Citymakers Awards Honor evolveEA and Ecodistrict Partners

At the 10th annual EcoDistricts Summit last month, the host organization EcoDistricts.org debuted a recognition program that celebrates industry leaders for groundbreaking work in creating equitable, resilient, and sustainable communities. The recipients ranged from individual changemakers and catalytic companies to entire neighborhoods and cities. Of the honorees recognized at the inaugural Citymakers Award ceremony, we are thrilled to be included and we congratulate our winning partners as well.

evolveEA is honored to be recognized as a Citymaker Awardee for our entire team’s contribution and the leadership of our co-founder Christine Mondor, FAIA, to the ecodistricts movement. Recognized as a pioneer not only in the region but also industry-wide, Christine has been an essential contributor in the development of the EcoDistricts Protocol and was the Master Facilitator for the EcoDistricts Incubator program for the past two years.

Another Citymaker Awardee, Millvale Borough, first began the ecodistrict planning process in 2012 and has been a leader in the field ever since. With partners at New Sun Rising, evolveEA led ecodistrict education and planning efforts, as well as a deep dive air quality study and various implementation projects. Today, Millvale continues to pave a sustainable path forward with thought leadership, resource sharing, and political will.

As the world’s first officially certified EcoDistrict, the Borough of Etna was also recognized with a Citymaker Award for their forward-focused work. Building off the successes of neighboring Millvale and Sharpsburg– the three municipalities that together form the Triboro Ecodistrict– Etna engaged in an education series, hosted by evolveEA with the Etna Community Organization, which focused on the six key areas of water, mobility, air, energy, food, and equity. This was followed by a year-long community planning effort, resulting in the Etna EcoDistrict Plan.

Instrumental to both these initiatives, Anna Rosenblum of evolveEA provided the technical expertise to help these neighborhoods set and achieve their ecodistrict goals.

“We are inspired by the potential for regional change as other communities look to the Triboro Ecodistrict as a model. We congratulate Millvale and Etna for showing that small communities can make a big impact and look forward to continued partnership.” – Anna Rosenblum