Paul Colletti
Cindy Heilmann's farm in Goose Lake, Iowa, has been organic for 10 years, but in 2008 it finally was certified by the USDA. More photos from this shoot
Back in 2008, Cindy Heilmann's Goose Lake, Iowa, farm was certified organic by the USDA. Ms. Heilman has said that organic food shouldn't be reserved for "the rich and famous."
What has become famous, however, is her rainbow-colored kale in fall, her vine-ripened tomatoes in summer and the gardening advice she dishes every week at the Freight House Farmers' Market in Davenport.
Ms. Heilmann -- along with nine other individuals, groups and organizations -- has been chosen for a 2009 Radish Award, bestowed annually on 10 efforts which reflect Radish magazine's grassroots mission. The awards are announced in this month's issue of Radish,which focuses on all things healthy, sustainable, natural and local.
Several of the 2009 Radish Award winners are from the Quad-Cities, including:
* The Living Lands and Waters crew -- East Moline environmentalist Chad Pregracke and his staff -- who lived on a barge on the Cedar River in Iowa for three weeks, cleaning up after the devastating floods last year. "In something like this, when we do river cleanup, and when it happened in our own backyard, there is nobody better to get the job done," said crew member Tammy Becker.
* iLivehere -- a Quad-Cities environmental campaign and social-networking Web site that puts the power to clean up in the hands of the people who live here.
* Quad Cities Transportation Advocacy Group, or QC TAG, which encourages people to use alternative forms of transportation to the automobile, such as buses and bicycles.
* The Congregation of the Humility of Mary, Davenport, which manifested its environmental mission in both 2007 and 2008 with the Quad City Earth Charter Summit. One of the eco-minded sisters, Cathleen Real, even studied climate change with Al Gore in October.
Radish Award winners outside the Quad-Cities area include the city of Fairfield, Iowa, whose groundbreaking sustainability plan aims to power the city with wind and solar and reduce its overall energy use by 60 percent; and the Center for Energy and Environmental Education at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, which teaches Iowans how to make their communities more sustainable through farmers' markets and more.
Also receiving awards are the newly formed Local Growers Network in Knox County, Ill., which offers an e-mail service to subscribers to let them know when local foods are ready and allows them to order online for pickup later; and Plains Justice, a public-interest law center in Cedar Rapids, which in 2008 helped nonprofits to stall a proposed coal plant in Marshalltown, Iowa.
Rounding out the Radish Awards is Ice Cube Press, a publisher of place-based books in North Liberty, Iowa, which came out with four new books in 2008. Publisher Steve Semken's goal? Telling "the best stories of where we live."
Read all 10 Radish Award stories online at www.radishmagazine.com, or pick up a free copy of the January issue at health-minded retailers and offices around the Quad-Cities.
