As the battle rages on over climate change, it’s refreshing to hear what’s going RIGHT with the environment on occasion. One such occasion occurred October 10 at Infinite Energy Center when Keep America Beautiful affiliate - Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful (GC&B) – played host to its 13^th Environmental Address, presented by Primerica. Headlining the event was the honorable Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp. As he took the podium for the first time in his governorship, Kemp outlined many of the great strides being made during his first year. Included among them were a historically high employment rate, 19-year low in unemployment, graduation rates growing at a record pace and the largest teacher pay raise in Georgia history. Of course, just 10 months in as Georgia Governor, he didn’t take all the credit. He pointed to advances made by the previous administration in securing Georgia as the #1 state for business, his wife Marty for her efforts to shine a spotlight on the scourge of human trafficking, and to entities like the State Properties Commission and Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful for their part in protecting the state’s precious natural resources.

Armed with a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the University of Georgia, Governor Kemp said to a crowd of more than 600 business, education, youth and civic leaders, “I’ve been taught that the land, water and trees and everything in between are gifts from God. It’s up to us to leave this place better than we found it, and I believe our best and brightest days are ahead of us. I’m excited about Gwinnett County being on the front-end of all of it. As Gwinnett continues to grow, more people inevitably mean more trash and dumping. But with every challenge comes an opportunity.”

He pointed to Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful as being on the forefront of that opportunity and indicated that Gwinnett County is among the greatest places to live, work and raise a family in Georgia. In addition to the Governor’s speech, the event included the presentation of two $2500 scholarships to Georgia Gwinnett College students, Environmental Science-Natural Science Major Candi Abbey and Chemistry Major Lois Iddrisu. The Address also comprised the presentation of the following Environmental Consciousness and Stewardship (ECoS) Awards:

Connie Wiggins Environmental Legacy Award: Bartow Morgan, Jr. – A member of the GC&B Advisory Board for the last 20 years, Morgan has been instrumental in growing and evolving the organization into what it is today. His leadership and commitment as both a Board member and Chairman enabled him to successfully navigate the organization its transition from a sole nonprofit to a hybrid organization with Gwinnett County Government. He has never wavered in his commitment to GC&B - refusing to let the organization be anything less than outstanding.

Jim Steele Educator Award: Mason Elementary School – In addition to being a national green ribbon school and Georgia STEM certified, Mason Elementary School has long been a part of the Green & Healthy Schools Program, has been at the forefront of GC&B’s Food Waste Warrior Project, and promotes environmentally-focused learning projects to its K-5^th grade students throughout the schoolyear to inspire a new generation of environmental stewards.

Green Business Leader of the Year Award: Charity Recycling Services – Representing a solid network of sustainable and environmental partnerships with more than 1,000 nonprofit and corporate organizations throughout the U.S., CRS promotes fundraising and clothing/textile recycling. It collects and diverts more than 20 million pounds of textiles from landfills and repurposes them both domestically and internationally. Its presence in Gwinnett includes a partnership with Gwinnett County Schools to provide collection bins that feature monitoring technology that aids in service routing, minimizing fuel consumption and carbon footprint.

Green Government of the Year Award: Gwinnett County Department of Transportation – As one of GC&B’s longest-standing County partners through the well-known Adopt-a-Road program, Gwinnett County’s DOT has year after year shown its dedication to serving the county through illegal dumping removal, placement of No Littering Signs and the facilitation of roadside cleanups upon request.

Green Community Partner of the Year Award: Primerica – In addition to its generosity shown to local nonprofits through grants to further their individual missions and visions, Primerica is an active participant in GC&B’s Adopt-A-Road program – always surpassing the required number of cleanups. The company also plays host to Earth Day events giving their staff the opportunity to shred papers free of charge and equipping them with meaningful information on how to be an environmental steward and lessen their carbon footprint.

“Primerica is honored to receive the 2019 Green Community Partner Award from Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, recognizing the volunteer efforts of our employees and our support of programs designed to create a more sustainable environment,” said Kathryn Kieser, Chief Reputation Officer for Primerica and Chair of The Primerica Foundation. “Primerica is committed to making a difference in the communities we serve. By working with great organizations like Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful, we are positively impacting our environment which will pay dividends for years to come.”

Schelly Marlatt, Executive Director for Gwinnett Clean & Beautiful and master of ceremonies for the Environmental Address had this to say about the event and award winners, “We are truly blessed to have so many incredible leaders in our midst in Gwinnett County – leaders with the vision and fortitude to make this community a model for others to follow. On behalf of myself, my staff and the GC&B Advisory Board, we’d like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Governor Brian Kemp for the gifts of his time and incredible words, and we congratulate all of our deserving ECoS Award winners for the efforts that earned them their individual honors.”