In celebration of Earth Day, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Friday honored 20 individuals and organizations for their outstanding efforts to protect the environment in New York.

Regional Administrator Alan Steinberg presented EPA’s Environmental Quality Awards and acknowledged winners and runners-up for the Presidents Environmental Youth Award at a ceremony in EPA offices in Manhattan.

EPA selects Environmental Quality Award winners from non-profit, environmental and community groups, individual citizens, educators, business organizations and members of the news media, as well as from federal, state, local or tribal governments and agencies. The honor is given to those individuals or organizations that have made significant contributions to improving the environment in EPA Region 2, which covers New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and seven federally-recognized Indian Nations. The Agency receives nominations for the awards from both inside and outside EPA.

Individual Citizen
Hon. Thomas DiNapoli
New York State Assemblyman Thomas DiNapoli has dedicated his 34 years in
politics to conservation advocacy and environmental protection. In 2005 alone,
he led the effort in the State Assembly to pass the Clean Water Protection and
Flood Prevention Act, the Carbon Cap for New York's Power Plants Act, the
Bigger Better Bottle Bill, which expanded the state's most successful recycling
program, and the Community Preservation Act. In his Nassau County district,
Thomas is best known for successfully promoting legislation to protect the Long
Island Pine Barrens, one of the densest plant and animal habitats in the state.

Mathy V. Stanislaus, Esq.
Mathy V. Stanislaus is a board member of the New York City Environmental
Justice Alliance, a group of community-based organizations that addresses
issues of pollution burden and environmental equity. He led the successful effort
to include community planning and financial incentives that focus on low-income
neighborhoods in the newly adopted New York State brownfields law. Mathy has
provided testimony before the White House Council on Environmental Quality
and the U.S. Congress on environmental protection and human rights, in addition
to serving as a member of the United Nations Environmental Advisory Council.

Marvin Stillman
As Manager of Environmental Compliance for the University of Rochester's
Strong Memorial Hospital, Marvin Stillman has worked diligently to
reduce the environmental footprint of this organization. Under his tenure,
UR/SMH has reduced regulated medical waste by 2/3 since 1998 and became
virtually mercury-free in 1999. In addition to maintaining an exemplary
environmental compliance record at UR/SMH, Marvin has also assisted other
institutions in achieving compliance, by hosting training sessions at UR/SMH
facilities and providing training nationally as well.

Bruce Stuart and Patrick St. John
Bruce Stewart and Patrick St. John serve as First and Second Vice Presidents,
respectively, of the Udalls Cove Preservation Committee, Inc. (UCPC). Over the
past decade, they have overseen the transformation of Udalls Cove Park
Preserve from a dumping ground to a healthy and beautiful forest. UCPC has
managed to remove invasive species, plant over 500 trees and clean up garbage
in this area along the Queens/Nassau County border. Most recently, Bruce and
Patrick planned and implemented the Udalls Cove Ravine Restoration Project,
clearing over a million pounds of concrete rubble from the site.

Elizabeth Yeampierre
Elizabeth Yeampierre heads the United Puerto Rican Organization of Sunset
Park, Brooklyn's oldest Latino community organization. Her
endeavors at UPROSE have included creating awareness for environmental
issues affecting residents of Sunset Park. Elizabeth led a successful opposition
to the proposed 520-megawatt Sunset Energy Power Plant, campaigned against
a new sewage treatment plant in the area, and is an advocate for the prevention
of childhood lead poisoning. Her "Youth Justice" program has been especially
effective in the Sunset Park community, providing opportunities for young
activists to promote environmental issues.

Business & Industry
Russell Mankes, Ph.D.
Albany Medical Center
As chemical hygiene officer and responsible facility official for the Albany Medical
Center, Russell Mankes has been at the forefront of pollution prevention and waste minimization for decades. Under his leadership, AMC established the "Adopt-A-Homeless Chemical" program, where unopened research-grade chemicals are collected from laboratories and redistributed. AMC operates at the highest level of environmental compliance, in addition to housing the largest chemical reclamation facility in the Eastern U.S. Currently, Dr. Mankes is in the process of developing a new pharmaceutical waste management program at AMC.

