Two Eugene area programs have received International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Program Excellence Awards, recognizing successful, innovative programs and highlighting the creative contributions of local government leadership and its impact on a community’s quality of life. Eugene Springfield Fire Department’s Young Women's Fire Camp and The City of Eugene’s Love Food Not Waste® program, were selected as 2021 award winners.
City leaders continue to provide strong support for programs like Young Women’s Fire Camp and LFNW that align with the community’s commitment to equity and sustainability and to ensure that Eugene is an increasingly resilient and livable city through community building and responsible stewardship of resources.
Visit the ICMA website for more information about the awards.
About the 2021 Winners
Young Women’s Fire Camp
Eugene Springfield Fire’s Young Women’s Fire Camp is a 2021 Community Equity and Inclusion Award winner. This award recognizes communities for organizational achievements in building or celebrating diversity and inclusiveness.
While the main goal of the Young Women’s Fire Camp is to instill confidence and leadership skills in young women in our community, this award recognizes the inclusive environment the program creates. The camp uses hands-on activities to teach life skills such as team building, communication, and problem-solving. Activities include extinguishing live fires, learning emergency medical service skills, rappelling, self-defense, and vehicle extrication. Participants also engage in conversations about peer pressure, societal pressures, self-image, and general mental health and wellbeing. The camp celebrated its 10th year in 2021 and it continues to be a free program for all participants.
Eugene’s Love Food Not Waste®
The City of Eugene’s Love Food Not Waste® (LFNW) program is a 2021 Community Sustainability Award winner. This award recognizes innovative local government programs that balance the economic and environmental needs of a community through innovative programs.
The City of Eugene partnered with waste haulers and organics processors to launch LFNW program in 2011 to support their Climate Action Plan and reduce waste by transforming food scraps into valuable compost. In October 2019, the program expanded, now serving residents citywide in addition to more than 270 businesses and all Eugene public K-12 schools. Diverting food waste helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions and maximizes landfill space while producing a valuable product that contributes to soil health.