City Of Davis: City Awards Annual Environmental Recognitions

Press release from the City Of Davis:

April 30, 2021 3:47 pm

The City of Davis announced today that the following organizations and individuals were awarded the 2021 27th Annual City of Davis Environmental Recognition Awards. The awards were recommended by the City’s Natural Resources Commission and awarded at the April 20 City Council meeting. 

The Legacy Award was initiated five years ago and recognizes programs and events that have impacted the environment and community quality of life over a significant timeframe in Davis history. The awards were accompanied by the City of Davis 2021 Earth Day Proclamation. Earth Day is celebrated annually to celebrate the beauty of our planet, recommit to actions to promote a healthy environment, and to maintain a peaceful, just and sustainable world.

“Our City is grateful for these award winners that step up to care for our environment in word and action,” said Mayor Gloria Partida. “Thank you to them for contributing to the quality of life in Davis.”

Non-Profit Category – Peregrine School and the Episcopal Church of St. Martin
Peregrine School currently serves over 200 children toddler age through 6th grade at two sites. Respect for the environment is an organizing principle of the school, demonstrated through both the school’s curriculum and physical design, and evidenced by a commitment to community outreach. 

Peregrine students received a US Fish & Wildlife Schoolyard Habitats Program grant to transform a soccer field into a native plant learning garden last year, and a Whole Kids Foundation grant to develop a “pioneer garden” to teach California agriculture and grow farmers’ market crops. Peregrine offers an annual Girls in Science event, with up to 30 women scientists doing hands-on activities in support of science and environmental awareness, encouraging girls (and boys) to pursue careers in science. 

“Programs such as these have inspired a new generation of skilled and experienced environmental stewards with an environmental focus directly benefiting community families beyond the walls of the school,” said Peregrine Director Lorie Hammond. 

St. Martin’s Church is an outstanding leader demonstrating environmental action that improves the lives of the congregation and inspires the Davis community. Accepting the award, Rector Pamela Dolan noted the importance of community resiliency and equity in addressing climate change. 

The church has a long history of action on environmental stewardship with notable efforts in 2020 to move toward zero carbon emission for the entire campus. The physical design improvements have included electrifying heating and water systems, reducing waste, and encouraging active transportation. Additionally, the Care for God’s Creation Committee, established in 2011, coordinates sustainability efforts and outreach. The church has provided information and support for these efforts by sponsoring invited speakers on subjects, such as environmental justice and climate action and partnering with groups including Davis Community Meals & Housing, Yolo Interfaith Alliance for Climate Justice and Cool Davis. 

Individuals/Groups Category – Dave Pelz
Dave Pelz served City of Davis from 1964 to his retirement in 1999 with his last 27 years as Public Works Director. Many of Davis’ environmental accomplishments occurred through his initiative, support and facilitation. Further, he took this message to the state, initiating many transportation reforms and setting Davis as a model for California. He represented the League of California Cities on the Caltrans Bicycle Advisory Committee, was a steadfast advocate for bicycle and bus transportation and a loyal supporter of the public works profession as a 1965 charter member of the Sacramento Chapter of the American Public Works Association. This award is being given posthumously as Dave passed away last March.

His contributions to the City’s environmental progress were exceptional and multifaceted, including participating in or leading development of bike lanes, paths, under and overpasses and regionally connected bikeways; establishment of the city-wide bus service, Unitrans; and working with Davis Waste Removal to create one of the first recycling programs in the nation in 1970. Notably, Pelz developed and implemented an innovative, bike-only traffic signal that was adopted statewide. Also, he was involved with groundbreaking design of the Davis water treatment facility, relying on natural pondage and using little energy for the secondary treatment step as a result. 

Business Category – West Yost Associates
West Yost Associates, a consulting firm founded and headquartered in Davis, has worked with the City of Davis as a trusted advisor over the past 30 years to help the City reach its environmental goals. Projects have included safe and sustainable water, wastewater and drainage services. Most significantly, West Yost has been a leader in efforts to respond to climate change through their internal policies and programs, and through encouraging staff participation, outreach and community volunteering on their own time. Staff are supported in adopting personal behavior change to reduce their own carbon footprint.

Environmental Legacy Award - Village Homes
Village Homes, a 70-acre subdivision started in 1975 and located in West Davis, is internationally recognized for its planned sustainability and ecologically beneficial features, and has been visited by luminaries such as former French President Francois Mitterand and First Lady Rosalyn Carter. It was designed to encourage both the development of a sense of community and the conservation of energy and natural resources by principal developers Mike Corbett and Judy Corbett. Construction in the neighborhood involved many different architects and contractors over a number of years. Now completed, the development includes 225 homes and 20 apartment units.
 
A number of design features help Village Homes residents live in an energy-efficient and aesthetically pleasing manner, including orientation that encourages passive solar design, narrow street widths that minimize pavement, interconnected pedestrian/bicycle paths and common areas with a natural drainage network of creek beds, swales, and pond areas and a landscape that supports edible plantings. In addition to the common areas between homes, Village Homes also includes two parks, extensive greenbelts, two vineyards, several orchards, and two large common gardening areas, which overall comprise 23 acres of the community. An extensive system of paths for pedestrians and bicyclists runs throughout, linking up in each direction with other city pathways adjacent to the project, with bridges over small stream beds ready to handle rain water, in lieu of a storm drain system. 

For more information about the awards, please contact Kerry Loux at kloux@cityofdavis.org.

This press release was produced by the City Of Davis. The views expressed here are the author’s own.