It was one of those events that send forth a community more galvanized than when they arrived – and in this case, that’s saying a lot.

The inaugural Source Awards night at Pineland Farms was a time of celebrating the seven award recipients – ranging from individuals to corporations – and the larger community interested in the quality of our food, the sustainability of our land, and the ecological education of the next generation. The award recipients were chosen from a field of nearly 200 candidates by a committee of six judges.

“We’ve found that Maine is extremely green-oriented,” said Caryn Sowell, manager of The Clean Bedroom, an event sponsor focused on organic, chemical-free mattresses and bedding. Many of the attendees were food-focused, Sowell said, “but we’re all like-minded people.”

Case in point: Adam Lee of Lee Auto Malls, an event sponsor, was the driving force behind the new Russell Libby Agricultural Scholarship Awards in memory of his friend and a visionary leader Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association (MOFGA).

“Here we have a newspaper, a car dealer and a bunch of nonprofits,” said Lee. “Maine’s future is dependent on those sorts of collaborations. I think we have the potential to become the breadbasket of the Northeast.”

Christine Burns Rudalevige, who writes the Green Plate Special feature in Source, and Source Awards judge Odessa Piper, a force in the farm to table movement, chatted about the impact of small gestures, of many people making small changes being just as impactful as one person making sweeping changes. “You shouldn’t be stymied by the fact that you can’t do it all,” Rudalevige said, swapping sustainability-related book recommendations with Piper.

Awards went to organizations of all size – from The Farm Stand in South Portland, which received the Newcomer Award, to Hannaford Supermarkets, which received the Pollinator Award for managing sustainability across a large number of stores.

“It’s an example of total organizational support,” said Heather Paquette, Hannaford’s vice president of retail operations.

Also honored:

• Stewart Smith, “Elder”

•  Garbage to Garden, “Good Neighbor”

•  Robin Alden, executive director of the Penobscot East Resources Center, “Innovator”

•  Maine Farmland Trust, “Storyteller”

•  The Ecology School, “Educator”

For more information, see the Source section.

Amy Paradysz is a freelance writer based in Scarborough. She can be reached at:

amyparadysz@gmail.com