Amory Lovins and Judy Hill Lovins receive environmental leadership award

Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods honored esteemed environmental leaders and photographers Amory Lovins and Judy Hill Lovins at its 36th Annual Smith Nature Symposium & Benefit in June.

The Lovinses joined Masters of Ceremonies Bill Kurtis and Donna La Pietra onstage following the award presentation by Gail Sturm, chair of Brushwood Center's board of directors.

The Symposium is a celebration of nature, the arts, and individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the science of conservation and deepened the study and understanding of the natural world. More than 200 people gathered to honor the Lovinses and support Brushwood Center.

Amory Lovins, a physicist, co-founded and chairs Rocky Mountain Institute, a 200-person independent nonprofit organization creating a clean, prosperous and secure low-carbon energy future. He has served as energy adviser to major firms and governments in more than 70 countries and wrote more than 30 books and 600 papers on energy. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, he has received the Right Livelihood Award, MacArthur Fellowship, Heinz Award, and National Design Award, among many others.

Judy Hill Lovins is a renowned landscape photographer. Her overriding goal, she says, is to "inspire, renew, and illustrate our role as stewards of nature's treasures." Also a fine art consultant, Judy has counseled private and corporate art collectors and designed interior photographic programs nationwide for nearly five decades.

"My travels with Amory have taken us all over the world, so I used the opportunity to do a deep dive into our libraries and edit the past 12 years of travel. The website (Judyhill.com) is featuring 100 new images. I am thrilled at the opportunity to showcase them at the Symposium" she said. "Amory and I photograph together when we get a chance, and we learn from each other."

The event included an art exhibition inspired by the Lovinses travels called Global Perspectives, featuring photography by the Lovinses as well as artwork by Gregory Leon Baird and John Wylie and poetry by Ted Hazelgrove. The Lovinses photography features extraordinary landscapes, wildlife, and cultures in China, the Galápagos Islands, Iceland, the American West, and other locations around the world. The Smith Nature Symposium was held in partnership with Lake County Forest Preserves.

The Smith Nature Symposium memorializes the significant civic legacy of Hermon Dunlap and Ellen Thorne Smith, who donated their land and cabin to help form Ryerson Woods. Dunlap, or "Dutch," was chair and CEO of Marsh & McLennan, and led The Chicago Community Trust, Newberry Library, and many other Chicago Institutions. Ellen Thorne Smith was a philanthropic leader and champion of nature with organizations such as The Field Museum and Chicago Zoological Society. She wrote the book "Chicagoland Birds: Where and When to Find Them."

The Distinguished Environmental Leadership Award was first presented in 1984 to Roger Tory Peterson, the esteemed American naturalist, ornithologist, artist, and educator. In 2018, recipients included Robert Redford and Sibylle Szaggars Redford, for their lifelong commitment to land preservation and climate change.

All proceeds from the Smith Nature Symposium & Benefit support Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods' programs throughout the year.

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