If anyone deserves an award for fighting to protect the environment, it's State Senator Adam Ebbin. Congratulations!
Richmond, VA — For the first time, the Virginia Chapter of the Sierra Club voted to recognize members of the General Assembly with awards lauding their work in the Legislature. The Chapter’s Legislative Committee voted unanimously to honor Senator Adam Ebbin with the 2013 Water Champion Award to recognize his work on litter reduction.
“I am honored to receive the recognition of the Sierra Club,” Senator Ebbin said on receiving his award. “Together, we will reduce bag pollution and improve the health of our streams, rivers, wildlife, and communities”.
The Senator from Alexandria introduced legislation for the third time to limit the use of disposable bags by placing a five-cent fee on their usage in grocery stores. Though the bulk of the fee would have been used to target environmental cleanup, reclamation and restoration of impaired waterways, Ebbin remarked that “ultimately this bill is not about raising money, it's about encouraging better environmental stewardship.” Unfortunately the bill did not pass, but Senator Ebbin shows continued courage in doing the right thing for our streams and rivers.
“Because plastic essentially never biodegrades, once littered, plastic becomes a permanent environmental problem. With a single bill, Senator Ebbin proposed an incentive for consumers to make the switch to re-usable grocery bags and established new revenues to support clean-up of our affected streams and rivers. That’s an elegant solution.” said Susan Stillman, the Legislative Chair of the Virginia Chapter Sierra Club.
Pictured with Senator Adam Ebbin, from left to right:
Bruce Parker, Phillip Ellis, Tim Stevens, Corrina Beall and Julie Lawson.
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