Connecticut State Award for Conserving Native Plants and Their Habitats was given to Michael Nadeau of Fairfield, CT, for educating the public about organic landscaping methods, designing with natives, and the dangers of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers through his work with Northeast Organic Farming Association (NOFA), Ecological Landscaping Association (ELA), and Plantscapes Organics.

In presenting the award, the Society noted Nadeau as an articulate practitioner of organic methods and an educator in his industry on the dangers of chemicals and the value of organic landscaping. He advocates passionately for the use of organic techniques. His mission at Plantscapes Organics, Inc, which he founded in Fairfield, CT, in 1981, is to “extend the vision, principles, and expertise of organic agriculture to the landscapes where people live.” He regularly teaches land care at NOFA. The program’s goals are to maintain soil health, eliminate synthetic pesticide and fertilizer use, and increase landscape diversity.