Feb. 26, 2014

The following organizations are finalists for the Green Source DFW Sustainable Leadership Awards in the grass roots/nonprofit category. The results are based on votes from hundreds of Green Source DFW readers. The winners in each of the five categories will be announced at the Green Source DFW Sustainable Leadership Awards ceremony on March 13. Register to attend.

Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge, Inc

Organized in 1974, the Friends' mission is "to preserve, protect and conserve in perpetuity the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge." Each year the Friends donate hundreds of hours of volunteer time and in-kind services as well as raise tens of thousands of dollars to support the Nature Center's education and natural resource management programs. Their support enables the Nature Center staff to expand its work, make more progress towards the goals of its own mission and have a greater positive impact on the community. Friends of the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge has four decades of advocacy and financial backing, including the bison herd that is owned by the Friends.

Molly Hollar Wildscape

The mission of the Molly Hollar Wildscape is to educate the community to use native plants to attract wildlife, conserve resources and connect with nature. Members of Arlington Conservation Council and the Arlington Organic Garden Club founded the Molly Hollar Wildscape on half an acre in 1994 to trumpet ecosystem preservation and the benefits of native plants. Thirty thousand volunteer hours later, the wildscape has expanded into a splendid four-acre enhancement of a last lone stretch of the Eastern Cross Timbers, which runs through central Arlington but has been devastated by development. Tucked away in one of the city’s most popular parks, the wildscape serves as a living lab, the natural elements providing a backdrop for programs and tours. The Wildscape attracts all manner of similar enthusiasts, from Master Gardeners and Master Naturalists, to Rotarians and Scouts, to young people in (volunteered by) Tarrant County Juvenile Services, to the occasional passer-by. It is a designated site for Master Naturalist training field trips and Master Gardener volunteer site. At this time an average of over 3,000 volunteer hours are being worked yearly at the Wildscape and Greenhouse.

Texas Campaign for the Environment -  Dallas Office

TCE  door-to-door canvassers raise funds and educate people.  They deliver letters written by the people who they have informed and educated to public policymaker. The Dallas office has a staff of eager canvessers who can put up a picket line or stage a flash mob at the drop of a hat. TCE’s Dallas office does critical work on environmental issues. TCE’s  state wide agenda, focuses on e-recycling and trash disposal. The Dallas office, however, went above and beyond to reflect the local agenda of its Dallas membership. Under the leadership of Zac Trahan, the Dallas office helped found Dallas Residents at Risk, published its website and often did its press work, as well as coordinate events, appointments and everything else needed to win both the Trinity East and New Dallas Ordinance fights.  The thousands of letters collected by TCE contributed greatly to the success of recent campaigns, including efforts to protect Dallas from drilling/fracking, pushing for a better Dallas Zero Waste Plan and shutting down a lead smelter, which was poisoning Frisco. They are now leading efforts on local single-use bag bans.

Show your support for the inspiring work being done by the DFW green community. Register to attend the Green Source DFW Sustainable Leadership Awards ceremony.


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