The Franklin Reporter & Advocate Eight Villages, One Community
The annual Environmental Steward Awards were distributed during the November 23 Township Council meeting.
Presented by the township Environmental Commission, the awards are given to an organization or business and an individual that show leadership in environmental issues.
This year’s awardees were The Center School and former Environmental Commission member Dianne Pydeski.
The Center School, a K-12 school for students with special needs, was honored for “having installed a solar canopy over their parking lot at the school, which will significantly reduce their carbon footprint,” said commission chairman Walter Andrews, who presented the awards during the virtual meeting.
Center School executive director Ronald Rinaldi was on hand, virtually, to accept the award.
Rinaldi said the solar panels are now being installed. The project, he said, is “something we were looking into for a couple of years.
“One of the great things about this award … is that we do a lot of community-based instruction, where we take our students out into the community and work with organizations,” he said. “We try to teach them not only the academics … but also how to be a good citizen.”
“This award is definitely going to be very interesting,” he said.
Pydeski was a 17-year veteran of the Environmental Commission, retiring earlier this year.
She could not attend the meeting, but in an acceptance letter, Pydeski said she was “extremely grateful for having the opportunity to work with so many dedicated and knowledgeable individuals” on the commission.
“I’m particularly proud of the work we have done on the environmental resource inventory for Franklin,” she said.
