Hall Co. Green Alliance recognizes local leaders

Posted 2:41PM on Friday, January 23, 2015

OAKWOOD- The City of Oakwood, Lanier Charter Career Academy and the Northeast Georgia Medical Center at Braselton were just some of the county organizations, community members and leaders that were recognized at the second annual Hall County Green Alliance Awards ceremony. Keynote speaker Billy Powell began the awards ceremony with the top eight green commercial real estate predictions for 2015 and touched on programs and projects in the county, such as Hall County Adopt-A-Can, the Northeast Georgia Medical Center at Braselton, Don Carter State Park and others. After the keynote, awards were handed out. The awards and recipient are as follows. The biographies of the award recipients are from information provided by the Hall County Green Alliance. Project/Initiative of the Year (Private): Northeast Georgia Medical Center at Braselton NGMC is focusing on sustainability in their newest location at Braselton. The hospital will use geothermal wells drilled into the earth for both cooling and heating the building, reclaimed "purple pipe water," lighting to reduce light pollution and energy efficient lighting, insulated-reflective glass, sun screens and a green roof. The hospital is targeting a 60 percent total reduction in energy and 35 percent total reduction in water consumption. Project/Initiative of the Year (Public): Hall County Resource Recovery's Adopt-a-Can program The Adopt-a-Can program began in conjunction with the Brenau University art department. The goal was to raise awareness of recycling while promoting worthwhile organizations. The highly visible, painted cans move to various Hall County Compacter sites, giving residents an eye catching dual message. Trailblazer of the Year: Marcial Mosqueda Mosqueda is a Gainesville native who played in Flat Creek as a child, and as he saw changes, knew he needed to make a difference. Mosqueda is a Gainesville City Engineer, Keep Hall Beautiful board member, alliance participant and community volunteer. Aside from cleaning up the creek, Mosqueda also works to get local businesses in the area to set a good example, get disposal companies to improve trash disposal options in the area and enlists volunteers. Trailblazer of the Year: Young Men's Service League Alpharetta The Young Men's Service League (YMSL) was called upon to make Melrose Garden a reality. The team of sons and mothers came to Gainesville with supplies and not only created the garden space but also built an outdoor classroom. More about the Melrose Garden project is below in Anderson Flem's biography. Education Award: Lanier Charter Career Academy LCCA has a history of supporting the alliance. First year marketing students in 2013 helped design a new logo and tagline for the organization . The school applied for a "Keep Georgia Beautiful" grant and began an "Edible Orchard" on the campus in addition to the existing Farm at the Oaks program, which teaches gardening and local sustainable food practices. Volunteer of the Year: Dave Rosselle Rosselle has logged hundreds of hours of community service and spearheaded the Friends of Don Carter State Park. Rosselle even went so far as to purchase a pontoon boat to help clean up Flat Creek. Rosselle is often seen on the shores of Lake Lanier, cleaning and picking up trash, even on days when there aren't any pick ups planned. Champion Award: Anderson Flem Dr. Flem was named champion for his work in the Melrose Garden project. Flem took action when children in the community thought their food came from supermarkets. He coordinated the YMSL to build the Melrose Garden and created the Melrose Garden Club, which helps teach children where their food comes from, how to grow and harvest it, and other learning opportunities . Flem also worked to create the walking trail in Gainesville Public Housing. Partner of the Year: City of Oakwood The city of Oakwood is what the alliance calls a "local government champion" of the Triple Bottom Line Sustainability concept, balancing economic development, environmental stewardship and community. Oakwood has implemented the Complete Streets program and the Project Paperless initiative, as well as increased illegal sign abatement efforts, added a special items pick up program and complete the exit 16 Gateway landscape project. Legacy Green Foote Print Award: Stan Brown Brown was surprised with the award by the Alliance. Brown has been the Oakwood City Manager since 2004 and has worked in local government for 25 years. He is a licensed professional engineer and a retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Brown is the chairman of the Hall County Green Alliance and is also very active in alliance work groups. "I had no idea," said Brown. "Rick Foote received the award last year and Rick had worked for over 20 years for the county and has really had a heart for this all that time. For me, it's very humbling to be recognized with the Green Foote Print award, which is really named after him and his honor. I'm really shocked and at a loss for words." The awards were made out of bottles found during shore sweeps on Lake Lanier. The bottles were cleaned, flattened and engraved. "We're just so very grateful for everyone out there," said Kelly Norman, executive director of Keep Hall Beautiful. "Whether they're championing for us on a legislative level, in their home practices by recycling and picking up litter and everyone in between, this truly is a model organization that shows that when you get like-minded people together for a common cause you can create big change quickly."