A call for applications will be posted in the spring of 2023. See below for a list of previous recipients and additional information. 

Jack Sullivan Receives 2022 Ellen Pickering Award

Jack Sullivan, an advocate for Alexandria's green spaces and waterways, has received the 2022 Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award. 

Sullivan is a longtime citizen volunteer and advocate for preserving and improving Alexandria’s green spaces and waterways. He has spent decades protecting Alexandria’s natural resources and has served on a variety of City commissions and advisory committees that have significantly contributed to the protection of Alexandria’s open space and tree canopy.

One of Sullivan's many successes was serving on the citizen advisory panel that oversaw the transfer of the 101 acres of Cameron Station from the U.S. Army to the City of Alexandria. This effort resulted in retaining 62 acres of that land to become what is now known as Ben Brenman Park. 

Read the full press release on the 2022 Ellen Pickering Award recipient. 

The award is named in honor of Frances Ellen Pickering's lifelong dedication to preservation and conservation in the City of Alexandria. Mrs. Pickering was a longtime City activist who first gained recognition for her lobbying efforts more than 40 years ago that ultimately helped create the Mount Vernon Trail between Alexandria and Washington, DC.

An active preservationist and conservationist, she was deeply committed to preserving and enhancing the City's waterfront. She urged the adoption of the City's Open Space Plan, lobbied to preserve Founder's Park and protect it from high-rise development, and implemented the planting of 1,000 citizen-donated cherry trees during her tenure as chair of the Alexandria Beautification Commission.

Mrs. Pickering was elected to City Council as an independent, serving for one term between 1976 and 1979. She also served on numerous City boards and commissions, including the Alexandria Beautification Commission, the Alexandria Sanitation Authority, the Ad Hoc Committee on Potomac Yard, the Potomac Greens Task Force, and the Open Space Steering Committee. She also chaired the Northern Virginia Conservation Council for many years. She won two Salute to Women Awards from the City's Commission on Women; she was also an active member of the League of Women Voters and the Alexandria chapter of the American Association of University Women.

QUALIFICATIONS

Residents, groups, clubs, organizations, or corporations may be nominated. To be eligible, nominees must live within the City of Alexandria, and corporations, organizations, and other groups must operate within the City of Alexandria. The actions of the nominees must have a direct impact on protecting the natural environment and its resources within the City of Alexandria.

SELECTION

The selection committee is comprised of representatives from the Alexandria Environmental Policy Commission, AlexRenew, and members of the Pickering family.

APPLICABLE TOPICS

Nominations reflect environmental advocacy and stewardship that can include but are not limited to protection of natural resources, energy conservation, environmental education and outreach, sustainability, water preservation and conservation, waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and clean air initiatives.

Those making nominations may also refer to Alexandria’s Eco-City Charter, adopted in 2008, and the Environmental Action Plan 2040, adopted in 2019. Both documents define the guiding principles of environmental sustainability. Visit Eco-City Alexandria, for more information.

NOMINATION REQUIREMENTS

Submissions must include the following:

• The nominee’s name, address, and telephone number, or the key individual to contact if a nominee is an organization.

• The name, address, and telephone number of the person nominating the candidate must be included.
• A brief, detailed description (500 words or less) of the nominee’s accomplishments and qualifications for the Ellen Pickering Environmental Excellence Award.
• By electing to accept the 2022 Ellen Pickering Environmental Award, the recipient grants permission to both AlexRenew and the City of Alexandria to use a photograph of their image for the purposes of promoting the environmental missions of the City of Alexandria and AlexRenew, as well as in promoting the award itself, both online and in print.

• 2022 - Jack Sullivan
• 2019 - Kurt Moser
• 2018 - Judy Noritake
• 2017 - Katharine Dixon 
• 2016 - St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School 
• 2015 - Pete Raack
• 2014 - UpCycle Creative Reuse Center
• 2013 - Danielle Fidler 
• 2012 - Alexandria Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee 
• 2011 - Samantha Ahdoot 
• 2010 - Montie Kust 
• 2009 - Elizabeth Chimento and Poul Hertel