Climate Smart Year 1 Celebration: Introducing the Inaugural "Smarty Pants" Award Winners!

Our Year 1 Celebration was a smashing success! We were thrilled to have so many friends join us at Imagine Nation Brewing to toast a year-plus of Climate Smart Missoula. We’re grateful for the support of so many of you. Building a sustainable, smart community truly does take a village.
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Our Celebration was the perfect chance to recognize a few of the committed folks who are finding innovative climate solutions and building a resilient Missoula and who have helped Climate Smart grow during our first year. Thus was born the first annual Smarty Pants awards! Drumroll please…

Master of Solar: Diana Maneta

Diana was surprised to find that her award included literal smarty pants - decorated with the Climate Smart logo, of course!

Diana has been a bright light in our community! As the executive director of the Montana Renewable Energy Association from 2010 until very recently, she led MREA as they advocated for smart policy at the Montana legislature, hosted Clean Energy Fairs around the state, and helped make Solarize Missoula possible. Diana’s quiet leadership helped solar energy shine brighter than ever – and connected Climate Smart Missoula with statewide policy efforts and partners that help make renewable energy more accessible right here in our community. She’s heading to Spain temporarily – we’ll miss her!

Catalyst for Change: Jack Lawson

Jack has been instrumental in turning good ideas into action! As President and CEO of Missoula Federal Credit Union, he’s made a bold and visible commitment to values-based banking – from supporting Solarize and Summer Smart, to LEED certified and energy efficient MFCU buildings, to encouraging sustainability efforts with staff and MFCU’s 47,000(!) members. We’re grateful for Jack’s creative approach and partnership with Climate Smart, and are excited to see the impact he and MFCU will have in the years to come.

Doctorate of Dedication: Beth Schenk

Beth couldn't be there to accept her award in person - thanks for being her stand-in, Chase!

When it comes to commitment, Beth knows what it takes to see things through. She wears many hats in our community. A member of the Climate Smart Executive Team, she is a nurse scientist and sustainability coordinator at St. Pat’s hospital, an active researcher and professor, and has helped transform St. Pat’s with their waste reduction and sustainability plan. Beth has been unwavering in her dedication to Climate Smart Missoula from day 1, offering brilliant strategic guidance and generously giving her time and energy. Thank you, Beth!

Masters in (the) Fine Art of Community Building: Fernanda Menna Barreto Krum, Robert Rivers, and the INB Team

Fernanda and Robert had a dream to brew awesome craft beer and use it to create social change – and we’ve seen that dream become reality over the last year! Climate Smart hosts our Monthly Meetups at INB the first Thursday of every month – just one of the many community-building happenings there in any given week. The INB vision is strengthening the social fabric of our city.  We are so grateful for Fernanda and Robert’s smiles, encouragement, and support of Climate Smart.

Thank you all - and here's to 2017!

We wished we could have given out even more awards – there are so many of you who have contributed to making our first year a success!

Want to get more involved in 2017? We need you! We’ve got some ideas of how to plug in here and of course, your year-end support means so much to us today.  Get in touch - and stay tuned for more...

Thanks for a great year! -Amy, Abby, Hailey and the Climate Smart Missoula Team