Winners Announced for Annual 'Greenies' Awards

An organization dedicated to sustaining and improving Merion Botanic Park since 1944 has been named one of the winners of 2015 Go for the Green Awards, handed out by the Lower Merion Township Environmental Advisory Council.

The Greenies are an effort to raise environmental awareness throughout Lower Merion Township and Narberth Borough and highlight environmental achievements, according to the council. The awards recognize residents, businesses, organizations and schools located in or conducting business in the Township or Borough.

The winners include:

• The Botanical Society of Lower Merion (Organization Award), a Park Friends organization that has been vital in sustaining and improving Merion Botanic Park since 1944. Merion Botanic Park contains 13.5 acres and is located in Merion. Recently, the organization completed an inventory of all trees in the Park which included the addition of labels on all trees that contain QR codes. Park users can scan these codes to obtain detailed information about the different types of trees in the Park. The organization also installed 18 bird houses and planted a butterfly garden that includes a Monarch butterfly way station to enhance wildlife habitat.
• The Haas family (Resident Award), is granted this award for their long-term vision and generosity in preserving their Villanova estate, Stoneleigh, by donating it to the Natural Lands Trust. The preservation of this former estate will benefit Lower Merion Township and the regional community by making the property accessible as open space for passive recreation and special events.
• Ken Davis (Joseph M. Manko Lifetime Achievement Award) served as a Township Commissioner from 1991 through 2006. Under his leadership several significant environmental endeavors were successfully completed including the purchase of the 103-acre Rolling Hill Park in 1993. Mr. Davis was also instrumental in working with Natural Lands Trust to preserve Saunders Woods, a 25-acre preserve located in Gladwyne.
• CVS along Rock Hill Road (Commercial Site Greening), a partnership between CVS and the township to redevelop the corner of Rock Hill Road and Belmont Avenue. The project included the private removal of a former car dealership and several obsolete commercial buildings, the reconstruction of a new CVS, along with the construction by the applicant of public improvements including realignment of the intersection, installation of stormwater management, construction of an 18-space public trailhead parking lot and installation of a landscaped gateway to the Township.
• Main Line reBuild (Commercial) for their preservation and adaptive reuse of existing historic buildings throughout Lower Merion and Narberth. Main Line reBuild’s mission is to acquire buildings that are in need of renovation or threatened with demolition and repurpose them as residential dwellings.
• BuildOn’s Lower Merion Chapter (Education), an all student community service organization that has spent numerous hours working at the Cynwyd Heritage Trail removing invasive plants, performing general clean-ups, and assisting with a large planting at the Cynwyd Station Trailhead.

Eligible candidates will have taken actions that result in the improvement or protection of the environment. Examples include conservation, recycling, stormwater management, pest management, alternative energy usage, green building technology, education and other initiatives that display sensitivity to the environment.

All winners will be recognized at a ceremony that is open to the public, to be held at Appleford in Villanova on May 28th.