Thursday, October 9, 2008

Keep Knoxville Beautiful presented its annual Orchids and Onion Awards on Thursday, October 9 at The Foundry on Worlds Fair Site. As has been the case for the past 15 years, Environmental Achievement Awards are given to local “unsung” heroes as well. The event was emceed by Robin Wilhoit, co-anchor of the 6:00 and 11:00 news on WBIR-TV10. Every year, it is exciting to see the beautiful properties in Knoxville and to give encouragement to those that need a little improvement.

The Environmental Achievement Awards sponsored by Waste Connections of Tennessee, Inc. and Advanced Polymer Recycling are presented to individuals, organizations and businesses that have made a significant contribution to the local environment and who are setting a good example for others. This years individual award went to Nelson Ross, founder of the Tennessee chapter of the Izaak Walton League, for his efforts to build partnerships to conserve our natural resources. The winner of the organization award went to the Market Square Farmers Market for their efforts to promote local sustainability and to bring back the tradition of farmers selling directly to the public on historic Market Square. The small business award went to Dominion Development Group/Strategic Alliance Management for their renovation of Greenbrier Ridge Apartments. They installed new water conserving appliances, new carpets made from recycled materials, installed CFL bulbs throughout and introduced single stream recycling for its residents. The large business award went to Thermocopy, for their efforts to have a positive impact on the local business environment through the founding of “Go Green East TN”, their employee recycling guide and their program to help their customers reduce, reuse, recycle and renew the resources used.

Keep Knoxville Beautiful presented the Mary Lou Horner Hall of Fame Award to Daniel F. McGehee, local attorney, for his dedication to Keep Knoxville Beautiful over the years. The Community Service Award went to Martha Arnold-Charnay for her dedication to beautification and litter prevention in the Halls Community. A special honor went to Judge John Rosson, our local Environmental Court Judge in honor of his 20^th Anniversary.

The Onion Awards were handed out by Mary Lou Horner once again. They went to Bobcat of Knoxville, Glass Masters on Kingston Pike, excessive signage in Bearden, the corner lot of Central and Anderson, and to excavation projects throughout Knox County.

The Butterfly Award is presented to a former Onion recipient and was given to Broadway Title located at 5352 N. Broadway. The transformation from an old dilapidated garage to the beautiful log cabin looking offices is inspiring.

The Orchid Awards, always the highlight, were no exception this year. With help from sponsors, Lamar Outdoor Advertising; Waste Connections of Tennessee; and Advanced Polymer Recycling; eleven Orchid Awards were given out. The winners were:

·         The Williams House

·         F.M. George Safe and Lock

·         Cansler YMCA

·         Riverdale School

·         Cascade Falls Development

·         Candora Marble Company

·         Berry’s Funeral Home

·         Cherokee Plaza

·         Pips Technology

·         Oakwood Mansion

·         Will’s Village