Tulsa Partners, a nonprofit organization that's been working to build a disaster-resistant and sustainable community since late 2000, will celebrate its 2012 Nania Awards this evening (Tuesday the 19th) at a banquet and fundraising auction at the Tulsa Garden Center. (You can learn more about that event here.) "Nania" is a Cherokee word that means "all together" --- and so the Nania Awards, which are given out annually, recognize the outstanding work of Tulsa-area corporate and nonprofit entities as well as individuals vis a vis establishing or promoting disaster-resistance and sustainability. TulsaPartners also gives Nania Awards to people who have done similar work at the national level. This year, the national co-winners are Marco Concito-Monoc of the Greater New Orleans Foundation and Tim Williamson of The Idea Village; together, they've created the so-called "Water Challenge," a New Orleans/Gulf Coast-focused annual awards program that harnesses entrepreneurial innovation to meet the challenges of living safely and in harmony with nature. Our guests on this edition of ST are Steve Picou and Grasshopper Mendoza, two environmentally-committed New Orleans developers who are also closely involved with the "Water Challenge." (You can learn more about Picou and Mendonza, and about their water-management efforts, at watershednola.org. You can also learn more about the aforementioned Idea Village here.)
The 2012 Nania Awards Recognize the "Water Challenge" of New Orleans and Its Environs
