Sea Grant’s Harris to receive alumni environmental award

Victoria Harris, a longtime water quality and habitat restoration specialist with the UW Sea Grant Institute, will receive the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Alumni Earth Caretaker Award.

Victoria Harris

Victoria Harris

The award is presented annually during the Green Innovations symposium at UW-Green Bay. This year’s conference, sponsored by the University’s Environmental Management and Business Institute, runs April 18 through 20. Harris will receive the award at the concluding luncheon at 12:30 p.m. Friday, April 20, in the University Union.

The Alumni Earth Caretaker Award recognizes graduates who have gone on to influential careers in sustainability and environmental fields. Harris retired a year ago from the Sea Grant Institute, but has stayed active, with her husband, former UW-Green Bay faculty member Bud Harris, in water quality issues. She holds both bachelor’s (’74) and master’s (’98) in environmental sciences from UW-Green Bay.

Previous award winners were Paul Tower, Class of 1978, president and CEO of Applied Filter Technology, a West Coast firm that designs, builds and operates waste gas recovery processes for energy production; and Paul Wozniak, an environmental historian and educator who collaborated on the book Beyond Earth Day: Fulfilling the Promise with U.S. Senator Gaylord Nelson, considered the founder of Earth Day.

Among the highlights at this year’s symposium, titled “Water — Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow,” is a screening of the award-winning documentary on bottled water, Tapped; a groundwater panel discussion; tours of Renard Island, the Fox River Cleanup Facility and other area locations; breakout sessions on various tracks (business, regulatory, and water and economic development); and an address by Chad Pregracke, founder of the nonprofit Living Lands & Waters organization. Registration fee for the symposium is $99.

Established in 2008, EMBI helps strengthen UW-Green Bay’s leadership position in the promotion of environmental awareness and eco-friendly initiatives. The annual Green Innovations conference, part of its primary mission, features international experts and local panelists who provide insight on topics including sustainability in transportation, wind energy and regional health and sustainability.

To register for Green Innovations 2012, or for more information on the event, visit www.uwgb.edu/embi, or call (920) 465-2995. EMBI can be found on Facebook at www.facebook.com/EMBI.uwgb, and you can follow the institute on Twitter, @UWGBEMBI.

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