Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well.” This quote falls perfectly in line with the Bud Pate Service Award, an annual award presented by the North Carolina Rural Water Association (NCRWA) to a person who “has demonstrated an outstanding concern for their community through their actions to serve others in their community or the water/wastewater industry.” The 2017 recipient of the Bud Pate Service Award is H2GO executive Director Bob Walker.

Bob is responsible for some key initiatives H2GO has undergone in the last few years. One of the most successful initiatives Bob has taken for H2GO is their Cooking Oil Recycling Effort (C.O.R.E). In 2015, Bob recognized a growing environmental problem. Sewers were beginning to become filled with fats, oils and grease. Not only was this causing problems with the sewers, but it was causing problems within homeowners’ plumbing and home sewer systems. Bob implemented the C.O.R.E to help Brunswick County residents protect the environment and the utility infrastructure. To date, C.O.R.E has helped to keep over 1,600 gallons of cooking oil out of the sewers. One of Bob’s newest initiatives is Operation Round-Up, which is set to go into full effect this month. This program gives H2GO customers the opportunity to round-up their monthly bill to the next dollar. At the end of the year, all proceeds will be equally split between the Foundation of Brunswick Community College and Manna Ministries.

The award was presented at the Award Banquet for the NCRWA’s Annual Conference on Wednesday May 17 in Greensboro. Bob attended the banquet to accept his award. “I am humbled and honored to receive the Bud Pate Service Award from the North Carolina Rural Water Association.  Our H2GO Board and staff understand that, while we are a customer-oriented utility service provider, it’s just as important to be a community partner. Through community programs like C.O.R.E. and Operation Round-Up, we hope to encourage the community to become engaged in the utility operations and to help make a difference in the lives of our neighbors,” said Bob on receiving the award. The NCRWA is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping our members attain the highest standard in drinking water and wastewater service. Members represent both community and non-community water and wastewater systems throughout the state of North Carolina.