The City of Atlantic Beach’s Environmental Stewardship Committee selected its inaugural Environmental Stewardship Award winners during an awards event on April 23 where individuals, businesses and organizations were each honored for their outstanding contributions to environmental sustainability and community well-being in the city.
There were several highlights on the night, but one that stood out for its uniqueness was when the residential conservation champ of the year was awarded to Amy and Mike Franqui.
The award was just the latest recognition they have received as the Franquis have been recognized by the Florida-friendly Landscaping Program at the Natural Level, making their yard the first residential property in Duval County to receive such an honor.
Their front yard used to be like many front yards in the area with grass as the primary focus, but they took the initiative to successfully transform their yard into a haven for both native plants and various wildlife.
They did this by reducing their lawn by 90% eliminating the need for irrigation, fertilizer and pesticides and supporting more than 65 species of birds and 20 species of butterflies.
Royal Palm Village Wine & Tapas won a pair of awards such as the Commercial Landscape of the Year and the People’s Choice Award for their edible garden in front of the restaurant softening all the asphalt and concrete in the surrounding area.
Royal Palm is known for its scratch kitchen from farm to table using ingredients from local producers and their garden is another example of that approach and belief.
The Giovannucci family’s yard on Fifth Street in Atlantic Beach was named the Sustainable and Resilient Yard of the Year, as the "cedar dunes" provide a shady spot for walkers in the neighborhood and are one of 13 tree species and more than 100 shrubs, flowers and succulents that make up the yard.
Other individuals who were honored included 14-year-old Bella Markaj, who was named Volunteer of the Year for becoming the first person to help the committee catalog how many arborist letters the City of Atlantic Beach was receiving each year on average which led them to discover the city was losing about 100 trees a year just through arborist letters alone.
Mark Gabrynowicz earned the community spirit award as a former member of the Environmental Stewardship Committee, serving two terms, and was chairman for three of those years.
Atlantic Beach Urban Farms was named the “Green Business of the Year,” for being Jacksonville’s first and only aeroponic farm and nonprofit Beaches Go Green was chosen as the Sustainable Initiative of the Year for its contributions to the community and local environment through its cleanup projects over the years.
LIST OF WINNERS
