11 Businesses, Nonprofits, and Individuals Win Climate Leadership Awards!

We were so delighted to see over 800 people come out to celebrate our five-year anniversary with us at the Party for the Planet. It was a night of amazing music, great food, learning, community connection, and awards! C3 staff members, with the help of special guest emcee Freddy Jackson, recognized 11 community leaders for their positive impact.

Business

Excellence in Energy Efficiency - The Center for lowest emissions among all of C3’s Green Business Alliance members.

Top Climate Innovator Award - Apex Clean Energy for their new state-of-the-art headquarters which is the largest mass timber constructed building on the East Coast and includes 875 solar panels; a green roof for biodiversity and stormwater retention; EV charging for employees and visitors; and industry-leading energy efficiency.

Carbon Crackdown Award - InBio for achieving the largest reduction in their carbon footprint since setting their baseline.

Youth

Outstanding Educator - Katina Dudley, Lead Science Coach for Albemarle County School for coordinating the delivery of 2,400 climate action kits to 5th graders in Albemarle County. 

Youth EmPowerment Award - Sun Tribe Solar for their Solar Empowered Schools initiative: an integrated educational toolkit made for educators and students, including a website and curriculum library for students and educators.

Youth Climate Champion - Piedmont Housing Alliance JEDI Youth Ambassadors for demonstrating leadership in advocating for equitable climate solutions in their own community at Friendship Court and beyond.

Make Your Own Impact

Impact Maker - Donna Shaunesey, Charlottesville resident for going above and beyond to make an impact at her home, in the community, and in the state by cleaning up parks and rivers, registering voters, switching to an electric vehicle, riding her bike in town, adding solar panels to your home, protesting against fossil fuel pipelines, and more.

Equity and Policy

Energy Equity Award - Local Energy Alliance Program for helping hundreds of households per year reduce their energy burden and increase the comfort and reliability of heating/cooling equipment.

Transit Mover and Shaker Award - Move2Health Equity for working to understand the barriers to effective transit, seeking feedback from under-served communities, and promoting better transit as a determinant of health. 

Climate Justice Advocate Award - Cultivate Charlottesville for working with thousands of residents and students, growing hundreds of thousands of pounds of vegetables, and advocating for improved food equity policies in the City of Charlottesville.

Change-maker Award - Albemarle County Climate Program Staff for setting a leadership climate goal, passing a Climate Action Plan, drafting a Climate Resiliency Plan, increasing funding to energy efficiency programs, prioritizing climate in its comprehensive plan revision, distributing climate activity kits to public schools, and conducting a review of County code to remove barriers to climate action.

Quotes from Award Recipients

Martin Chapman, President and CEO of InBio said, “InBio is delighted to receive the Carbon Crackdown Award. Working with C3 has enabled InBio to reduce its carbon emissions by 40% through targeted interventions. Being a member of the Green Business Alliance was instrumental in developing the InBio Green Benefits program which provides cash incentives for our employees to reduce their carbon emissions. We encourage businesses to get engaged with C3 and join us in taking small steps to save the planet. It is good business. Happy Birthday C3!”

Katina Dudley, Lead Science Coach at Albemarle County Schools said, “I work closely with local environmental leaders in Charlottesville and Albemarle County like C3. It is important to connect these leaders to our teachers in order to bring additional enriching resources and learning opportunities into our classrooms. We live in a community that values the effective use and stewardship of our Earth’s resources and leveraging the partnerships between our local environmental leaders and classrooms across our division, our students are empowered to grow into leaders who move our world forward while staying mindful of sustainability.”

“Apex is honored to win the Climate Innovation Award from the Community Climate Collaborative. Beyond our core business, it is critical that we act and lead on sustainability, setting a standard that resonates both locally in Charlottesville and across the country,” said Mark Goodwin, Apex Clean Energy president and CEO. “Apex Plaza, our new headquarters, features mass-timber construction, solar power generation, on-site battery storage, and design that elevates the employee experience—all of which demonstrate that the buildings of the future are already reality.”

Donna Shaunesey, Impact Maker award winner and Charlottesville resident said, “I’m so honored to be recognized by this awesome organization!  C3 has set such a high bar for climate work, providing fact-based plans and reports for the public and local governments and working with a diversity of partners to lower emissions and raise awareness of the climate emergency.” 

"It's been a pleasure collaborating with Caetano and his team to develop policy recommendations that will reduce our carbon footprint and protect the health of our community," said Quentia Taylor Cultivate Charlottesville's Food Justice Network Program Associate. "It is eye opening to see how much climate change is a systemic issue—much like food justice. We cannot have significant climate action without acknowledging these existing barriers and making change at the policy level."

Peter Thompson, Executive Director of The Center at Belvedere, said, “The Center is grateful for the support from our community that allowed us to build a new home with sustainability as a priority. Environmental wellness is a key component of healthy aging, and we look forward to working with C3 to identify opportunities for further emission reductions, and with other community partners like Piedmont Master Gardeners, whose programs at The Center support environmentally sound horticulture.”

“All of us at LEAP are honored to be recognized with C3’s Energy Equity Award. Our work bringing efficiency upgrades to income qualifying households is at the intersection of energy equity and climate and we’re so grateful for the partnership and collaboration with C3,” said Katie VanLangen, LEAP Interim Executive Director.

Devin Welch, Chief Executive Officer, Sun Tribe Solar said, “Sun Tribe is one of the fastest-growing solar companies in the country; that success started right here in Charlottesville with our first solar projects on school roofs. Our Solar Empowered Schools initiative extends the benefits of renewable energy into classrooms. From custom energy curriculum and real-time dashboards to developing technical education pathways into the clean energy economy, we are proud to play a part in preparing students for STEM careers and inspiring youth to participate in building a clean energy future.” 

“When it comes to taking action on climate, most people either think their action is too small or simply don’t know where to begin,” said C3 Executive Director Susan Kruse. “It’s an honor to recognize those in our community who are leading by example and helping us to make a bigger impact together.”

About Community Climate Collaborative

The Community Climate Collaborative aims to bring communities together to lead on climate by working closely with schools, businesses, citizens, and local governments to implement carbon emissions reductions, develop climate action plans, and enact equitable policies that accelerate climate action. Visit theclimatecollaborative.org.

PRESS CONTACT: Teri Strother, C3’s Director of Communications, at (434) 466-5157 or teri@theclimatecollaborative.org.