The winners … Dave Matthews Band and Karen Cragnolin!

Somehow, we missed this tidbit on Earth Day. Rock the Earth, a nationwide nonprofit that combines a love of music with a passion for environmental issues, recently announced the winners for its 2008 Planet Defender Awards.

The Dave Matthews Band got a nod in the Artist category for taking steps like touring on a biodiesel-powered bus and purchasing carbon credits. But the really exciting news, as far as Western North Carolina is concerned, was the Grassroots Activist award-winner: Karen Cragnolin, executive director of RiverLink, the Asheville-based nonprofit that works to protect the French Broad River and its environs.

— Rebecca Bowe, contributing editor

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