Melina Watts Wins County Leadership Award

 

PHOTO COURTESY MELINA SEMPILL WATTS

On April 24, 2012, the County Board of Supervisors will present its Fourth Annual Green Leadership Awards recognizing outstanding community energy conservation and environmental efforts.

Among the recipients is Topanga’s Melina Watts, Coordinator of the Santa Monica Mountains Watersheds.

“The County’s Green Leadership Program promotes awareness, responsibility and shares best practices,” said Supervisor Zev Yaroslavsky, Chairman. “Many individuals, businesses and public agencies within the County are doing an outstanding job in finding creative ways to change the way they do things to improve air and water quality and reduce energy consumption,” he said.

“These committed individuals and entities inspire others to follow their leadership. The County is proud to honor them with its Green Leadership Award,” added Supervisor Yaroslavsky.

Melina Sempill Watts, recipient of the Chair’s Green Leadership Award, was selected for “working effectively with stakeholders to reach out to the community, planned and facilitated Malibu Creek Watershed Council meetings, and coordinated and led watershed tours.

“Ms. Watts wrote and produced an environmental outreach film, The Clean Water Act and Our Backyards: Improving Water Quality in the Santa Monica Mountains. The longtime resident of Southern California, Malibu area, grew up in Topanga.

“She is passionate about on-the-ground restoration and continues to work on increasing opportunities to restore creeks, to remove fish migration barriers and to increase the native habitat by native-scaping.

“Ms. Watts has written about local environmental concerns for such publications as the Topanga Messenger, Malibu Times, Acorn and PCH Press. She earned an undergraduate degree in history from UCLA and worked as a creative executive, writing consultant and script analyst at Dreamworks, the Kennedy/Marshall Company, Pico Creek Productions and the Bedford Falls Company.”

The awards will be presented by Supervisor Yaroslavsky, April 24, at 9:30 a.m. during the Board of Supervisors meeting, Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 W. Temple St., Room 381-B, downtown Los Angeles.