WASHTENAW COUNTY, MI — Several people involved in efforts to protect the environment, along with a township, college and local business are getting kudos from Washtenaw County Water Resources.
The 2025 Environmental Excellence Awards recognize local leaders and organizations for their efforts in protecting water quality, reducing waste, and preventing pollution, county water resources officials said in a release.
The Environmental Excellence Partnership Program awards honor notable contributions to environmental protection across Washtenaw County.
Nancy Stone received the overall leadership award for her career in environmental education, which helped establish Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County as leaders in waste reduction and recycling.
“Her collaborative spirit and strong ability to connect with the community have inspired many programs that exist today and the people who do this work,” water resources officials said in the release.
Stone has served on and led several county committees following her retirement from the City of Ann Arbor.
Ypsilanti Township earned the water quality protection award for constructing and maintaining eight public rain gardens and planting 150 trees over the past seven years.
“Altogether, these rain gardens capture 3.5 million gallons of stormwater each year,” according to the release.
Washtenaw Community College received the waste reduction and recycling award for implementing a “robust” materials management system across campus operations.
“They have practices in place to reduce single-use plastics, a reuse process for usable materials, standardized recycling systems across campus, and composting for food waste from kitchens and break rooms,” officials said.
The college diverted 56% of its materials from landfills in 2024.
Alpha Metal Finishing won the pollution prevention award for its safety protocols to protect employees.
The Dexter-based metal finisher won the award “for protecting both employees and the environment through its proactive approach to pollution prevention, including implementing robust safety protocols and planned secondary containment upgrades,” officials said.
“Alpha Metal Finishing demonstrates that environmental responsibility can align seamlessly with cost-effective business practices. Whether it’s their consistently prompt reporting, their attention to detail, or their drive for continuous improvement.”
Jack Wallace received a rain garden leadership award for solving neighborhood drainage issues through rain gardens.
“His untiring commitment to solving the problem, his dedication to maintaining the solution, and his lifelong commitment to the beauty and power of nature have made our community a richer place,” officials said.
Bob Bransky also won a rain garden leadership award mentoring new rain gardeners.
Bransky was selected “for generosity of his time and expertise as he mentored and advised new rain gardeners,” officials said. “He gave of himself and his musical talents at many rain garden events over many years. His guitar inspired many a gardener to get going and garden – while creating community.”
Niarra Coleman received the master composter leadership award for establishing the Influence Ypsi Community Compost Cooperative, which composts food scraps from local businesses and residents.
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