Announcing the 2018 ForeverGreen Luncheon Speaker and Awardees - November 14th 2017

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Upstate Forever is hosting their annual ForeverGreen Awards Luncheon on February 27^th, 2018 at the Embassy Suites on Verdae Boulevard. The luncheon celebrates individuals and organizations for significant contributions in fields related to conservation and sustainable growth. 

View the event page

Upstate Forever’s Executive Director, Andrea Cooper, is excited to celebrate the individuals and organizations in the community who are actively working to effect change. “We are honored to recognize those who are passionate about protecting natural resources in the Upstate and who have made it their mission to improve the area in which we live. To be successful, we must work together as a community to make the Upstate an even better place,” Cooper said.

This year’s keynote speaker will be Cheri Chastain, Sustainability Manager for Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. Chastain has worked for Sierra Nevada since 2006. In her position, she educates employees on environmental issues and programs, maintains and develops policies and projects related to renewable energy and energy efficiency, and manages zero waste efforts. She is also vice chair of the City of Chico’s Sustainability Task Force, co-chairs the Brewers Association Sustainability Subcommittee, and is on the board of the US Zero Waste Business Council.

This year’s award recipients

Tommy Wyche Land Conservation Champion Award

Spartanburg School District 6-Farm to School Initiative for model land use and local food program initiatives educating students on healthy eating and agricultural education.

Clean Water Award

Catherine Heigel for her leadership in creating a South Carolina Adopt A Stream volunteer water quality monitoring program.  

Land Planning and Policy Award

Dean Hybl for going above and beyond his job description on land use policy, especially with the Shaping Our Future initiative.

Public Servant of the Year

Representative Gary Clary for standing up for conservation issues over the past year and multiple instances of conservation support.

Volunteer of the Year

Luther Lyle for outstanding conservation work in Oconee County and protecting the Oconee Town Site.

Innovation in Sustainable Business Award

Swamp Rabbit Café for innovation and success as a model sustainable business in the Upstate.

Ticket & Sponsorship

Upstate Forever is currently seeking sponsors for the 2018 ForeverGreen Luncheon. Several sponsorship levels are available, with some exciting Sierra Nevada-related perks for higher level sponsors. The deadline for sponsorship is February 2, 2018. To sponsor the event, click here.

Individual tickets are also available. To purchase, click here. 

For more information, contact Murray Dorn at murray@smoakpr.com or (864) 235-8330.