Green Blue Jay Awards honor those helping to advance sustainability at JHU

The Johns Hopkins Office of Sustainability will hand out the first-ever Green Blue Jay Awards today to recognize those in the Johns Hopkins community who exemplify sustainability ideals and action across the different campuses. The ceremony is part of the office's Earth Day Showcase event. To learn more about Earth Week programming, visit www.sustainability.jhu.edu/earthweek.

Awards will be given to individuals and departments or groups who have contributed to sustainability-related conversation and action in the areas of peer engagement, operational improvements, events and programming, and academics. Recipients were selected by Office of Sustainability.

The Earth Day Showcase will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today on the Upper Quad on the university's Homewood campus today.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for us to showcase all of the tremendous people who are making this university a great place to live, work, and study," said Davis Bookhart, director of the Office of Sustainability. "We are grateful to these individuals. They inspire us, and demonstrate what is possible."

The awards and recipients are:

  • Blue Jay's Perch Community Garden at Eastern: "Three Legged Stool" award, which recognizes an effort that incorporates the three integral pieces of sustainability—economic, environmental, and social—in a unique project.
  • Darlene Foehrkolb, Supply Chain Shared Services: "Change from Within" award, which recognizes an individual who has demonstrated leadership in transforming practices and protocols in ways that produce wide-ranging university impacts.
  • Talent Management & Organizational Development, Sustainability Module for Online Orientation: "Sustainability Exposed" award, which recognizes a significant effort that helped make the vision of sustainability more accessible and visible to the Johns Hopkins community.
  • Jack Grinnalds, School of Medicine & Mike Schoeffield, School of Public Health: "Spirit of Sustainability" award, which recognizes the person(s) who demonstrates a unique enthusiasm for sustainability at Johns Hopkins that inspires change in others.
  • Alkimia and Café Azafran: Green Partner of the Year award, which recognizes an organization that has shown exceptional commitment to sustainability on one or more of the Johns Hopkins campuses.
  • Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies: Division of the Year award, which recognizes the Johns Hopkins division that has made the most significant progress over the course of the past year.
  • Real Food Hopkins: Student Group of the Year award, which recognizes the Johns Hopkins student group that has made the biggest impact during the past year.
  • Spring Commencement: "Zero to Hero" award, which highlights an event that exemplifies great progress in incorporating zero waste principles.
  • Innovation for Humanity Program, Carey Business School: "By the Book" award, which recognizes the accomplishment of integrating sustainability principles and priorities into academics.
  • Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering, FreeCycle event: "Above and Beyond" award, which recognizes the department that has demonstrated the strongest commitment to campus sustainability efforts.