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Winners named for McLean County 'green' awards

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NORMAL — A group of volunteers and an organic produce farmer were named winners of two "green" awards handed out each year by the Ecology Action Center to recognize significant local efforts to improve the environment.   Amie Keeton, Janet Guaderrama, Macia Nagy and Melanie Ziomek shared the McLean County Recycling and Waste Reduction Award, which honors outstanding recycling programs or waste reduction efforts. The four coordinate local collections of “TerraCycle,” a nontraditional recycling program that recycles a wide range of diverse items including snack chip bags, drink pouches, water filters, and beauty product packaging.   The effort includes a 24-hour drop-off site in partnership with St. Luke Union Church in Bloomington. Over the past several years, the TerraCycle program has helped divert more than 100,000 items from landfills.   Congerville farmer Henry Brockman received the Anne McGowan Making a World of Difference Award for promoting environmental awareness or natural resource conservation. McGowan was an early director of the EAC.   Brockman provides vegetables to hundreds of Central Illinois residents each year through community-supported agriculture subscriptions. “The goal of everything I do in my fields is to give life to the soil and the entire ecosystem," he said.   Brockman plants over 650 varieties of vegetables each year, experimenting with new types and improving his practices to adapt to a changing climate.   The mission of the Ecology Action Center is to inspire and assist the community in creating, strengthening, and preserving a healthy environment. The EAC is a central resource for environmental education, information, outreach, and technical assistance in McLean County.