SNOW HILL — Worcester County Tourism named the 2016 Worcester Green Award winners during the Ocean City Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association dinner meeting in April. Green awards are given in the categories of Community Leader, Business, Lodging, Restaurant and Teacher.
“I’m always so impressed by the nominees and all their efforts to become more green,” Worcester County Tourism Director Lisa Challenger said. “As travel trends show a higher level of consumer awareness in selecting green businesses, I think we’ll see more and more businesses adopting these practices.”
The Community Leader award went to Diakonia for reducing waste and promoting the reuse of resources by instituting a processing system that helps eliminate food waste and diverted 125,000 pounds of fresh, donated leftovers from being wasted in 2015, and for processing used clothing, household items and furniture in good condition for use at the facility and in the community.
Superfun Eco Tours earned the Business award for offering guided tours that launch from Assateague Island that promote local businesses and offer plenty of hands-on learning opportunities that help participants of all ages identify practical, sustainable changes they can make to become better environmental stewards, and for partnering with the Maryland Coastal Bays Program to repurpose three shipping containers for use as the new Assateague Outfitters facility.
La Quinta Inn & Suites in Ocean City, a pet friendly hotel and Maryland Green Travel Partner, won the Lodging award for instituting a number of green initiatives and conducting monthly staff meetings to continue to advance a conservation program that includes supplying the puppy station with biodegradable convenience bags, using environmentally friendly cleaning supplies and laundry products, instituting a guest linen conservation program, using water and energy efficient washers, dryers, refrigerators and freezers, and participating in the Delmarva Energy Savings Program.
Shenanigan’s Irish Pub & Grille on the Boardwalk in Ocean City received the Restaurant award for leading the way with its environmentally-friendly and sustainable practices, which include purchasing organic and other local produce, reducing waste by recycling products, donating leftover foods to area organizations and shelters and using green cleaning chemicals. Shenanigan’s is also a Maryland Green Travel partner.
Marlyn Barrett, Science Supervisor for Worcester County Public Schools, won the Teacher award for helping students increase their environmental literacy, and fostering the next generation of environmental stewards by organizing environmental science fairs, field experiences and classroom experiences, assembled a team to implement new environmental education programs and worked with other supervisors, teachers and environmental education partners to create a comprehensive environmental literacy plan.
Worcester Green is sponsored by Worcester County Tourism and Comcast Spotlight along with the OC Hotel-Motel-Restaurant Association, OceanCity.com, and Maryland Green Travel. For more information about the Worcester Green Awards, visit www.visitworcester.org.