Thank you!

Thanks to all who pitched-in, cleaned up, and got their groove on this Earth Day to help us celebrate all the great things happening here to build a prosperous, healthy community!

Congrats to the winners of the 3rd Annual Tod LeFevre Sustainability Awards!

Cascade Acupuncture Center
Cascade Acupuncture Center is a stellar example of a regional business that is committed to reducing its environmental impact, investing profits back into the community, offering products and services that are gentle on the planet — all while running a profitable business. Led by Carola (pronounced like the car) Stepper, Cascade Acupuncture Center has taken steps to significantly reduce water and energy use at its clinics and purchases 100% renewable energy. In The Dalles, it converted the trash and weed-filled land behind its clinic into a community garden, creating a way for locals to affordably grow their own food. Cascade Acupuncture Center offers its services at a sliding scale to community members that cannot afford treatments. And the company donates 1% of NET profits to organizations in the community that are doing work to heal the planet and make the Gorge a better place. Like Tod, Carola and her team do not seek recognition or money: They do these things because they know it’s the right thing to do.
Michael Becker
Michael Becker and the staff at Hood River Middle School have built an incredible resource for students and our community, most notably through the construction of the new math and science wing of the Hood River Middle School. Michael is extremely dedicated to building awareness among students, staff, parents and community members about the value of environmental stewardship. He has personally played a huge role in developing curriculum and leading projects that provide hands-on-learning experiences to help students learn about innovative solutions to environmental problems. He helped with the design concepts behind of the new LEED-Platinum math and science wing, which incorporates onsite renewable energy generation, onsite wastewater treatment, and a native plant arboretum. Like Tod, Michael is dedicated to creating learning opportunities for citizens interested in reducing their environmental footprint.
Paul Cook
Paul Cook leads the Delta Energy Club at Columbia Gorge Community College, a student-led club that aims to provide learning and growth opportunities for students in the field of renewable energy technology. The club is currently working to help develop a solar project for the Discovery Center that will include a 20-kilowatt solar panel system. In his second year of school, Paul has earned his wind technician certificate and is a regular speaker at local events. He is a tireless advocate for both energy efficiency and renewable energy and goes out of his way to help people realize the many opportunities in “green-collar” jobs. Paul and the work he has done with the other members of the Delta Energy Club are great examples of student-led initiatives that are helping grow our economy while conserving resources for future generations. Specifically, Paul’s work as a solar energy advocate speaks to Tod LeFevre’s passion for clean energy.

Read about all of the nominees by going here.

If you missed the GO! Earth Day Party, you can watch the TED-Style GO! Talks given by Local Innovators below. Thanks to WeMedia Project for live-streaming the talks!