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Many Disciplines, One Goal: Action for More Sustainable Climate
- Bob Benenson
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Saluting All the Winners of the 3rd Annual Climate Action Hero Awards
Last Thursday (April 16), I attended the 3rd annual Climate Action Hero Awards presented by Chicago's Climate Action Museum. The first award, in the Food and Agriculture category went to Chicago Food Rescue, a non-profit founded in September 2024 that has collected tons of surplus food and distributed it directly to service organizations that provide it to those in need — thus combatting food waste and food insecurity in one fell swoop.
I admire and have written about Chicago Food Rescue, and I was so pleased about their award that I quickly turned around a story about it the next day. But I now present the full range of awardees, who are doing important work to address climate change from multiple angles.
Local Food Forum congratulates all of the winners.
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE: Chicago Food Rescue
Chicago Food Rescue Founder Jake Tepperman accepted the award.
CLIMATE TECHNOLOGY: Eco-Friendly Mobile Farm Stand Project
Founder Bob Kopach accepted the award on behalf of Eco-Friendly Mobile Farm Stand project, is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to donate eco-friendly, gas-free and emissions-free electric mobile farm stands to urban farming organizations that serve those in neighborhoods suffering from food insecurity.
CHAMPION (YOUTH): Climate education advocate Grace Brady
As a high school student in suburban Chicago, Grace Brady ignited a campaign that resulted in an Illinois law, enacted in 2024, that beginning in the 2026-27 school year will require every public school in Illinois to provide instruction on climate change. Grace is now finishing her sophomore year at University of Illinois Champaign with a major of Sustainability in Food and Environmental Systems.
CHAMPION (GENERAL): Katie Kaluzny, Illinois Green Alliance
Katie Kaluzny serves as deputy director of Illinois Green Alliance, an environmental advocacy organization for which she has worked since 2008. She also is a village trustee in Brookfield, a Chicago suburb.
GOVERNMENT AND REGULATION: Northern Illinois Transit Authority
The Northern Illinois Transit Authority (NITA) was created by a state law enacted only this past December after years of legislative deadlock. It becomes fully functional in June, uniting metropolitan Chicago's three major public transit agencies: Chicago Transit Authority (CTA), Metra rail, and Pace. NITA is designed to streamline operations and create a unified fare system and coordinating schedules, while CTA maintains its focus on day-to-day service delivery. Among the benefits projected for the new agency is lowering congestion leading to cleaner air.
BUSINESS: NextHaus Alliance
According to its website, NextHaus Alliance is an award-winning design collective that creates luxury with purpose, resilience, innovation and vision: "We unite the beauty of timeless design with conscious materials, intelligent systems, and innovative thinking to craft sustainable and resilient homes that last for generations." Nathan Kipnis of Kipnis Architecture and Planning accepted the award on behalf of the Alliance.
EDUCATION: University of Chicago Energy Policy Institute
Gaurav Saraf, a program manager, accepted the Education award on behalf of the Energy Policy Institute, whose mission is "to confront the global energy challenge by ensuring Energy Markets provide access to reliable, affordable energy needed for growth, while limiting emissions that cause Climate Change and damages to the Environment."
HAZEL M. JOHNSON ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AWARD: CRYSTAL GARDNER
Crystal Gardner, a progressive issues advocate, is co-founder of Westside Environmental Justice Alliance (WEJA), which pursues environmental equity for underserved communities on Chicago's West Side.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT: Adele Simmons
Adele Simmons serves as president of Chicago-based Global Philanthropy Partnership, which has a strong focus on promoting sustainability across the American Midwest. Over the course of her extraordinary career, she has served as dean of student affairs at Princeton University, president of Hampshire College, president of the McArthur Foundation, vice chair of Chicago Metropolis 2020, and co-chair of the task force that produced Mayor Richard M. Daley’s Chicago Climate Action Plan.