The Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) project of UConn's Cooperative Extension System received an award from the National Environmental Education & Training Foundation at a December 1 ceremony in Washington, D.C.

Each year the foundation identifies programs throughout the nation that provide innovative educational solutions to environmental problems. The awards are supported by a grant from the Phillips Petroleum Company.

The NEMO Project educates local officials on the links between their daily land use decisions and the health of their town's natural resources. The project uses computerized mapping, the Web, satellite-derived remotely sensed information, and other high-tech tools.

Through emphasizing the role that good land use planning and landscape design can play in protecting water resources, NEMO connects concern for the environment with other key local issues like community character and economic growth.

In addition to its work in Connecticut, NEMO serves as a model in several other states, and is becoming the center of a national network of educational efforts addressing the environmental impacts of land use.