Aquarion Water Company celebrated five winners of this year’s Environmental Champion Awards and West Hartford resident Nathaniel Goldschmidt was among the honorees.

By Ronni Newton

Aquarion Water Company has announced that Nathaniel Goldschmidt of West Hartford is one of five chosen to be honored with an Environmental Champion Award this year.

The awards, presented this year in a ceremony at the Beardsley Zoo on June 1, are given annually in the category of student, adult, large business, mid-size business, and nonprofit. Goldschmidt, the student winner, received a $1,000 award, while the other winners received $5,000 grants for their chosen nonprofit.

In a news release announcing the award, Aquarion noted the following: “Goldschmidt is a student at Hall High School in West Hartford and an Eagle Scout whose passion for environmentalism has positively impacted his community. As the president of Hall High School’s Environmental Club, he ran a small farm and compost program, as well as a can and bottle program – both of which diverted large amounts of waste from landfills. Outside of school, he organized a town-wide Environmental Night and led a project to build seating in Westmoor Park to increase accessibility and encourage public engagement in the Park’s vital conservation efforts. Nathaniel also secured a student position on West Hartford’s sustainability commission, where he is a part of the Waste Working Group which is working to cut West Hartford’s waste by over 50%.”

“The tireless dedication of this year’s award recipients has truly made a remarkable impact on the preservation of Connecticut’s land and waterways,” Donald Morrissey, president of Aquarion Water Company, said in a statement. “They have set an excellent example for their communities, and I am eager to see what they accomplish in the future.”

The other winners selected were:

• Large business – M&T Bank, Bridgeport
• Mid-size business – Earth Animal, Southport
• Nonprofit – Planet New Canaan, New Canaan
• Adult – Betsy Graham, Ledyard

At the 2024 awards ceremony (from left) Dean DeBiase (M&T Bank), Donald Morrissey (Aquarion), Stephie Volo (Earth Animal), Heather Rohde (Earth Animal), Betsy Graham, Bob Graham, Jack Betkoski (PURA), Rob Bates-Mason (Planet New Canaan), John Kriz (Planet New Canaan), Katie Owsley (Planet New Canaan), George Logan (Aquarion), Nathaniel GoldSchmidt, and Senator Richard Blumenthal. Courtesy photo

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