Dearborn City Beautiful Commission selects top 10 honorees for Sustainable Gardens awards
Published Aug. 15, 2024
DEARBORN, MI – The Dearborn City Beautiful Commission is recognizing 10 honorees across Dearborn for their construction and maintenance of rain, pollinator, and native plant gardens, or other environmentally friendly landscaping.
This is the second time the Commission has honored residents for notable examples of gardens and landscaping that help reduce flooding or support butterflies, bees, and other pollinators, and the first time the program has named honorees under its new name: The Sustainable Garden Awards.
The 10 honorees in the 2024 Sustainable Garden awards are:
- 2400 Banner: Aubrey Huff and Dave Canfield
- 22636 Beech: Sheri Rathwell
- 22463 Edison: Paolina Barker and Timothy Nelson
- 22300 Madison: Paula Nedzinskas
- 21728 Morley: Sarah Jorgensen
- 24161 Notre Dame: Andy and Jess Koupal
- 24732 Notre Dame: Sally Lemus
- 21745 Outer Drive: Dick and Linda Vielmo
- 750 Woodcrest: Sabah Fakhoury
- 24705 Woodcroft: Jalal Shajira
Photos of all 10 honorees are available on the City’s website, Dearborn.gov, and Facebook page, Facebook.com/DearbornGov.
Earlier this summer, residents were encouraged to nominate homes maintaining rain gardens, pollinator gardens, and other sustainable landscaping features. These landscaping methods serve as a way to sustainably enhance the local environment and improve public health, sustain crucial pollinator populations like bees and butterflies - and reduce the impact of flooding, especially through the use of residential rain gardens.
Volunteer commissioners chose the 10 outstanding examples for recognition. The new recognition program complements the traditional Residential Standard of Excellence Awards (RSOE).
Honorees in this special category received a congratulatory lawn sign. All selected honorees will also be invited to a dinner in February 2025 hosted by the Commission and Mayor Hammoud for all 2024 City Beautiful Commission top awardees in the six recognition programs.
Under Dearborn Mayor Abdullah H. Hammoud’s direction, the Commission has promoted awareness about the benefits of rain gardens and pollinator gardens through its annual Clean Up events with Dearborn schools.
The Commission aims to expand the recognition program, in line with Mayor Hammoud’s commitment to promoting beneficial green infrastructure.
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