th, CleanAIRE NC presented the following 2021 Blue Sky Awards to:
ALAN BURNS LEGACY AWARD
FRAMEWORK4FUTURE
Accepting the Award: Shruti Agrawal and Samiksha Pyndi
Framework4Future is a team of environmental youth activists committed to developing the next generation of civic leaders. Accepting the Alan Burns Legacy award are Shruti Agrawal and Samiksha Pyndi, members of Framework4Future’s sustainability program. Both Shruti and Samiksha successfully completed our NC Climate Ambassadors workshops to become community leaders in the fight against climate change. They co-organized last year’s Cool Globes event in Charlotte where youth members of F4F gave presentations about the climate crisis. Shruti is also the founder of New Normal, an environmental club that motivates high schoolers to think proactively about climate solutions.
PARTNER OF THE YEAR
SOUTHERN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW CENTER
Accepting the Award: Nick Jimenez
The team at SELC (Derb Carter, Gudrun Thompson, Heather Hillaker, Mary Maclean Asbill, and Nick Jimenez) have worked tirelessly with CleanAIRE NC to represent North Carolina communities going up against big polluters. We successfully petitioned the NC Environmental Management Commission for North Carolina to join the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, putting our state on a path to cut carbon emissions and build a clean energy economy. SELC and CleanAIRE NC also successfully challenged the biogas industry in eastern NC, securing improved community health protections at a Sampson County facility. Accepting the award on behalf of the SELC team is staff attorney Nick Jimenez, who leads SELC’s solar work in North Carolina.
VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR
JENNIFER ROBERTS
Jennifer Roberts has been a lifelong advocate for clean air and environmental justice. As Mayor of Charlotte she introduced a 100% Clean Energy Resolution for the City. Jennifer headed the Communities Program on climate solutions for ecoAmerica. She also Chaired the Mecklenburg County Commission, where she championed energy reduction and conservation in County operations and spearheaded a Clean Air Works initiative to reduce carbon emissions from local businesses. Jennifer is currently on the Steering Committee of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Climate Leaders, and is a regularly featured presenter for our NC Climate Ambassador workshops.
Congratulations and thank you to our 2021 Blue Sky Award winners for your commitment to building a healthier and more resilient North Carolina.
