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The 2012 CRRA Awards honored excellence in Zero Waste Achievement, Reuse,
Recycling and Zero Waste, CRRA Service, and Outstanding Programs throughout California. 
The Rick Best Environmental Advocacy Awardhonors lifetime environmental exness.net.za stewardship achievements. The CRRA Board of Directors choseAnnie Leonard as the 2012 recipient. Leonard is the Director of the Story of Stuff Project. (pictured left with Conference Co-Chair Peter Slote)
CRRA's Recycler of the Year is presented to an individual who has significantly contributed to resource conservation throughout their career in California. This award was presented to both an individual and her organization - Monica Wilson, the US and Canada Program Director for GAIA. (pictured right with Tracie Bills)
The Dave Hardy Leadership in Organics Award was presented to Will Bakx, Sonoma Compost Company. SCC has diverted 1.5 million tons of organics, producing a diverse line of products to meet consumer demands. CRRA Service Award was presented to Lin King, Campus Recycling and Refuse Manager for UC Berkeley. King has lead in one capacity or another the California Collegiate Recycling Council, a technical council of CRRA, for the last 18 years. This year's Outstanding "Closing the Loop" Commitment Award was presented to Sierra Nevada Brewing Company. The brewery was founded using recycled dairy equipment and a scavenged soda bottling line 32 years ago in Chico, CA and that resource recovery mindset is still in practice today. Sierra Nevada diverted 40,818 tons for a 99.7% diversion rate.
   
Accepting their awards are: (from left to right) Will Bakx, Sonoma Compost Company with Tracie Bills, CRRA President; Lin King, UC Berkeley, with Julie Muir, CRRA 2012 Conference Co-Chair; Mandi McKay and Cheri Chastain, Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, with Tracie Bills; Jennifer Gilbert and Jacques DeBra, City of Davis, with Tracie Bills.
The Pavitra Crimmel Reuse Award was presented to the City of Davis Recycling Program for their Apartment Move-Out Waste Reduction Program. Their accomplishments included 43 properties covering 5,127 apartment units; 66 donation stations; 89 volunteers; benefitting 11 non-profits, saving 187 tons of household goods, clothig and furniture for reuse.
The Outstanding HHW/E-/U-Waste Program Award was presented to the Chula Vista Regional HHW Program. Chula Vista's regional household hazardous waste collection program has helped residents in the cities of Chula Vista, Coronado, Imperial Beach, National City, San Diego and County of San Diego to properly dispose of materials since 2002. This year's Outstanding Construction & Demolition Debris Diversion Award was presented to Pena's Disposal Services, Inc. Awarded the contract to handle construction and demolition recycling for Tulare County and seven of its incorporated cities in 2011, their recycling rate jumped to a high of 89% one month versus 56% for the previous hauler, reflecting Pena Disposal's aggressive approach to recycling. CRRA honored Gills Onions as the Outstanding Recycling Program of the year. Founded in 1983, Gills Onions has adopted an ambitious zero waste goal, and expanded waste reduction initiatives include using onion waste to produce ultra-clean electricity onsite that provides 100 percent of the plant's base load electrocity, allowing Gills Onions to achieve a 99.6% diversion rate as of January 2012. The "Next Generation" Recycler Award was designed to promote the next generation of recyclers and zero wasters. The Go Green Initiative is a global organization that trains volunteers in schools to conserve natural resources for future generations, and to protect human health through environmental stewardship.
 
Accepting their awards are: (from top left to right) Manuel Medrano, City of Chula Vista, with Tracie Bills; Carlos Pena, Pena Disposal Services, Inc., with Tracie Bills; (bottom left to right) Bill Radulovich and Jill Buck, Go Green Initiative, with Tracie Bills; Laura Hamman and Nikki Rodoni, Gills Onions, with Tracie Bills.
Outstanding Waste Prevention Award was presented to Grades of Green. This award is given to a business, organization or agency that has successfully implemented a program that prevents the generation of waste. Grades of Green's mission is to inspire and empower students and the broader school community to care for the environment. The Host City Award, presented to the individual or organization that is outstanding in their resource management efforts, was presented to StopWaste.Org. The Zero Waste Achievement Award was presented posthumously to Tania Levy. Tania passed away on September 1, 2011. Tania had a long and storied career in public service including the California Department of Conservation, where she helped create their resource library and implement beverage container legislation. In 1993 she joined the City of Berkeley to help implement their leading edge recycling programs, and retired just prior to her passing in 2011. Tania's award was accepted on her behalf by her good friend Portia Sinnott. 
Accepting their awards are: (from left to right) Suzanne Kretschmer, Grades of Green with Tracie Bills; Gary Wolff, StopWaste.Org, with Peter Slote and Tracie Bills.
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