the jane coddington award

The Jane Coddington Award was established in memory of Jane Coddington, who co-founded the Earth Day Committee in 1990 and the Sudbury Earth Decade Committee the same year, and was a frequent guest columnist for the Town Crier until her death in 1999.

The annual award recognizes individuals for outstanding contributions to the community and environment. A book is given to the awardee and to the Goodnow Library with a commemorative book plate inside the front cover.

2000—Laury Hammel, The Legacy of Luna by Julia Butterfly Hill

2001—Ursula and Frank Lyons, Believing Cassandra by Alan AtKisson

2002—Dorothy Allen, Outrageous Older Women by Ruth Jacobs

2003—Mike and Ann Meixel, Earth From Above: Text by Herve Le Bras

2004—Lew Russell, Silent Spring 40th anniversary edition

2005—Sara Abramovitz & Joanne Thompson, Light At the End of the World by Wade Davis

2006—Bruce Langmuir, Weather Makers by Tim Flannery

2007—Alison Sanders Flemming, Current book about Rachael Carson and a mapof the Rachael Carson Refuge in Maine

2008—Susan Crane, Earth:The Sequel by Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn

2009—Colin and Carrick McCullough, Award of $500 for “ A Cross Country Eco-Video Adventure”

2010—Conigliaro Industries, Greg Conigliaro, Wall Plaque and a framed Boston Globe news article about Greg and four other young entrepreneurs who made their first million in sales in year 2000. A book was also donated to the library with a book plate.

2011—Robin Cooper, The View From Lazy Point   by Carl Safina, and an archivally mounted reproduction of an 1875 map of Sudbury from the Beer’s Atlas of Middlesex County

2012—Cathy Dill, The Last Child In The Woods by Richard Louv and the 1000 Great Rail-Trails: A Comprehensive

2013—Peg Whittemore, Andy Goldsworthy-A Collaboration With Nature–1990

2009: Colin & Carrick McCullough

Sustainable Sudbury gave financial support for their family- cross-country eco-video project traveling in their veg-oil powered Volkswagon.

“For the months of May and June 2009, our family will be touring the U.S. in our vegetable oil-powered VW Beetle as an eco-video travel project. We will be visiting large-scale sites like wind and solar farms, as well as new companies with potentially game-changing technologies that will be key to a sustainable future.”  OurRenewableNation

2008: Susan Crane

Ms. Crane practices environmental law, and has served the town as a special counsel. She presently holds the office of clerk of the Sudbury Valley Trustees. The award consists of two copies of a text selected for its relevance to a pressing ecological issue. One copy is given Ms.Crane and the other donated to the Goodnow Public Library in the recipient’s name, inscribed on a bookplate. This year’s selection was “Earth: The Sequel” by Fred Krupp and Miriam Horn.

2007: Alison Sanders-Fleming 

In the lecture hall of the Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High School, the Sudbury Earth Decade Committee presented its yearly Jane Coddington Award for outstanding effort in the field of environmental action to Mrs. Alison Sanders-Fleming, a 9th grade earth science teacher at L-S.

 The award consisted of a newly published book of essays titled “Courage for the Earth”, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Rachel Carson, and a framed map of the Rachel Carson Natural Wildlife Refuge in Maine.

In addition to teaching, Mrs. Sander-Fleming co-advises forthe L-S Environmental Club, which she founded. Known generally by her nickname, Mrs. S-F, Alison came to her calling through an urban origin and cosmopolitan upbringing.

Born in New York City, she followed her father’s career to faraway places like Brazil and Turkey, but considers her childhood home Montclair, New Jersey, where she was a Girl
Scout for 10 years. Her early work history, between graduating Mount Holyoke College
with a degree in Geology and Harvard School of Education with a master’s certification in the Sciences, consisted of communications for the Association of New Jersey Environmental Commissions (ANJEC). In our state, she contributed her writing skills to
the Massachusetts Natural Heritage Program, a state-level umbrella organization founded by The Nature Conservancy.

2006: Bruce Langmuir

At the coffee reception following the April 23 Sunday service at Sudbury First Parish, the Sudbury Earth Decade Committee honored Bruce Langmuir with the sixth annual Jane Coddington Award.

As part of the award presentation, Bruce received Tim Flannery’s book The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth, a copy of which has been given also to the Goodnow Library.

The Coddington family was represented at the ceremony by Jane’s grandson Sean McKinstry.

Bruce has been active in the promotion of renewable energy and green building design since 1976. For the past two years he has concentrated his efforts on global warming, and has been chairman of the Unitarian Universalist Association’s Threat of Global Warming Action Group for the Sudbury church.

He has been named as Ministry for Earth Representative for the UUA Massachusetts Bay District, encompassing some 55 congregations, and is a national representative of the organization.

His tireless efforts to promote awareness of the dangers inherent in climate change have involved testifying at the State House and speaking at engagements around the state to voice support for legislation that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil-fuel burning plants while providing funds for renewable energy as part of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.

As an advocate for solar power, Bruce has installed a rooftop solar collector to heat his home water.

As a member of Sudbury’s Permanent Building Committee for thirteen years and as chairman for five, Bruce managed to have roofing insulation installed on all K-8 schools in town; upgraded furnace systems, reducing energy costs by 20%; and oversaw a solar hot water system installed on the police station.

2005: Sara Abramovitz and Joanne Thompson

On June 13 Earth Decade Committee president Richard Hoenich presented the annual Jane Coddington Award to activists Sara Abramovitz and Joanne Thompson for their work in fostering recycling in the Sudbury schools.

The award, named for EDC’s founder, was given during a morning assembly at Loring School, where Sara and Joanne initiated and oversaw lunchroom and school recycling, as they had done since 1996 at Noyes School before Loring opened.

In acknowledgment of their work, Joanne and Sara each received a copy of Light at the Edge of the World: A Journey Through the Realm of Vanishing Cultures, by anthropologist Wade Davis.

Now Joanne and Sara are working with students at Lincoln-Sudbury High School to promote environmental awareness and recycling, collecting cans and bottles and delivering them to the transfer station.

Through their generosity of spirit and dedication, they have affected the way both children and adults in our community view the surrounding world.

2004: Lew Russell

2003: Anne and Mike Meixsell

As part of EDC’s participation in Sudbury Day, September 20, the Jane
Coddington Award was presented to long-time Sudbury residents and environmental
activists, Anne and Mike Meixsell.

The Meixsells were honored for their more than a quarter century of care and work on the streams and ponds around Sudbury, especially Stearns Pond where they often pulled offensive weeds with their bare hands.

Mike was also a cofounder
of the Hop Brook Protection Association.

In presenting the award, the Meixsells were honored with remarks from Frank Lyons, president of the Hop Brook Protection Association, and from EDC president, Richard Vanderslice.

2002: Dorothy Allen

2001: Ursula and Frank Lyons

2000: Laury Hammel

Laury Hammel is a lifelong environmentalist working to conserve and protect our natural resources. He is the owner and general manager of the Longfellow Clubs, a group of four tennis and fitness clubs, and founder and past president of Business for Social Responsibility, a national organization aimed at helping business be more environmentally friendly.

A father of five, Laury was presented with the first Jane Coddington Memorial Award in 2000. “To have my life’s work connected publicy with Jane Coddington’s life and legacy is a genuine privilege and very special distinction”, said Laury on receiving the award.

Sustainable Sudbury