MaryJane Butters will receive the 2008 Cecil D. Andrus Leadership Award for Sustainability and Conservation from Sustainable Northwest at their awards gala on March 14 at the Portland Art Museum. Yes, that's our MaryJane: a Co-op member and supporter for the last two decades whose Moscow-produced food products and organic lifestyle magazines are available at the Co-op.

With the annual Andrus Leadership Award, Sustainable Northwest (www.sustainablenorthwest.org) recognizes two (one urban and one rural) leading examples of successful entrepreneurship in pursuit of sustainability with a demonstrated commitment to conservation of the environment, service to the community, adaptability and innovation, and to leading others on a similar sustainable path.

The award will be presented to MaryJane by former Idaho Governor Cecil Andrus. Andrus governed Idaho from 1971 through 1977. Then after his stint as Secretary of the Interior in the Carter administration, he returned to office in 1987 for two additional terms.

“As an Idahoan, I’ve always been proud to say I hail from the state who gave the world elected officials like Andrus and Frank Church--men who gave us national treasures like the largest wilderness area in the lower 48 and the Birds of Prey Area in southern Idaho," said MaryJane. “I was working for the Forest Service back when some of that was happening. What a golden era that was.”.

Sustainable Northwest was established in 1994 by concerned political leaders from Oregon and Idaho who saw the need for a non-partisan entity that could help find solutions to the environmental, economic and social challenges faced by citizens, leaders, and communities in the Northwest.

Bill London edits this newsletter and enjoyed the two-book series entitled “Creative, Inc.: Stories About 63 Latah County Citizens” by Jerry Adams (available now at the Moscow Public Library reference collection). In the interest of full disclosure, he admits that one of those profile stories is his own.