PEC’s Gem Bingol to Be Honored As Friend of the Mountain

Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains Celebration Set for Oct. 12

Gem Bingol, a Piedmont Environmental Council field representative in Loudoun County for more than 25 years, will receive the Friend of the Mountain honor from the Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains at the group’s annual celebration in Clarke County, Va. The event, which is open to the public, will be held at Camden Farm in Boyce, Va., October 12, from 4–7pm.

Since 1998, Bingol has covered land use and transportation issues in Loudoun County, focusing on helping people make positive impacts on their communities. She helped form and support Sustainable Loudoun Network and two Leesburg grassroots groups early in her career. In addition to grassroots networking and general land use issues, she has focused on water quality and wetlands, and includes local foods and sustainable family farming among her special interests. Most recently Gem has been heavily focused on data centers and their impacts on our communities and environment.

Loudoun County and its iconic Blue Ridge Mountains have faced many conservation challenges over the past few decades, and through each one Gem has been there to help communities navigate them,” said Friends founder and board member Carole Napolitano. “She is so deserving of this honor!”

The event will feature music by Shenandoah Valley favorites Keith Dill and Kevin Slick, and catering by Jordan Springs Market BBQ. George Ohrstrom of Clarke County will offer a presentation on the growth and impacts of data centers in Northern Virginia.

The nonprofit Friends of the Blue Ridge Mountains was formed in 2007 to protect the Blue Ridge Mountains in our region. Their programs include the Jane Pratt and Jed Schilling Blue Ridge Education Award, which is presented annually to high school seniors who demonstrate a commitment to environmental stewardship through participation in school projects, internships, and community activities.