ConservAmerica Announces Theodore Roosevelt Leadership Award Honorees

Sturgis, MI, March 20, 2014 --(PR.com)-- ConservAmerica presented its annual Theodore Roosevelt Leadership Awards on Wednesday, March 12, 2014 at an event in Washington, D.C. The awards—known as “Teddies”—honor Republicans and conservatives who have made substantial contributions to conservation in America. This year’s honorees are:

Gifford Pinchot (posthumously) and The Pinchot Institute for Conservation. Pinchot founded the US Forest Service and was its first chief forester. His philosophy of “practical idealism” is carried on today by the Pinchot Institute for Conservation, a unique public/private partnership based at the former Pinchot family home, Grey Towers. The Institute celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

President Richard M. Nixon (posthumously). President Nixon is our nation’s greatest environmental president. Unbelievably, this is the first formal award and recognition of his contributions which include creation of the Environmental Protection Agency, White House Council of Environmental Quality, and Legacy of Parks program. He signed into law the Endangered Species Act, The Clean Air Act, The Water Quality Improvement Act, and the National Environmental Policy Act.

Trammell S. Crow and Earth Day Texas. This year, the two- day celebration of Earth Day Texas will attract over 800 exhibitor booths and 80,000 visitors. In four years since taking it under his wing, Trammell S. Crow has grown the event from a collection of folding tables and local non-profits into a major exhibition focusing on sustainable practices of major corporations and their impacts on communities. Originally known as Earth Day Dallas, the event is now called Earth Day Texas to reflect its impact on the Lone Star State. It is a model for every city in America to emulate.

Rep. Fred Upton. In a career spanning a quarter century, Rep. Upton has been a champion for conservation of the Great Lakes, for cleaning up contaminated waterways, and energy efficiency. He has been the key person in restoring the Kalamazoo River from a PCB-laden waterway to a multi-use recreational asset in his Southwest Michigan district. Rep. Upton led the effort to pass new, modern pipeline safety rules after a pipeline ruptured and spilled oil in the river in 2010. Most recently, the House approved bipartisan Energy and Commerce Committee legislation under his leadership to encourage greater energy and costs savings in the public and private sectors through market-driven energy efficiency measures. Upton delivered the keynote address at the awards dinner.

ConservAmerica is the national organization of Republicans who believe ‘conservation is conservative’.