Westchester businesses were among the organizations and individuals honored when in recognition of Earth Month 2025, County Executive Ken Jenkins and Westchester County’s Department of Environmental Facilities (DEF) hosted the sixth annual Eco Awards. The event took place at Tibbetts Brook Park in Yonkers. The Eco Awards recognize outstanding contributions to the environment and sustainability made by residents, students, schools, municipalities, businesses and other organizations.
Jenkins said, “The achievements of this year’s winners benefit all of us, who live and work in Westchester County. We’re proud to celebrate these individuals and organizations from across the county for their exceptional contributions to sustainability.”
The long-time Westchester-based heating and cooling company Robison, which also supplies services related to gas, electricity, plumbing and air-quality was cited for moving to a cleaner form of heating oil that blends regular heating oil and biodiesel, contributing to reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Repair Café Hudson Valley based in Rhinebeck was honored for leadership in hosting community events throughout Westchester that encourage repair and reuse of broken appliances to reduce the amount of material thrown away.
CGA Studio Architects (Christina Griffin Architect PC) in Hastings-on-Hudson received an award for excellence in design, resulting in the first LEED Platinum passive home in Westchester County, while Daniel Colombini was honored for his commitment to the environment and sustainability through the commission of the first LEED Platinum home in the county.
The Dobbs Ferry-based jewelry firm A D’ZINE received an award for repurposing vintage materials received through donations into jewelry to promote eco-friendly practices.
Other awards went to:
- The City of Yonkers for reducing the city’s carbon footprint as it expands its feet of vehicles.
- John Paulding Elementary School and W.L. Morse School for developing and implementing the “Wasteless Horseman” composting program, which resulted in diverting 92 pounds of food scraps per day from the waste stream in 2024;
- The City of Rye for achieving the highest municipal curbside recycling rate in Westchester County in 2024;
- The Village of Scarsdale for achieving the highest percent reduction in waste in Westchester County in 2024;
- Dakota Cameron for research contributions focused on reducing the environmental impacts of plastic fibers from the fashion industry;
- Purchase College State University of New York, for the college’s leadership and initiative in implementing numerous waste reduction programs;
- Environmental Leaders of Color (ELOC) (Adamaris Flores-Alvarez, Ava Blount, Hawa Massaquoi, Jahneil Palmer, Kalyn Chisholm, Kelvin Roopchand, Maya Shetty, and Niell Jackson) for educating the residents of Westchester County about the importance of proper cooking oil disposal and promoting accessible recycling options;
- Retake-Remake, for promoting creative reuse, environmental awareness, and community by providing affordable reclaimed art materials;
- Mamaroneck Avenue School (Conor Burke, Xavier Frantz, Kaellum Powell, Luca Naclerio, Isaac Elkin), for leading a school-wide plastic bag collection effort and educating students about the impacts of plastic bags on the environment;.
- Suzie Ross, for community-based environmental work to combat the climate crisis.
