Richard Lee Hawskley
Design With a Vision

The Nominator: Lawrence Drake Sulzer, LDS Consultants

How has the nominee implemented sustainable business practices in his or her business or organization?
Rick is a visionary before his time & a steward of the planet. He has always pushed the thought process of sustainable agriculture, architecture, transportation & land planning in his professional & personal life. He been a strong voice through his actions, writing & speaking-out on important concepts that affect us all. He has worked passionately in the government & private sectors educating the public & clients to the benefits of a sustainable live-style. Rick actively lives what speaks & speaks what he lives.

What is the triple bottom line benefit (people, planet, prosperity) of the nominee`s work?
For the 27 years that I`ve collaborate with Rick he has been living proof of the concepts of sustainable life-style. Rick has actively given of his time to bring about change & educate all that will listen to the benefits of sustainability. He has explored & utilized renewable energy concepts in architecture & planning before it was fashionable. Some of the issues that he has championed are recycle building materials for alternative uses, adaptive-reuse of building structures, historic preservation, creative local/regional land use, urban gardening & farmer markets, hike/bike trails & alternative modes of transportation, Land Trust & Conservation Easements, & last but not least promoting bio-regional & sustainable development practices prior to the "Green Planning & Building Movement" of today.

How has the nominee inspired you to implement sustainable business practices?
Rick, has been a colleague & life long friend of the environment that has reinforced my believe that people can bring about change by his daily actions. He has supported my passion for saving our vernacular/agrarian architecture & farmland conservation. I have, by his example promoted the importance of a "Sense of Place" & community involvement. My consulting practice is grounded in protecting the built environment. Rick & I have actively incorporated sustainable business practices in our projects & jointly explored concepts to protect the native habitat .

How can someone else translate the success of the nominee? Is the work of the nominee an example or model that others can follow?
We all can be educators to the public through our actions in business & daily life. The passion to live a sustainable life-style is something we can all accomplish if we want to bring about change. The key to accomplishing this model is to get actively involved on the local & regional level by invest time & applying concepts of sustainability. The nominee has positively challenged his community & the local professionals to think "Outside of the Box". Its not why we can`t but why we should.

How does the nominee actively participate in the sustainability community? How do they collaborate and share their knowledge with others?
Some of the ways the nominee has actively participate in the sustainability community & brought about change are as follows. Has been involved in Conservation Development Projects in Portage County for +/- 15 years. Established a Vision Plan for a + 20 mile Rail/Trail linkage between Kent & Warren Ohio. Authored, "Sustainable Development Strategy Needed for Portage County", Record Courier May 1993. Board president of Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority. Northeast Ohio Land Trust Coalition, Chairman PLACE, (A Portage County Land Trust), Co-Founder & past Board Chairman Portage Association for Community Economics, (Non-profit working on local initiatives to build a socially & ecologically sustainable economic systems) Co-founder & board member. ECOCITY Cleveland, Advisory board member & contributing author. Green Building Coalition, Greater Cleveland, member. Haymaker Farm Market, Kent Ohio, Co-Founded in 1995 to help reinforce local farm economy threatened by urban sprawl.

Schneiderman Award
Rick Hawksley`s work has touched everyone in the local & business community of Kent by his actions, written work, educational outreach & hands-on involvement. He has shown the benefits of sustainability by actively bring attention & participating on a regional basis to the challenges facing our environment. His vision, built projects & unselfish support of the issues impacting the sustainable community is a model for all to follow. Therefore, we have all be influenced by his life`s work. The authors, Wendell Barry & David Kline would be proud of Rick`s stewardship of the land & our built environment. I, for one know this man deserves the Schneiderman Award.

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