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AWB Awards Companies for Environmental Excellence |
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Written On: October 26, 2005 |
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TACOMA - The Association of Washington Business presented nine Washington companies with Environmental Excellence Awards for their continuous efforts in environmental innovation, resource conservation, education and continuous improvement. AWB President Don Brunell presented the awards at its 2005 Environmental Summit on October 20, 2005.
"Over the years, we’ve recognized businesses, large and small, who have gone beyond what is required by law to improve our environment," AWB President Don Brunell said. "Each year it is encouraging for me to see different companies across our state doing good things to improve our state’s quality of life."
The judging requires extensive reviews of the nominations submitted by a panel of experts who review the nominations, check with the regulating agencies, and do everything in their power to insure our awards represent environmental excellence.
“I also believe there are thousands of other businesses in Washington also doing everything they can to comply with environmental standards and be good neighbors and community citizens,” Brunell said. “That accounts for the varying number of nominations each year.”
This year’s Environmental Excellence Award winners are:
The Acme Service Group – Environmental Innovator
The Acme Service Group, a family-owned Olympia business since 1925, demonstrates how a traditional, smaller and private energy company can pioneer renewable energy sources and services. Acme makes 100% biodiesel fuel, made from 100% soybean oil, without using any petroleum, animal fats or recycled cooking oils. Acme makes its biodiesel available to the public in southern Puget Sound, and until last year, ASTM-certified biodiesel was only available in bulk container shipments or to large fleets. Acme currently makes biodiesel for individual owners and small fleets, and recently introduced a cardlock service station in Lacey. Biodiesel reduces air pollution and net CO2 in the atmosphere, helps America’s farmers, reduces the U.S. balance of payments deficit, and cuts down on our nation’s energy dependence on the Middle East.
Energy Northwest – Environmental Innovator
Energy Northwest is a joint operating agency comprised of 19 member public utilities from across the state. Like the Acme Service Group, Energy Northwest provides conventional electric generating facilities. In recent years, Energy Northwest became a leader in developing sources of renewable energy, including wind and solar projects. The None Canyon Wind Project, located near Kennewick, Washington, is one the largest public power owned wind projects in the nation. Energy Northwest completed the first two phases in 2003, which consist of 49 turbines, each capable of producing 1.3 megawatts. Each self-starting turbine begins generating electricity when wind speed reaches 8 m.p.h. The White Bluffs Solar Station is a solar demonstration project comprised of 242 photovoltaic panels. Completed in 2002 near Richland, White Bluffs rates at 38.7 kilowatts DC (which converts to 29.5 kilowatts AC). Energy Northwest also placed a high priority on accountability and developed an environmental management system.
Nippon Paper Industries USA Co. – Resource Conservation
Nippon Paper Industries USA Co. installed heat recovery systems on the main boiler at its pulp and paper mill in Port Angeles. This energy recovery project resulted in significant reductions in steam demand and associated heavy oil use. The company acquired the ability to extract an average of between 15-30 million BTU/hr of energy and return it to their processes, achieving a 2-year return on a $2 million investment.
Seattle Steam Company – Resource Conservation
The Seattle Steam Company, a steam production plant supplying steam to downtown Seattle customers for hearing and other uses, installed a heat recovery system able to conserve both energy and water. Seattle Steam used heat recovery to raise feed water temperatures, which increased plant efficiency. The company reports an average daily savings of $2,500, which is likely to become greater as gas prices increase. The vapor condensation recovers about 7% of the plant’s average water intake.
Carson Engineering – Resource Conservation
Direct Contact Inc., an outgrowth of Carson Engineering in Renton, altered its heat recovery vessel design, which enabled clients to recover previously wasted energy and retrieve it to their processes. The savings gives Direct Contact the option of using less energy or doing more with the same amount of energy. DCI provides the equipment, time and resources to engineer the systems, as they did with both Nippon and Seattle Steam.
Watson Furniture Group – Resource Conservation
Poulsbo’s Watson Furniture Group holds an impressive record of resource conservation. Watson’s owners and employees took a comprehensive approach to environmental stewardship, from their “green building” to the suppliers and materials they use, and take a leading role in reducing waste and toxics in the workplace. Watson uses recycled fabrics, recycles all of its steel and wood manufacturing waste material locally, and continues to work at “designing out” hazardous and non-sustainable materials. Watson also ships with reusable blankets, and uses sugar for sandblasting. Watson Furniture notes that its reputation as a green supplier led to “a major factor in our sales increase.”
Tacoma Goodwill – Education
Tacoma Goodwill operates in 15 counties around the state. Its community outreach resulted in impressive statistics: it sold, instead of disposing, 28 million pounds of donated material in their stores, and recycled or salvaged 14 million additional pounds of material. AWB recognizes Tacoma Goodwill in particular for its effort to promote a working recycling/reuse system for “E-waste.” Electronic waste became part of most households, and Tacoma Goodwill’s initiative to combine environmental stewardship with the community service industry demonstrates the kind of leadership needed to respond with practical and convenient approaches to the growing challenge of E-waste in our communities.
Weyerhaeuser Company – Education
Weyerhaeuser’s Charles W. Bingham Forest Learning Center at Mt. St. Helens is an unusual environmental education resource. The Center, a partnership between Weyerhaeuser, the Washington State Department of Transportation and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, vividly highlights the destruction wrought by the 1980 eruption and the subsequent recovery of Weyerhaeuser’s managed forest. The Center educates the public on forest renewal and issues relating to economic and ecological sustainability. This award recognizes Weyerhaeuser in particular for its “Project Habitat” initiative in 2005, which commemorated the return of the forest 25 years after the eruption by providing materials and volunteers to build 25 Habitat for Humanity homes using wood harvested from the new forest. The initiative involves more than 4,500 volunteers working to build 32 homes in the U.S. and Canada.
Mobility Inc., dba Flexcar – Continuous Improvement
Flexcar is the oldest and largest provider of car sharing programs in the United States. Flexcar came to Seattle in 2000, and it received the AWB Environmental Excellence Award for Education the following year. Since then, Flexcar continues to expand locally and nationally, reducing air pollution, congestion and energy use. AWB salutes Flexcar for its utilization of public transportation and contributing to sustainable communities.
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