Angelo DeGiuli, a long-time volunteer for local environmental causes, was awarded this year's Environmental Hero Award at the annual GreenTown Los Altos Fundraiser and Celebration on Friday October 4th at the Los Altos History Museum.
Lauded for his enduring environmental volunteerism that spans over a decade with GreenTown, Angelo, along with his wife, Nuchi, have been consistent, hands on contributors to numerous GreenTown programs.
In the early days, Angelo was active in GreenTown's Zero Waste Program reducing plastic straw use from downtown merchants. Today, he manages the Party-pack Loaner Program which offers reusable party packs residents can borrow to reduce the waste of single use products.
Angelo is a frequent trash pick-up volunteer at the 280/Magdalena interchange adopted by GreenTown in the "Adopt-A-Highway" program. Highway Clean Up Lead, Kim Jelfs, observed she has "never seen someone so cheerful when picking up someone else's garbage."
Angelo is involved in GreenTown's conservation efforts by having helped establish and maintain the Woodland Library native garden and participates in multiple creek clean ups a year. Recently, Angelo was instrumental in Citizen's Climate Lobby working with GreenTown Los Altos to form the Electrification Collaboration, a program designed to accelerate heat pump water heater adoption in Los Altos.
Said DeGiuli of the honor, "I am truly honored and humbled. When I was a child, my mama, as we say in Italy, often reminded me that nature is the best thing we have in life. It was given to us so we can appreciate it and care for it. I've simply taken the chance given to me by great environmentalists who came before me to lend a helping hand."
GreenTown's Celebration also featured two speakers: Sandra McGonagle, LASD Superintendent profiling the integrated envrionment lessons the district's students from K-8 experience along their education journey and various sustainability efforts made by the District. Aanya Dhruv, a student climate activist at Nueva Schooolk, enthusiastically described an envrionmental curriculum she developed for youth that is being used across many schools in the region and beyond.
The Celebration was attended by more than 85 people including Mayor Jonathan Weinberg, Vice Mayor Pete Dalley, City Council Candidate Larry Lang and numerous other community leaders. If you missed this year's event, hope you'll join us next year!