Timber Recyclers, Art Center Among Eco Award Winners

Tom Giffey |

A local energy co-op, two businesses that repurpose urban wood, and downtown Eau Claire’s new art center are among the winners of the fourth annual Sustainable Eau Claire Awards, which were handed out June 5. The City of Eau Claire’s Sustainable Advisory Committee grants the awards to “individuals, businesses, and organizations that are making a difference and creating a more sustainable Eau Claire,” the city said in a press release. The list of winners includes Eau Claire Energy Cooperative in the Renewables, Efficiency, or Conservation category; Eau Claire Citizens’ Climate Lobby and the UW-Eau Claire Watershed Institute in the Environmental Education category; Tree Purpose of Eau Claire and Eco Urban Timber – both of which create products from recycled urban timber – and the Pablo Center at the Confluence in the Exceptional Natural Resources Steward category; and the Eau Claire Downtown Farmers Market for Green Products or Practices. Several individuals received awards as well: Austin Northagen for Student Leadership, Matt Staudenmaier for Sustainable City Staff, and Benny Haas for Sustainable Development. Learn more about the awards online at www.eauclairewi.gov/government/our-divisions/sustainability/sustainable-eau-claire-awards.