Congratulations to the 2020 Recipients!

The Eunice L. Burns Environmental Awareness Awards are presented by the Ann Arbor Area Board of REALTORS® to Washtenaw County individuals, organizations or businesses who are proactive on environmental issues including:
           • Using products that contain recycled materials or energy saving qualities.
           • Taking steps to clean up environmental problems.
           • Developing innovative recycling or reuse programs.
           • Restoration and remodeling efforts that promote historical preservation and reuse materials.

The 2020 Eunice L. Burns Environmental Awareness Award was given to Richard Andres & Deb Lentz, owners of Tantre Farm and Washtenaw Food Hub. Our award recipients are a husband and wife team who have devoted their lives to the production of organic healthy food, community education and awareness of healthy food and sustainable agriculture practices. They run the largest organic Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm in Michigan. The farm has an extensive internship program  which has inspired many other young farmers who have started their own farms with sustainable practices in the area and around the U.S. In 2012, they established a local food hub providing artisanal food makers and other local food and sustainable agriculture-related companies a central place to produce, store, service and network. Some of these companies you may know: Harvest Kitchen, The Brinery, Locavorius, Old House Gardens, Ageless Pantry, Raterman’s Bread, Ginger Deli, Granola Tree, Bowdish Farms, Plantwise and others. This food hub, through a grant from Michigan Department of Agriculture, also has the largest private solar array in the county and businesses there operate using only sustainable practices. Deb is the President of Agrarian Adventure, a non-profit organization with the mission of teaching K-12 school children about healthy food and farming through hands-on activities and instruction.

For more information on their farm and food hub, please visit: http://www.tantrefarm.com/ and http://washtenawfoodhub.com/

Past Environmental Awareness Award Recipients

1997 - Mallet's Wood: Efficient use of land.

1998 - Sunward CoHousing: Efficient use of land.

1999 - Huron Valley Watershed Council: Adopt a Stream Program.

1999 - Ed Shaffran: ReUse of buildings.

2000 - ReUse Center: Recycling efforts.

2000 - EnHouse Recycle Ann Arbor: Green building demonstration.

2001 - Habitat for Humanity

2002 - Buhr Park Children's Wet Meadow Project: Wetland preservation.

2003 - Mallet's Creek Library: Environmental friendly building practices.

2005 - Barry Wallace: Lifelong commitment to keeping Washtenaw County drinking water pure.

2005 - Cardea Construction: Green renovation of home at 1515 South Maple.

2006 - The Conlin Company: Reduction of paved parking areas in Scio Village Condominiums.

2006 - The University of Michigan School of Natural Resources: Green renovation of building.

2007 - Mayor John Hiefje: Environmental friendly policies.

2007 - Robyn Angle: Green construction of Clearlake home.

2008 - Big George's Appliance Mart: Green construction of new store on Stadium Boulivard.

2009 - Gordon Hall

2009 -  The Cedars

2010 - Architectural Resources, LLC: Embracing green initiatives in her work as a REALTOR.

2010 - Meadowlark Builders: Their reuse, recycling, and energy efficient practices.

2011 - Laura Shope: Embracing green initiatives in her work in real estate.

2011 - Habitate for Humanity Huron Valley.

2012 - Matt & Kelly Grocoff, GreenovationTV.com

2012 - First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor

2013 - Matt & Rene Greff, Arbor Brewing Company 

2013 - The Betty Brigade

2014 - Urban Energy Works, LLC

2014 - The Village of Dexter

2015- Ann Arbor Learning Community

2015 - City of Ann Arbor Greenbelt District Program and Green Things Farm

        2016 - Urban Ashes

       2017 - Faith in Action and Alex Young of Zingerman's Roadhouse & Cornman Farms

       2018 - Happy Planet Running and Barbara Lucas, The Green Room, WEMU

       2019 - The Ann Arbor Public Schools and South Arbor Charter Academy