Life-long
environmentalist Walt Breitinger has been honored with the Izaak Walton Hall
of Fame Award for his stalwart environmentalism and advocacy.
“Because Breitinger
is a true believer in ‘think globally and act locally,’ we all breathe and
drink a little cleaner because of the decades of conservation work Walt has
brought to our NW Indiana community,” the Porter County Chapter of the Izaak
Walton League of America said in a statement released this week.
“IWLA-Porter County Chapter thanks and honors him for his tremendous
contributions and encourages and supports his future endeavors to make the
world a more natural and clean place for future generations.”
Among other things,
Breitinger rode his “Burn Fat, Not Fuel” pedal-powered trike to work and
everywhere else for 20 years; he has been a long-time active member of the
Izaak Walton League Porter County Chapter, the Duneland Sierra Club, the
Shirley Heinze Land Trust and he founded the Valparaiso Chain of Lakes
Watershed Council; he was one of the organizers of Eco-Vote during his
college days at Valparaiso University and has been an active member of the
Save the Dunes Council since the 1970s.
Also: in the 1980s
Breitinger was one of the first people promoting recycling in Porter County
and helped create Duneland Recycling; he was a founding board member of
People Against Hazardous Landfill Sites (PAHLS) and organized to keep a
local landfill from becoming a hazardous waste landfill. In his role with
the Watershed Council, Breitinger organizes the annual Naturepalooza
festival; and through the Chain of Lakes Group organizes public
presentations to get local people interested in protecting nature with free
seminars.
Breitinger has
received accolades from the Indiana DNR, South Shores Clean Cities, and
others; he sits on the board of the Valparaiso Mayor’s Pathway Committee,
the Energy Task Force, Woodland Savanna Land Conservancy, and the Advisory
Board of the Shirley Heinz Environmental Land Trust; and he serves on the
board of the Porter County Recycling and Waste Reduction District and is an
active member of the Indiana Lakes Management Society and newly appointed
council member of Hoosier Environmental Council.