Toyota and the Wyland Foundation have formally presented Hermosa Beach environmental activist Dency Nelson with the top prize in a countywide “Earth Month Heroes” contest, earning a $1,000 donation to Plug In America, a nonprofit coalition of electric car drivers and advocates of energy independence and clean air.
Word of the announcement had leaked out previously.
For a second year Toyota, the Wyland Foundation and KCBS-TV recognized 30 Southern Californians from Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties, north San Diego County and the Inland Empire, “who find ground-breaking ways to work toward sustaining a healthy planet.”
Grand prize winner Nelson, a member of Hermosa’s Green Task Force, was credited with being an early local organizer of activities during the first Earth Day in 1970. He is a founding member of Plug In America.
Nelson was praised for “his lifetime efforts to raise the profile of sustainable living in urban environments,” including welcoming environmental tours into his house with a 4.2 kilowatt photovoltaic solar system, a solar-heated rooftop spa, hot water recirculation for the whole house, a draught-tolerant, grey-water irrigated garden, composting, floors and furniture made of reclaimed wood, and two electric vehicles in the garage.
Nelson said we “can keep both us and the planet alive and healthy if we use science and common sense in our day-to-day lives. It doesn’t require any real sacrifice, it is fun, and it is ultimately kinder to both the planet and to our budgets.”
The Wyland Foundation was founded in 1993 by environmental artist Wyland, best known for his monumental marine life murals, to educate students about the ocean, rivers, lakes streams, and wetlands.
