Awards & Recognitions

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Senior Citizen Service Award

Thank you to all who participated in submitting nominations for the 2024 Senior Service Award Program. Nominations are now closed. Please check back on this page where the winner will be announced.

The City of Encinitas Senior Citizen Commission, in partnership with the Encinitas Rotary Club, honors an Encinitas resident with the Senior Citizen Service Award.

The Senior Citizen Service Award recognizes a deserving senior citizen who demonstrates outstanding volunteerism, leadership, helping, teaching, mentoring, or advocating for others in the City of Encinitas. The award is based on dedication, overarching commitment, and demonstrated impact of those served.

The Award recipient is honored at a City Council meeting with a perpetual plaque housed at the Encinitas Senior Center. Additionally, they are recognized as the guest of honor at an Encinitas Rotary Club meeting and invited to participate in the Encinitas Holiday Parade as a special guest of the Senior Citizen Commission.

For more information regarding this award, please contact Christie Goodsell, City of Encinitas Recreation Center Manager at (760) 943-2251 or cgoodsell@encinitasca.gov.

Encinitas Environmental Award Program

EAP Logo The Environmental Commission recognizes deserving individuals, businesses, and non-profits for their commitment to environmental stewardship and outstanding environmental achievements in the City of Encinitas. Two Excellence in Environmental Stewardship awards have been historically granted to a for-profit business and a non-profit business each year since the program's founding in 2014 and inauguration in 2015 by Environmental Commissioners Jim Wang and Joy Lyndes. In 2019, under the leadership of Environmental Commissioners Inge Bisconer and Christian Adams, a new Environmental Hero category was added to recognize both an adult and a youth who are not necessarily affiliated with a business. Candidates are peer-nominated and must be Encinitas residents or located in Encinitas. Winners are selected by an independent jury of recognized environmental leaders. The Encinitas’ Environmental Award Program is the first award of its kind in San Diego County and is one of only a few in the United States.

2022 Environmental Award Winners

The City of Encinitas Environmental Commission is proud to announce winners of its prestigious Environmental Award Program (EAP), now in its seventh year. The EAP seeks to recognize deserving individuals, businesses, and non-profits for their commitment to environmental stewardship and outstanding environmental achievements. The City of Encinitas recognizes two Excellence in Environmental Stewardship awards that have been historically granted to a for-profit business and a non-profit organization each year, and an Environmental Hero to recognize an adult that is not necessarily affiliated with a business or non-profit organization.

The Environmental Awards will be presented at the June 14, 2022 City Council Meeting.

The 2022 winner of the Excellence in Environmental Stewardship in the Non-profit Organization category was the Rob Machado Foundation. The Rob Machado Foundation was founded upon the belief that our planet needs environmental stewardship and it has taken action to do so. The foundation runs a water filling station program that serves a growing number of schools and public places and delivers clean, filtered water while encouraging the use of reusable water bottles rather than single-use plastic water bottles. They have installed water filling stations at 20 local schools including Paul Ecke Central Elementary, Ocean Knoll Elementary, Ada Harris Elementary, Park Dale Elementary, Cardiff Elementary, Capri Elementary, Flora Vista Elementary, Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary, Diegueno Middle School, Oak Crest Middle School, San Dieguito High School Academy, Sunset High School, La Costa Canyon High School, as well as the Magdalena Ecke Family YMCA. The water filling stations are estimated to have avoided the generation of up to 500,000 plastic water bottles. Additionally, the Rob Machado Foundation hosts a monthly beach cleanup at Seaside Beach in Cardiff. To support cleanup efforts, they installed trash cans with lids at local beaches and provided recycling bins at local sports fields. Recognizing the Rob Machado Foundation through the Environmental Award Program highlights the many actions the organization has taken to care of the environment over the years.

The 2022 winner of the Excellence in Environmental Stewardship in the For-profit Business category were Surfdog & Java Hut. Surfdog & Java Hut are two businesses housed in one commercial space, both family-owned and operated by Dave Kaplan since 1999. Java Hut welcomes locals and visitors alike with its healthy menu, friendly service, and great cup of coffee. Surfdog & Java Hut were recognized by the award program for the many environmentally conscious actions they have taken over the past several years. In 2019, Java Hut became an accredited member of the Surfrider’s Ocean Friendly Restaurant program. Java Hut meets and exceeds the City’s single use plastic ordinance, Encinitas Municipal Code 11.27 and 11.26, by not using single use plastic bags for take-out even though the later code does not currently apply to restaurants. With the Covid shutdown, the owner took the opportunity to refurbish the Surfdog residence and did so in accordance with Build It Green’s Green Point Rated Gold standard. As part of the renovation, Java Hut and Surfdog Records also became certified by the California Green Business Network. Some of the criteria for these accreditations include reducing water use, conserving energy, promoting sustainable commutes, preventing pollution, using non-toxic cleaners, avoiding waste, recycling, and hiring local vendors. Surfdog & Java Hut are a shining example of what it means to be environmentally friendly in Encinitas.

The 2022 winner of the Environmental Hero in the Adult category was Alessandro Fraschetti. Alessandro has been the dedicated “Captain” of Surfrider’s Moonlight Beach cleanup since 2007. An avid surfer, Alessandro became tired of the amount of debris he saw in the ocean so he decided to do something about it. Under his supervision, an estimated 4,000 pounds of plastic and Styrofoam debris has been removed from our Encinitas beaches. The debris data he collects was used in successful single-use plastic ordinance campaigns in Encinitas and beyond. In the past 15 years, he has led nearly 150 cleanups, with approximately 16,000 volunteers in total. Alessandro makes everyone feel appreciated, epitomizing the expression, “It takes a village,” to make change. Alessandro’s passion for protecting our coastline inspires many of his volunteers and the residents of Encinitas to protect our local marine environment.

The 2022 winner of the Environmental Hero in the Youth category was Bella Zumot. Bella, a student at San Dieguito High School Academy, created the Pack a Snack Club at her school. Bella saw a post on social media of a person making "eco-bricks", in which wrappers from snack packages are densely stuffed into plastic water bottles. She created a short slide show and, together with other students, teachers, and the San Dieguito Academy Foundation, organized a collection for plastic wrappers in every classroom. Now Bella has an official club that makes eco-bricks which will be utilized to create eco-seating around the Academy’s campus next year. Bella is a positive light for her school and all of Encinitas.