Roo Rogers and Jordan Harris
OZOcar
OZOcar, founded in October 2005 by Roo Rogers and Jordan Harris, is the first
all-hybrid car service in Manhattan. The 76-vehicle fleet offers competitive rates
with the added bonus of a cleaner, more efficient ride. OZOcar uses the Toyota
Prius and the Lexus 400h, models that lead the government's fuel economy
ratings. By offering low-emission vehicles, OZOcar is helping to reduce
greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, which cause respiratory ailments and
global warming. Roo and Jordan hope to expand their service to include other
cities in the future.

Non-Profit Organization, Environmental or Community Group
Julie Barrett O'Neill
The Friends of the Buffalo and Niagara Rivers
FBNR began as a citizen's advocacy group in 1986 dedicated to the preservation
and restoration of the severely polluted Buffalo and Niagara River watersheds.
The group played a major role in implementing Remedial Action Plans and
waterfront buffer zones along both rivers. Under the direction of Julie Barrett
O'Neill, it has brought together community organizations, government,
businesses and preservationists to improve access to these now ecologically
diverse and healthy waterways. Currently, the group is involved in the Buffalo
Niagara Greenway Campaign, hydroelectric negotiations concerning the Niagara
Power Project, and the City of Buffalo's Waterfront Redevelopment Plan.

Grassroots Environmental Education
Grassroots Environmental Education, based in Port Washington, NY, seeks to
inform the public about the relationship between environmental toxins and human
health. Their Grassroots Healthy Lawn Program, conducted in Westchester
County, has been enormously successful, serving as a model for other
communities in the Northeast. Over the past year, Grassroots has trained more
than 150 landscapers in natural lawn care techniques and conducted more than
100 public outreach meetings. Westchester County now has the highest number
of natural lawn care professionals in New York, and consumer demand is
growing rapidly.

Lead Safe House
Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation
NMIC's Lead Safe House, located in the Washington Heights/Inwood
neighborhood, offers temporary housing for families whose apartments are being
repaired for lead violations. The Lead Safe House is an innovative solution to the
lead poisoning epidemic in a community where 89 percent of the apartment units
contain lead-based paint. Since 2003, the organization has provided 67 families
with temporary residences and a comprehensive set of social services. NIMC
was also instrumental in the passage of Local Law One, which has dramatically
increased public awareness and prevention of childhood lead poisoning.

Lewisboro Land Trust
Lewisboro Land Trust, founded in 1996 as a chapter of Westchester Land Trust,
has been enormously successful in its mission of promoting preservation of open
spaces in the Lewisboro area. In 2005, after nearly a decade of grassroots
efforts, the Trust finalized protection of the 386-acre Leon Levy Preserve, an
area of extraordinary biodiversity once threatened by developers. Other recent
achievements include publishing a new trail guide and newsletter, as well as
conducting a series of events aimed at engaging the community in environmental
issues.

National Lighting Product Information Program
NLPIP, established by the Lighting Research Center at Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute in 1990, is instrumental in reducing power plant emissions. Their reports
assist lighting professionals, contractors, designers, building managers and
homeowners in finding and effectively using efficient, quality lighting products
that reduce energy consumption while meeting consumer needs. NLPIP has
disseminated more than one million copies of its reports nationwide. They are
available to the public free of charge, providing objective, manufacturer-specific
information on energy-efficient lighting products.

Riverside Park Fund
Founded in 1986, Riverside Park Fund has developed an impressive volunteer
base that successfully raises both private support and government dollars to fund
urgently needed park maintenance. The 323-acre park, stretching along four
miles of the Hudson River between 68th Street and 155th Street, offers recreation
and relaxation for the diverse New York City population. Riverside Park Fund is
responsible for such amenities as seasonal attendants, emergency call-boxes,
horticultural projects and creative playgrounds, all of which make Riverside Park
a cleaner, greener and safer recreational space.

