Andrew J. Willner

Formerly a sailing vessel captain, city planner, furniture designer and boat builder, Andy is presently at work on a history of environmental advocacy in the Hackensack Meadowlands titled They Won’t Shop and They Won’t Work.

As a teacher and speaker, he has run workshops and symposia in environmental advocacy and practice, and has spoken at, chaired and participated in panels at regional and national conferences on subjects such as: the Public Trust Doctrine, Port vs. Estuary, the State of the Harbor, Storm Water and Metal Recycling, Environmental Advocacy and Ecological Democracy. In the past decade, Andy has served as a member of many environmental organizations, including the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary Program’s Habitat Work Group, the Dredge Materials Management Work Group, the Hackensack Meadowlands Special Area Management Plan, the Hackensack Meadowlands Partnership, and the Keyport, NJ Planning Commission and Environmental Commission. Among his awards is a UNEP 500 Environmental Program Achiever from the U.S. Committee for the United Nations Environmental Program, the Stewardship Recognition Award from New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the “Hero of the Harbor” Award at the 1999 Waterfront Conference of the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance. Since 1989, Andy has served as Executive Director of the NY/NJ Baykeeper, an affiliate and subsidiary of the American Littoral Society, a national conservation organization concerned with coastal issues.