Those were the prizes that Saxe, an environmentalist from Freeport, could have won as an entrant in a national online competition to recognize activism in conservation and other social causes.
Instead, voters in the online balloting, sponsored by Volvo, made Saxe a semifinalist and gave top honors to finalists from Oregon, Florida and Virginia.
But Saxe said Wednesday she’s still happy because the competition raised awareness of the Cool Communities program she promotes as a volunteer with the Maine chapter of The Sierra Club.
“It’s not about me; it’s about curbing global warming,” she said.
For two years Saxe has volunteered about 30 hours of time a week, working with churches, business and public health groups to enlist Maine towns and cities in the Sierra Club program, known nationally as Cool Cities. So far 14 Maine communities have signed up for the program, which is designed to reduce energy consumption, save taxpayers’ money and cut the emissions that contribute to climate change.
A state employee in the Department of Environmental Protection nominated Saxe for the award, and she was one of 10 national finalists in online balloting, which ended on Jan. 7. Finalists were also chosen in the fields of quality of life, safety and children’s issues.
The three finalists in each category qualify for a $25,000 donation to the charity of their choice. A panel of judges will choose one finalist in each category for a $100,000 award, and an overall winner will win a new Volvo every three years for life, in addition to the $100,000 prize.
The final prize winners will be announced in March, said Anna Kruchowski, a spokeswoman for Haberman & Associates, a public relations firm that is handling the awards competition for Volvo. Kruchowski noted that Saxe can be renominated for an award in future competitions. She said some nominees have won awards in the past after being renominated.
Kruchowski said the final results are still being tallied, and she was unsure of the vote totals. About 700,000 ballots have been cast nationally in previous competitions.
Dieter Bradbury is the online reporter for pressherald.com, where this report initially appeared. Bradbury’s beat is designed to engage directly with readers and glean story ideas from your suggestions, Web postings and feedback. If you have comments, please post them at pressherald.com or send Bradbury an e-mail at: dbradbury@pressherald.com
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