Ann Hayslip
Save Our Sodus, Inc.
SOS is an alliance of citizens, businesses and others concerned with preserving
the water quality, natural beauty and purity of Sodus Bay, located along the
southern shore of Lake Ontario. Under the leadership of current president Ann
Hayslip, SOS has been an active advocate for the bay, coordinating regular
meetings with elected officials, hosting a lecture series for the public, collecting
water samples, even harvesting invasive species by hand. SOS has also played
a major role in securing state and federal funds for local conservation efforts,
including the Harbor and Watershed Management Plans.

Sarah Lansdale
Sustainable Long Island
Donna Cervolo
Girl Scouts of Nassau County
Sarah Lansdale of Sustainable Long Island and Donna Cervolo of Girl Scouts of
Nassau County formed a partnership between their respective organizations to
implement the "Brownfields Busters" Girl Scout Patch initiative, which has put a
national spotlight on this important environmental issue. Sustainable Long Island
took the lead in developing guidelines and activities for earning the patch, while
Girl Scouts of Nassau County volunteered to test the new patch program. After
the official launch of the patch in August 2005, Sustainable Long Island was
invited to present their work along side the Girl Scouts at the national Brownfields
Conference last November.

Environmental Education
Maria Brown
Sayville High School
Maria Brown, a science teacher at Sayville High School, believes that the most
effective method for teaching her Advanced Placement Environmental Science
students employs field experience. Over the past six years, Maria's students
have collected data essential to the development of the Islip Town Planning
Department's Draft Watershed Action Plan for Green's Creek and Brown's
Creek, in addition to creating a public information brochure for the watershed.
Maria also pioneered the enormously popular "Costa Rica Experience" at her
school, where AP students travel to Central America for ten days to participate in
both ecological investigations and community service projects.

Federal, State, Local or Tribal Government or Agency
Clean Bus Program
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
MTA introduced the Clean Bus Program with the goals of decreasing fleet
emissions, improving bus service and reducing the cost of operations. The
Clean Bus Program introduced low sulfur diesel in its 4,500 New York City buses
two years before federally required, in addition to incorporating compressed
natural gas, hybrid-electric and clean diesel technologies into the fleet.
These efforts result in annual emissions reductions of 840 tons in nitrogen
oxides, 46 tons in particulate matter, and 111,000 tons in carbon dioxide.

Division of Solid & Hazardous Waste
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
In 2002, NYSDEC's Bureau of Pesticides Management instituted the
CleanSweep New York Environmental Benefit Project (CleanSweepNY), a
program providing economical and environmentally-safe collection and disposal
of unwanted pesticides, school chemicals and mercury-containing devices, in
addition to the recycling of pesticide containers. To date, CleanSweepNY has
collected approximately 453,000 pounds of pesticides and hazardous chemicals,
and recycled 1,467 triple-rinsed pesticide containers which would otherwise have
been buried, burned or landfilled. Through proper disposal and recycling,
CleanSweepNY is helping to preserve the quality of the state's natural resources,
drinking water in particular.

Natural Resources Group
City of New York Parks & Recreation
NRG, a division of the City of New York Parks & Recreation, collaborated with
the Bronx River Alliance in the heroic effort to restore the Bronx River Floodplain,
a project many years in the making. Invasive plant removal, stream bank
stabilization, erosion control, and the development of an ecological master plan
for the Bronx River watershed were all important elements of the restoration.
The results are astounding: increased sediment load absorption, better
stormwater retention, and enhanced riparian habitat, in addition to improved
educational and recreational opportunities.

2005 PRESIDENT'S ENVIRONMENTAL YOUTH AWARD RECIPIENT
REGION 2 WINNER

Kerri Anne Orloff
"Don't Dump, Drains to Creek"
Kerri Anne Orloff, a resident of Gerritsen Beach in southern Brooklyn, saw the
need to inform the community about combined sewer outflow. Her idea to stencil
every sewer in town with the phrase, "Don't Dump, Drains to Creek," initially met
with resistance from state agencies, but was approved, in the end, with the help
of Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Kerri designed and distributed fliers to promote the
project, and on September 24, 2004, over 100 volunteers turned out to assist
with the stenciling. The signs remain a highly visible reminder of the fate of litter
on our streets.