NASHVILLE – Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee and Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Commissioner David Salyers today announced the winners of the 2022 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards.

The winners will be formally recognized at an awards ceremony July 25 in Franklin for their achievements and positive impact on the state’s natural resources and communities.

“We are proud to recognize those who work diligently to protect Tennessee’s unmatched beauty and natural resources,” Lee said. “They exemplify a commitment to conservation and responsible stewardship, and we commend them for their excellent work.”

“This is an impressive list of winners, and we are glad TDEC can once again present these awards,” Salyers said. “The winners go above and beyond expectations, and we congratulate them for their achievements.” 

The Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards program recognizes exceptional voluntary actions that improve or protect the environment and natural resources with projects or initiatives not required by law or regulation.

In its 36th year, the awards program covers the following categories: agriculture and forestry; building green; clean air; energy and renewable resources; environmental education and outreach; materials management; natural resources; sustainable performance; and water quality.

The 2022 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award recipients are:

Entity	County	Category
225 Polk Avenue – Hastings Architecture	Davidson	Building Green
City of Maryville Water and Sewer Department	Blount	Water Quality
FirstBank Amphitheater	Williamson	Natural Resources
Florim USA Inc.	Montgomery	Sustainable Performance
Pathway Lending	Statewide	Energy and Renewable Resources
Rockwood Sustainable Solutions LLC.	Wilson	Materials Management
Sam Pleasants Cattle Farm	Fayette	Agriculture and Forestry
SkyNano Technologies	Knox	Clean Air
West Tennessee Regional Recycling Hub	Chester	Environmental Education and Outreach

Turnip Green Creative Reuse is recognized with the Pursuit of Excellence Award, which recognizes past award winners who continue to demonstrate a high regard for environmental stewardship.

The Robert Sparks Walker Lifetime Achievement Award will be announced at the awards ceremony. 

A panel of nine professionals representing agriculture, conservation, forestry, environment, and academic professions judged more than 60 nominations and selected this year’s award recipients based on criteria including on-the-ground environmental achievement, innovation, transferability, partnerships, and public education. Details about each award winner can be found in the accompanying attachment.

More information about the awards program is available online at this link.