NCLCV Honors Environmental and Democracy Champions at Annual Green Tie Awards
May 25, 2023
Raleigh, N.C. – Last night, the North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV) held its annual Green Tie Awards in Raleigh at the Merrimon-Wynne home. Since 2007, NCLCV has been hosting these events to honor leaders who are willing to fight for our environment, our communities, and our democracy.
Following a shift to September during Covid, the event returned to its traditional spring timing this year. The event typically honors legislators and other leaders who have stepped up and been vocal advocates for environmental issues at the General Assembly and elsewhere. Because legislative champions were recognized last September and no major environmental actions have passed both chambers during the current session, no legislators were given awards.
Gene Karpinski, President of the national League of Conservation Voters (LCV), was honored with the 2023 Defender of the Environment award for his tireless work to bring about the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act: the largest climate, environmental justice and clean energy legislation in our country’s history. Karpinski has led LCV since 2006. LCV’s work nationally and in partnership with NCLCV and other state leagues across the country helped build the groundswell of support that President Biden, Speaker Pelosi, and others have lauded as critical to the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act.
Sam Hirsch and Jessie Amunson, of the law firm Jenner and Block, were recognized with the Catalyst Award, given to those who have taken exceptional action to create change and to bring attention to an important environmental issue. Over the past two years, Jenner and Block has represented NCLCV in its cases to overturn partisan gerrymandering by the North Carolina Legislature, one of the highest profile fights for our democracy in our state and our nation’s history. Those cases, Harper v Hall in North Carolina and Moore v Harper at the U.S. Supreme Court, were argued to protect democracy so voters can elect leaders who share their values rather than politicians choosing their voters.
“We are proud to recognize these champions of our climate and our democracy, Gene Karpinski, Sam Hirsch, and Jessie Amunson,” said Dan Crawford, director of governmental relations. “The Green Tie is a celebration of the impact NCLCV has made, and there was much to celebrate. The Biden administration has taken steps to transform our country with its affordable clean energy plan. And while the NC Supreme Court egregiously and unconstitutionally overturned prior rulings, we will not stop fighting to protect our democracy.”
In addition to the awards ceremony, Marianne Engleman-Lado and Dr. Mustafa Santiago Ali gave informative speeches on environmental and social justice. Engelman-Lado, the Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Administrator of EPA’s newly launched Office of Environmental Justice and External Civil Rights, described the various policies and actions President Biden’s administration and the EPA are taking to effect environmental justice across the nation in this historic moment. “Ultimately,” she said, “we will be judged, and we will judge the success of our efforts by the change we see in communities.”
Dr. Ali, a renowned thought leader, international speaker, policy maker, community liaison, trainer, and facilitator, serves as the Vice President of Environmental Justice, Climate, and Community Revitalization for the National Wildlife Federation. Dr. Ali reminded attendees of the self-evident truths in the Declaration of Independence, saying “all men and women are created equal and are endowed with unalienable rights.” He continues, “I want you to remember those words our country was founded on, and how we should be courageous in our actions to make sure that becomes reality.”
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The North Carolina League of Conservation Voters (NCLCV) is a pragmatic, results-oriented, nonpartisan advocacy organization whose mission is to protect the health and quality of life for all North Carolinians, with an intentional focus on systematically excluded communities of color. We elect environmental champions, advocate for environmental policies that protect our communities, and hold elected leaders accountable for their decisions. We have worked for over 50 years to create the political environment that will protect our natural environment.
