Created in 2026 to recognize Vermonters who are making a meaningful difference in their communities, the Local Leadership Award celebrates people who are environmental and sustainability stewards for their town or region — individuals who have shown exceptional promise, demonstrated genuine commitment, and taken meaningful action in their careers, in their years in public service, or as volunteers. These are Vermonters who are building a notable track record and making a difference at the local level.

This award recognizes that great community leadership does not always announce itself through major achievements or decades of experience and accolades. Sometimes it appears in acts like organizing one’s neighbors to address a problem, bringing energy, stamina and creativity to a local board, or finding one’s voice around an important issue or initiative. This award is for community members who are actively engaged in supporting sustainability, climate action, or natural resource protection through local community groups, advocacy, or public service, with a focus on town- or regional-level impact.

Nominations should explain clearly and in detail how a nominee meets each of the criteria listed below:

• Humble Leadership: Evidence that the nominee motivates others around shared goals related to community planning, climate action, Vermont’s natural resources, and/or the well-being of their town or region. Leadership can be demonstrated through formal roles or informal action; what matters is that others have followed.
• Inclusive Vision: A clear ability to look beyond the immediate problem to the larger, interrelated challenges facing Vermont’s communities and environment. The committee is looking for nominees who anticipate future impacts and pursue inclusive solutions.
• Integrity & Authenticity: A demonstrable commitment to honest, transparent, and principled service. Rising leaders do not need a long track record of tested integrity, but nominators should be able to describe specific moments or patterns that speak to the nominee’s character.
• Commitment in Action: Consistent follow-through on the work of community service, even when it is difficult, unglamorous, or slow. The committee values nominees who show up reliably and who have demonstrated that their involvement is not a passing interest.
• Respect & Humility: A disposition toward listening, learning, and working alongside others, including those with more experience, different backgrounds, or opposing viewpoints. Rising leaders who earn the trust of their communities through genuine respect are especially valued.
• Creativity & Energy: Fresh approaches to old problems, willingness to experiment, and the kind of energy and initiative that opens new possibilities for Vermont’s communities.
• Community Connection: A genuine rootedness in and commitment to the Vermont community they serve, with meaningful relationships that extend beyond their immediate circle. The committee is looking for nominees whose work is grounded in the real needs and values of the people around them.

We are now accepting nominations for the 2026 Local Leadership Award. Please use our Google Form to make your nomination by Friday, July 3, 2026.

The Arthur Gibb Award for Sustainable Community Leadership is presented annually to a Vermont resident who has made a lasting contribution to their town, region or state through their dedication to building healthy, equitable and sustainable communities.

The Arthur Gibb Award for Sustainable Community Leadership, formerly the “Arthur Gibb Award for Individual Leadership,” was established by Smart Growth Vermont in 2006 (which merged with VNRC in 2011) in honor of the late Arthur “Art” Gibb. Learn more about Art Gibb’s life and legacy below. 

We are now accepting nominations for the 2026 Sustainable Community Leadership Award. Please use our Google Form or fillable PDF to submit your nomination by Friday, July 3, 2026. All submissions must include the following:

• A detailed description of how the nominee has brought about positive and lasting change in the way communities around Vermont navigate and plan for a just, sustainable future
• Contact information for two references familiar with the nominee’s character and accomplishments

Selecting an Individual

The Arthur Gibb Award for Sustainable Community Leadership recognizes individuals whose leadership, vision and courage has brought about positive and lasting change for our ability to build healthy, equitable and sustainable communities. The following characteristics, also hallmarks of Arthur Gibb, are considered:

• Leadership and the ability to motivate others around shared goals related to community planning, economic well-being, and the enhancement of Vermont’s natural resources and unique sense of place.
• Commitment to Public Service, including a willingness to enthusiastically volunteer to better their community. 
• Vision to recognize the challenges facing Vermont’s environment, landscape and communities now and in the future, and understand how those challenges can best be addressed through public policy and personal initiative.
• Creativity in crafting innovative solutions, policies and programs that strengthen Vermont’s community life and unique sense of place.
• Collaboration through the proactive and dedicated engagement of community members from a diversity of perspectives and lived experiences.  
• The ability to Balance competing interests in order to forge consensus and build bridges between those holding opposing views.
• Integrity and steadfastness in public service that earns the respect of colleagues, neighbors and diverse interest groups.
• Humility, expressed through respect for others, including those holding opposing viewpoints, and a willingness to work cooperatively and share recognition for accomplishments.

VNRC especially encourages nominations of individuals historically underrepresented in the environmental movement, including people of color, people from marginalized economic backgrounds, and people living with disabilities.

Characteristics of Sustainable Communities Include:

• Protection of critical habitats and natural resources;
• Safe streets and infrastructure for walking, bicycling, and transit;
• Promotion of adaptive reuse of historic buildings, infill and brownfield redevelopment;
• Green stormwater infrastructure and nature-based solutions to flooding and other natural hazards;
• Land use laws that allow for compact, mixed-use and diverse housing in existing or new centers;
• Public access to open spaces;
• Preservation of sustainable agricultural and forest enterprises;
• Support for diversified, locally-based economies;
• Prioritization of equitable engagement and empowerment of underrepresented and marginalized communities.  

About Arthur Gibb

Arthur Gibb dedicated much of his life to ensuring that Vermont was a better place for future generations. Beginning his public service as a “fence viewer” in the town of Weybridge, Art Gibb served his community and state in countless ways until his death in 2005 at the age of 97. 

Gibb was first elected to the Vermont Legislature in 1962, where he chaired the House Natural Resources Committee. He was deeply involved in passing legislation to ban billboards, enact the state’s bottle deposit law, regulate junk yards and modernize statutes governing local and regional planning.  As a legislator, Gibb helped establish Vermont’s reputation for environmental awareness.

Governor Deane Davis appointed Gibb to chair the Governor’s Commission on Environmental Control, commonly referred to as the “Gibb Commission.” The commission worked over the summer of 1969, holding well-attended public hearings across the state. One result of their work was Act 250, Vermont’s pioneering land use law, the first statewide review of large-scale and environmentally sensitive development.

The challenges addressed by Art Gibb and the Gibb Commission – development pressure threatening the health and safety of Vermont’s human and natural communities – are felt just as much today, as community leaders face incredibly complex environmental, social and economic pressures. Yet, from rapid organizing of flood recovery efforts to creative solutions for accessible engagement, Vermont has no shortage of dedicated, thoughtful leaders. Let’s give them the recognition they deserve!

For more information, please contact:
Alex Connizzo, Special Projects Coordinator, at aconnizzo@vnrc.org