Monday April 24, 2005

Berea man receives international award
By Ronica Shannon/Register News Writer
craig
Special to the Register - Craig Williams of the Chemical Weapons Working Group in Berea has been named the North American recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize.

Craig Williams of the Chemical Weapons Working Group in Berea has been named the North American recipient of the Goldman Environmental Prize, which is awarded to one person from each continent based on their work to preserve the natural environment.

The $125,000 Goldman Environmental Prize, now in it's 17th year, will be awarded tonight to the six winners at an invitation-only ceremony at the San Francisco Opera House.

"These six winners are among the most important people you have not heard of before," said Richard N. Goldman, founder of the Goldman Prize. "All of (the winners) have fought, often alone and at great personal risk, to protect the environment in their home countries. Their incredible achievements are an inspiration to us all."

Williams is being recognized for the work he has done to convince the Pentagon to stop plans to incinerate old chemical weapons stockpiled at the Blue Grass Army Depot and around the United States.

He has worked to create a nationwide grassroots coalition (the Chemical Weapons Working Group) to lobby for safe disposal solutions.

Williams also co-founded the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation, which won the 1997 Nobel Peace Prize for its international campaign to ban land mines.

"Even though I'm being recognized by myself, there would be no CWWG, no successes, no justification without the thousands of people who have helped over the years,” Williams said. “I have to give attribution to the supporters here in Kentucky and my staff at the CWWG."

When Williams received the phone call announcing he was a winner, he assumed the call was regarding a grant proposal he submitted to the Goldman Environmental Foundation.

"When they explained that I was the 2006 North American recipient of the award, I almost fell out of my chair," Williams said. "I was in shock and felt a strong sense of awe."

Williams hopes the publicity of the award will bring more attention to the important issue tackled by the CWWG.

"It's about more than just chemical weapons," he said. "Our energy is put into the areas of public health protection, environmental protection, justice, pollution, governmental accountability, principles of democracy, public involvement in decision-making and chemical security. We're a very solution-based organization."

Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., assisted Williams in drafting language into the form of a bill that would allow federal funds allotted for research and development to be used on construction for weapon destruction sites. The passage of the bill stopped the Pentagon's delay on destroying chemical weapons stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot and at the depot in Pueblo, Colo.

"For over 20 years, Craig has worked tirelessly to ensure that the chemical weapons stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot are destroyed as safely and expeditiously as possible," McConnell said. "Craig is a deserving recipient of this prestigious award; he is testament of how a concerned and dedicated citizen can make a difference to effect positive change in a community."

The CWWG serves as a good example of what could be done in many other communities, he said.

"We hope the model we've developed that incorporates all these different facets can be recognized as one that can be used elsewhere," he said. "In a democracy, the government is supposed to interact with the people that they govern in order to reach the decisions that are in the best interests of the citizenry.”"

Williams' $125,000 award will be used in many areas, he said. Part of the winnings will go to the CWWG organization and toward bonuses for his staff. There also will be debts paid that have been accumulated over the years, Williams said.

"There are several people who helped us get (the CWWG) started," he said. "There were people putting groceries on my table because there was no income and we didn't have any grant money. It was an understanding that if the organization ever got in a position to give back, we would."

Berea Mayor Steve Connelly appreciates Williams' efforts and says this award is long overdue.

"He's toiled for years on this environmental quest of protecting his community and we're pleased to see the open recognition," Connelly said. "It highlights the fact that we have so many talented people here and that's one thing that makes Berea such a special place."

Richmond City Manager David Evans is grateful for the work Williams and the CWWG have done to ensure safe destruction of chemical weapons stored at the Blue Grass Army Depot.

"He has dedicated his life to make sure that everything is done properly and is environmentally sound. Without the efforts of Craig and the organization, it may have been a different story. I applaud him for his efforts. I can't think of anybody who is more deserving of this type of award."

The Goldman Environmental Prize was established in 1990 by San Francisco civic leader and philanthropist Richard N. Goldman and his late wife, Rhoda H. Goldman. It has been awarded to 113 people from 67 countries.

The prize's purpose is to recognize sustained and significant efforts to preserve the natural environment, including, but not limited to, protecting endangered ecosystems and species, combating destructive development projects, promoting sustainability, influencing environmental policies and striving for environmental justice.

Winners are selected by an international jury from confidential nominations submitted by a worldwide network of environmental organizations and individuals.

Since receiving the Goldman Prize, eight winners have been appointed or elected to national office in their countries, including several who became ministers of the environment. The 1991 prize winner for Africa, Wangari Maathai, won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize.

Other 2006 winners include:

  • Silas Kpanan'Ayoung Siakor, 36, Africa, who exposed evidence that former Liberia President Charles Taylor used profits of unchecked, rampant logging to pay the costs of a brutal 14-year war.

  • Yu Xiaogang, 55, China, who spent years creating groundbreaking watershed management programs while researching and documenting the socioeconomic impact of dams on Chinese communities.

  • Tarcisio Feitosa da Silva, 35, Brazil, who led efforts to create the world's largest group of protected tropical forest regions in a remote, lawless region in northern Brazil threatened by illegal logging.

  • Olya Melen, 26, Ukraine, who used legal channels to temporarily halt construction of a massive canal that would have cut through the heart of the Danube Delta, one of the world's most valuable wetlands.

  • Anne Kajir, 32, Papua New Guinea, who uncovered evidence of widespread corruption and complicity in the Papua New Guinea government, which allowed rampant, illegal logging that is destroying the largest remaining intact block of tropical forest in the Asia Pacific region.


Ronica Shannon can be reached at rshannon@richmondregister.com or 623-1669, Ext. 234.