Every weekday, dozens of Virginians board the Afton Express, a bus service established by UVA and Brite Transportation to help residents of Waynesboro, Staunton and other communities in the valley reach jobs or classes on campus.
“UVA affiliates ride for free! Our average rider saved about $5,500 last year when you factor in gas, vehicle wear and tear, parking passes.”
Regional transit planner Danielle Gannon says riders also get paid about a dollar for each trip, and many value their time on board.
“It’s a commuter bus, so the seats are a little nicer. There’s wifi on the bus. They’ll relax. They’ll watch a movie. We’ve heard of riders who make friends.”
And Gannon says they’re rewarded with extra free time.
“On average riders reclaimed 174 hours of personal time a year, which is essentially 22 full nights of sleep or 22 full work days. You arrive at work more refreshed research shows, and we’ve had riders say they arrive home, and the quality of time is better with their family, because they’re not as exhausted and tired.”
Also winning an award, Black Bear Composting, headquartered just north of Waynesboro. It diverts six million pounds of organic waste from landfills – turning cafeteria leftovers and other resources into rich soil.
“Some days we’re collecting from dining facilities. Some days we’re collecting from their hospital. We could be collecting from their offices – paper towels and kitchenette composting.”
Chief Composting Officer, Eric Walter, says the end product is sold to gardeners, farmers and landscapers – or given away.
“About a third of the compost we make actually doesn’t get sold. It goes right back to our customers as part of that service.”
Among other winners, Sarah Sweet will be honored for the Scrappy Elephant, a shop that accepts donations of materials that artists can use in their work, Master Gardener Fern Campbell will take home a prize for promoting climate-resilient landscapes. Architecture Professor J.T. Bachman has collected 500 pounds of plastic from UVA labs for use in crafting models and Andrew Spears has turned dead trees on campus into usable lumber.
A press release from the University of Virginia shares a list of all 15 winners:
James (Jim) Galloway, Dept. of Environmental Sciences
A pioneering environmental scientist, Jim Galloway led UVA to become the first university with a nitrogen footprint goal, mentoring hundreds of students throughout the years (including over 50 nitrogen working group students across over 20 research projects) and producing global footprinting tools now used by 300+ institutions.
Community
Fern Campbell As an Extension Master Gardener, Fern Campbell advances sustainable horticulture through community education, inclusive partnerships, and mentorship, empowering climate-resilient landscapes while cultivating new leaders across the region with lasting impact.
Sarah Sweet, Scrappy Elephant Through Charlottesville’s first creative reuse store, Sarah Sweet advances waste diversion and community creativity, diverting 88,054 pounds of materials from landfill in 2025 while reinvesting thousands of dollars in store credit to local nonprofits.
Devon Thompson and Danielle Gannon, BRITE Transit, and Kendall Howell, UVA Parking and Transportation Through the Afton Express and Wahoo Commute partnership with UVA Parking & Transportation, this team enabled 23,725 trips in 2025, eliminating 733,103 vehicle miles and preventing 260 metric tons of emissions.
Eric Walter, Black Bear Composting Since 2012, through hands-on leadership and innovative composting services, Eric Walter has helped divert millions of pounds of organic waste from landfills while advancing UVA’s and the region’s waste reduction goals. Black Bear has helped divert over 6 million pounds of UVA organic waste from landfill since 2017, including nearly one million pounds in 2025 alone.
Faculty
JT Bachman, School of Architecture As an architecture professor, JT Bachman has advanced hands-on sustainability education by leading plastic reuse initiatives that transformed 500 pounds of UVA lab plastics into functional materials for student design projects.
Anja Bielinsky/Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Department (BMG) Under Anja Bielinsky’s leadership, BMG became UVA’s first 100% Green Lab–certified department, with all labs earning gold certification and advancing a department-wide sustainability action plan.
Staff
Kendall Howell and Patrick Clark, Parking and Transportation Through transformative leadership in UVA Parking & Transportation, Kendall Howell and Patrick Clark has been accelerating fleet electrification, launched electric minibuses, and supported over 1,000 employees in lower‑carbon commuting.
Alice Kenney and the Center for Comparative Medicine's (CCM) Vivarium Composting Team Through Alice Kenney’s leadership, CCM launched a vivarium composting program that diverted 6,141 pounds of animal bedding in eight months, advancing UVA’s landfill diversion goals with her team – Ralph Malbrue, Brian Cason, Angela Jones, and Jennie Taylor.
Ryan Gumlock, FM Custodial Operations Through campus-wide custodial leadership, Ryan Gumlock advances sustainability by improving recycling compliance, reducing waste contamination, and embedding responsible resource use across UVA’s custodial operations and daily services.
Andrew Spears, UVA Sawmilling As co-founder of UVA Sawmilling, Andrew Spears makes material circularity possible by reclaiming campus urban wood into usable lumber, reducing wood waste while supporting hands-on sustainability education and research.
Students
Gavin Crigger Gavin Crigger hosted hundreds of events on Grounds throughout his tenure here, including Student Garden Workdays and Corner Cleanups. He also energized his peers to divert waste from landfill and numerous Green Games.
Isabella DeMark Isabella DeMark expanded plant-based menu options, led a vegan pilot program, and advanced waste reduction and local sourcing through collaboration with UVA Dining.
Maddie Foreman Maddie Foreman promoted sustainability through hands-on volunteerism, campus education, and collaboration, engaging students in cleanups, restoration projects, and everyday sustainable practices on and off Grounds.
Stephen Hotchkin Stephen Hotchkin mobilized 87 volunteers to recover over 100,000 pounds of recyclable and compostable material while advancing waste education through athletics, coursework, and creative outreach.
