Sustain a sustainable hero

Now, it's been a while since I've given a whole Earth to Philly post over to the fact that THE NEW GREEN JOBS PHILLY IS HERE!

And indeed, this post is not just about Green Jobs Philly. But it's related. You see, the Natural Resources Defense Council sent out a call for nominees for the Growing Green awards "to Honor Extraordinary Contributions in Sustainable Food."

The idea is "to recognize individuals who have demonstrated original leadership in the field of sustainable food. Through this national award, NRDC will recognize extraordinary contributions that advance ecologically integrated farming practices, climate stewardship, water stewardship, farmland preservation, and social responsibility from farm to fork."

As to who's eligible, the description for the Food Producer award is: "Farmers or other food producers, including aquaculture, who employ innovative techniques to sustain agriculture, the natural environment, workers, and community." For Business Leader, it's: "Entrepreneurs who effectively use the marketplace to promote sustainable food systems, develop infrastructure that enables producers to be more sustainable, or advance sustainable innovations anywhere along the supply chain from farm to fork."
 
The guy I have in mind kind of straddles the two categories, so I nominated him for both (I called and was told that was OK). If you've gotten to this point and are still wondering whom I elected to nominate, click through and see...

Here's what I wrote. I invite anyone who agrees with this selection to go to the site and nominate him as well. Can't hurt. Or if you don't agree, nominate your own local hero. But here's mine.

Paul Glover is the founder (2007) of the Philadelphia Orchard Project, an organization that transforms vacant lots into thriving orchards. Glover's intent in creating the organization was to turn Philly into "the first American metropolis to grow most of its own food." While urban orchards are part of a widescale trend, Glover believes Philadelphia "has an advantage no other American metropolis has-- 40,000 vacant lots and 700 empty factories" that are ready for transformation, enriching communities as well as feeding the hungry and clearing the air. Already the Project has started 22 orchards in town, with 216 trees and 352 shrubs and vines, and has garnered a great deal of attention and kudos from local press and community leaders. This is only one of Glover's green initiatives, however. He also runs Green Jobs Philly, a networking and job-seeking site whose mission overlaps with the Orchard Project in getting people into sustainable jobs, some food-production-related and others not. The Green Jobs newsletter is a rich resource not just of job info but connections throughout the green community of Philadelphia. Glover is known in green circles here in Philly as someone who takes a sustainable vision and collaborates to make it happen. He certainly deserves wider recognition, and the NRDC award would be an appropriate honor.