Meet the Winners of 2026 Environmental Awards!

Raleigh Environmental Stewardship Award

George Jones, Executive Director of Partners for Environmental Justice

Partners for Environmental Justice believes every community deserves access to clean, thriving natural spaces. By restoring urban wetlands like Walnut Creek, the organization addresses environmental inequities and fosters connections between people and nature. In partnership with Saint Ambrose Episcopal Church leadership and the greater community, PEJ engages, educates and supports neighbors potentially affected by the local Walnut Creek Wetlands. The organization assists in preparation for local flooding and natural disasters and continuously leads partnerships related to community clean-up efforts, educational workshops, community relationship building and increasing community awareness.

Business Innovation for Environmental Stewardship Award

Laura Olsen, Founder of Trashy

Laura Olsen is a Raleigh-based innovator transforming waste into environmental impact. As founder of Trashy, she reimagines landfill-bound materials like discarded Styrofoam and glass into durable, low-impact architectural concrete and furniture. By diverting hard-to-recycle waste from local landfills and integrating it into the built environment, she advances circular design in Raleigh. In partnership with NC State University, Laura helped reclaim Styrofoam from student move-in and transform it into concrete seating and tables for a new campus pavilion. Her work earned the 2025 Best Emerging Designer Award at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

Climate Action Award for Community Resilience

Athena Wollin

Athena has taken her advocacy, love and deep appreciation to a level few concerned citizens reach by creating a nonprofit to give a voice to habitats and their inhabitants. Her nonprofit seeks to connect property owners and the larger community to their waterways and create erosion solutions. Art and walks combined or separate are central to the work she is doing so we all gain a greater appreciation for the honor to have nature as our immediate neighbor. Her work makes us more responsible and respectful neighbors to the human and non-human residents of Raleigh.

Climate Action Award for Equipment Electrification

Raleigh Tool Share: A collaboration of the City's Housing and Neighborhoods and Community Engagement departments

The City of Raleigh's Tool Share is an innovative program that advances environmental sustainability and neighborhood resilience by providing free access to essential yard-care equipment. Raleigh homeowners and renters can borrow battery-powered tools, including lawn mowers, string trimmers and leaf blowers, to maintain their properties without purchasing equipment. This shared model reduces resource consumption, prevents waste from underused tools and supports climate-friendly practices by offering electric alternatives to gas-powered machinery.

Climate Action Award for Workforce Education

NC State Sustainability Career Development Program led by Keondra Jenkins

The NC State Sustainability Career Development Program empowers students to build a career in sustainability on their own terms. Designed to be completed over a student's entire academic tenure, this achievement-based program aligns directly with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Students earn PACKImpact points by submitting activities like keynotes, internships and career fairs, with higher point totals leading to Bronze, Silver, or Gold recognition. After a successful pilot with 46 enrolled students and 16 completions, this scalable model is already proving its ability to help students tell their stories and launch impactful careers.

Climate Action Award for Waste Reduction and Efficiency

Food Recovery Network led by Brynn Capuano

The Food Recovery Network of NC State University diverted more than 7,000 pounds of food into 6,000 meals that have been delivered to the Food Pantry at NC State to feed students that have food insecurities.

Sustainability Community Action Award

Highland UMC Community Victory Garden: "Peas on Earth" Garden

This garden has become a model for others and contributed more than 25,000 pounds of fresh produce to our community. The garden has mentored 133 community gardens from Raleigh to Frankfort, Germany. It has partnered with Mid-Town Rotary Club, Boy Scouts, Interfaith Food Shuttle, National Charity League, Francis Lacey School, Service Raleigh, Flower Shuttle and Wake County Schools service program.

Next Generation of Environmental Leaders Award

Environmental Resource Water Assessment Training Program led by Dr. Angela Allen, NC State

Fundamental to ERWATP is its commitment to preparing a diverse team of students to conduct meaningful research, collaborate with community stakeholders and communicate scientific findings effectively. Students engage with NC State and surrounding communities, providing technical support for real-world water quality challenges. Grounded in community-voiced concerns, the program ensures research is responsive and impactful. Under the leadership of Dr. Angela Allen and faculty partners, students are trained in problem scoping, environmental and risk assessment, field and laboratory measurements, data interpretation and community reporting.

Commute Smart Award

Raleigh Community Kickstand

Dare to Be Green Award

Southeast Raleigh Garden Collaborative

First Place

An Nguyen
The Paper Duchess

Inspired by elegant ladies. Mostly newspaper, about 80% recycled materials. I used aluminum foil and tape to secure and strengthen it, then covered the outside with more aluminum foil. For the hat, I used wire, cardboard and newspaper to create it.

Third Place

Abbigale Hoover
Renewable Rose

The stunningly textured dress, tiara and necklaces were all crafted using approximately 200 cans sourced from a school cafeteria and several households. Other materials used in this unique dress design include cardboard, paper grocery bags, plastic bottles, metal wire, ribbon and various adhesives.

Second Place

Charlie Gocmen Nordwell
Actions Have Consequences

The shirt is inspired by a straight jacket, with the intent to symbolize how over consumption restrains society. It is composed of my notes from my world history class. The pants have a base of plastic grocery bags that have receipts layered on top that are fraying outward.

First Place

Christina Mellott
Colors of the Corset

The skirt of this dress is made with pages of National Geographic magazines. The corset is made with black poster board and has a fringe trim also made from pages of National Geographic. I played with angles and layered the poster board to give a pointed corset look over the skirt. The fringe trim on the corset is also carefully cut to accentuate the point of the "corset."

Second Place

Rachael Thomas
Conscious Craft Collection

This is a series of beach wear made entirely from plastic bags. It consists of a bucket hat, a pair of slides and a tote bag. I crocheted the pieces with yarn that I hand spun on a drop spindle with strips of plastic grocery bags.

Third Place

Amara Robinette
Does this dress make me look trashy?

A two-piece set made of recyclable material. Top: cardboard, paper bag, water bottle with a can tab strap. Bottom: skirt made of can bottoms and tops connected with fishing line and can tabs.

Environmental Awards Program

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