LITTLE ROCK – Mayor Frank Scott, Jr. and the City of Little Rock's Sustainability Commission have named the 2024 winners of the "Sustain The Rock" awards, presented annually to honor those who contribute to a more sustainable future for the next generations of Little Rock residents. The awards highlight individuals, businesses and organizations that make a positive impact on long-term sustainability through conservation efforts, renewable energy initiatives, social and environmental justice or community engagement.

The 2024 Sustain The Rock awards are selected by the Sustainability Commission from nominations sent by the community. Nominees were required to live in the City of Little Rock or have their principal place of business or organization located in the City.

This year's winners:

Individual: Kate Spontak. She is a Central Arkansas Master Naturalist, a Master Gardener, and the leader of the CAMN Tree Replacement Project which provides locally grown, native trees for Little Rock residents who suffered loss in last year's tornado. Kate recruited over 100 volunteers to grow tree saplings to distribute and plant, educating residents on tree placement, watering, and long-term care.

Individual: Lauren Dixon.  She is the vice chair of the Central Arkansas Sierra Club, a board member of the Central Arkansas Harm Reduction Project, a Court-Appointed Special Advocate, and the Leader of Development and Engagement for Little Rock Women For Good.

Nonprofit Organization: The Little Rock Chapter of the National Dunbar Horace Mann Alumni Association. The association honors the history of black children in who grew up in Little Rock's segregated educational system and went on to achieve successful careers. The NDHMAA provides $2,000 in scholarships each year to three students who attend a historically Black college or university in Arkansas.

Nonprofit Organization: Ne'Nita Doniell Clayborn of the Pettaway Neighborhood Association. Clayborn helps facilitate local food and gardening workshops and assisted in organizing a traffic calming project to demonstrate how to make public infrastructure safer for walking and biking.

Non-Profit Organization: Rachel Tanner of the Central Arkansas Library System's Dee Brown Library. Tanner created the Tool Library and the Repair Cafe, free programs that allow residents to meet up and repair household items for continued use. Also, she has hosted cooking programs using local produce, designed arts and crafts projects with recyclables, and educated the public on the litter issue in our waterways.

Educator: Shelby Thompson, of Pinnacle View Middle School. She teaches the first EAST program in the Little Rock School District to focus on urban agriculture; and she and her students were the first winners of the Arkansas School Garden of the Year award. She has helped the student-led program through projects including solar-powered electric chicken fencing, hydroponics and vermiculture bins, composting and more.

For more information about the Sustain The Rock awards and other sustainability efforts in Arkansas's capital city, visit the Little Rock Sustainability Office online..