The Elizabeth Cabell Dugdale Award for Conservation was presented to Union Bank and Trust on November 8 at the Garden Club of Virginia’s 49th Annual Conservation Forum at Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge on Assateague Island. Accepting the award on behalf of the Bank was Mr. Rod Gentry, Vice President at the Union Bank branch office at 2151 Barracks Road in Charlottesville.
The Dugdale Award is given to an organization, industry or an individual who is not a member of the GCV. Union Bank and Trust built the branch office with consideration to preserving the natural beauty of the site. Even though a permit had been given to pave over a small stream, a bridge was built instead. The bank was positioned to preserve the stream and to provide as much space for nature as possible. Biofilters were created using native species as plantings to address the runoff of water from the parking lot into the stream. Now the public comes to the site to sit and enjoy its beauty. We commend Union Bank as an example of an industry that integrates environmental responsibility into the business model.
