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Awards presented to grassroots leaders, impacted farmers, Maine legislators, and environmental justice leaders

Portland, Maine – On Sunday, Defend Our Health hosted community members and environmental health and justice leaders from across Maine at Broadturn Farm in Scarborough to present their annual environmental health leadership awards. This year’s award winners were selected for being outstanding members of the environmental health community who go above and beyond in the fight for a healthy, safe, and toxic-free future. 

“We’ve had the privilege to work alongside these awardees in our fight against toxics, these are leaders who have dedicated themselves to pushing Maine forward on making environmental public health a priority,” said Sarah Woodbury, Director of Advocacy at Defend Our Health. “These awards recognize their invaluable contributions to protecting Mainers; protecting our food and drinking water, protecting the land, and making Maine a leader in protecting its people from toxic chemicals.”

At the event, Defend Our Health celebrated 20 years of victories in the fight for healthy products, clean water, safe food, and a toxic-free environment – most recently tackling PFAS pollution across Maine and releasing a report outlining the dangers of petrochemical plastics.

The annual awards and winners are:

The Grassroots Leadership Award, for leaders whose exceptional and often courageous grassroots leadership has empowered community members to create positive change for environmental health. 

Grassroots Leadership Award Winners:

McCormick Family Farm

New Beat Farm

Misty Brook Farm

Songbird Farm

Fairfield Water Concerned Citizens 

PFAS Free Trenton

The Legislative Leadership Awards, for legislators whose exceptional leadership embodies integrity, compassion, dedication, and courage in working for strong bipartisan support of policies in service to environmental health. Working across political party lines, they have engaged their colleagues in valuable, progressive public service.

Legislative Leadership Award Winners:

Senator Stacy Brenner (D-Scarborough)

Senator Rick Bennett (R – Oxford)

Rep. Lori Gramlich (D- Old Orchard Beach)

Chief Elect Rena Newell (State Representative Passamaquoddy)

Rep. Bill Pluecker (I – Warren)

Rep. Stanley Paige Zeigler (D – Montville)

Rep. Michele Meyer (D – Eliot)

The Environmental Justice Health Leadership Award, to community members in recognition of their outstanding leadership in advancing environmental justice, ending racial disparities in health and well-being, and ensuring that historically marginalized communities are empowered to speak and act for themselves, while working tirelessly to fully honor the sovereignty of tribal nations.

Environmental Justice Health Leadership Award Winners:

Corey Hinton

Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland)

Quotes from Award Winners and Presenters given at the event: 

“We can’t just think about ourselves and our own families. Our own families we love of course and we always want to protect them, but we must think about all the other families and all the other people that are here on this Earth. Especially the ones that are close by to us, our neighbors… It’s really important that we network together with other organizations, because that is what will make us strong. And the bottom line is, the Earth is being polluted and has been for a long time. And some people live in denial that it’s not happening and therefore they can just continue their ways while making it about money, making it about politics; but it’s not, it’s about life … it’s about synchronicity, care and respect for each other.” – Jackie Holmes (mother of Brendan Holmes, Misty Brook Farm)

“Looking at this name here, Defend Our Health, what a shame that we have to have an organization taking a leadership role for our environment that says ‘defend our health.’ … We can and should applaud this day, the 20 years of service of Defend Our Health, the people that are working tirelessly to change this. But we need a fundamental paradigm shift in the way chemicals are introduced into our economy, into our environment, into our lives.” – Senator Rick Bennett (R – Oxford)

“I want to remind you that this isn’t only about defending our health, this is about defending our democracy. This is by no means a political pitch, because everything that we have done successfully has been done in a bipartisan matter. It takes Independents, Republicans, and Democrats to move all of this legislation forward. This is not about political ideology, this is about being true to our humanity and protecting our planet in all ways which also means, protecting and defending our democracy.” – Rep. Rachel Talbot Ross (D-Portland)

“I’m so glad that Maine is standing up for water quality, finally. Unfortunately, Maine is a little late to this conversation in my opinion. I’m very happy to hear that PFAS legislation is passing unanimously. Dare I say that if it said ‘Wabanaki PFAS’ it wouldn’t pass. Or it would pass by bipartisan lines with the exception of our very good friend Rick Bennett and another friend or two of ours, maybe in another chamber. Unfortunately, when it comes to clean drinking water for the masses, of course who disagrees? When it comes to clean drinking water and environmental and social justice for people of color, it’s a different conversation and that’s not the way that this country should be.” – Corey Hinton

“Our fight is a fight for environmental and economic justice for all people. Whether you’re an immigrant tenet dealing with lead poisoning in your home, whether you’re a Maine farmer whose livelihood is threatened by PFAS, whether you’re a low-income rural family that doesn’t have the means to treat your well water to remove the arsenic, whether you’re a tribal nation fighting for safe water and recognition of your sovereignty, or whether you’re the distant frontline communities – all the plastic we use in our lives come from ‘Cancer Alley’ in Louisiana or the Houston ship channel, where low-income, communities of color are disproportionately harmed. These are all environmental justice fights. Our children, low-income families, and communities of color are all unfairly harmed, more than the general population. We need to fight for justice, and that benefits everybody.” – Mike Belliveau, Defend Our Health Executive Director

The 2022 Fall Brunch Celebration was hosted by Maine Conservation Voters, Maine People’s Alliance, Ruby’s West End, Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association, Maine Initiatives, MaineShare, and Trillium Asset Management.