Friends and supporters from around North Carolina gathered on October 22 to wish Toxic Free NC a happy twentieth birthday. We celebrated with music, awards and speakers and a spread of locally-grown, organic foods at Celebrity Dairy, a goat farm, cheesemaker and bed & breakfast located in Chatham County, the heart of North Carolina’s sustainable agriculture movement.

As we celebrate twenty years of success and look forward to the next twenty, we honor the the vision of a small group of people who, two decades ago, had the foresight to understand that pervasive toxic chemicals were to be such a pivotal issue of the environment and social justice at the turn of this century. Among them are our founders, Allen Spalt and Erick Umstead, but also our early Board members like Jane Sharp MacRae, our first funders, including the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, and community activists like Billie Rogers.

These leaders laid the groundwork, they paid the bills, and they also had the sense to bring in new leaders, and new allies, as pesticide contamination went from being a concern of “fringe” environmentalists to a central issue for public heath and the environment. Today we partner with organic farmers, pediatricians, farmworkers, university researchers, schoolteachers and – as always – community activists, to promote our vision of a world in balance, where food is grown and facilities are managed without the use of toxic chemicals, putting our health and our future first.

The Board and Staff of Toxic Free NC extend our profound thanks to all of you – our supporters, volunteers, donors, funders, friends and allies – who have stuck with us on this journey. You have made us the organization that we are today, and as we move into a new era of sustainability, we need you as much as ever. Thank you for your commitment to clean water, safe food, and a better future for North Carolina.

Award winners

Community Activist Award
Mary Jo Windley, Currituck county
Michele Kloda, Durham county

Local Visionary Award
Chris Gerry, Town of Carrboro (retired)
Frank Meadows, Orange County Schools

Top photo: Emeritus board member Billie Lee Rogers presents Allen Spalt with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Middle photo: Rep. Grier Martin accepts the Legislative Leadership Award.
Bottom photo: Guest vocalists Carly, Rose and Zoe perform with Memphisto.
All photos by Russell Gorga.

Check out our Anniversary Photo Album!