2004 Environmental Excellence Awards

WASHTENAW COUNTY BUSINESSES HIT THE HIGH MARK

The Sixth Annual Environmental Excellence Awards presentation will be held on September 22, at 6:30 pm at the Washtenaw County Board of Commissioners Meeting.   The awards are presented during the National Pollution Prevention Week.

The Environmental Excellence Awards Program aims to recognize businesses and non-profit organizations in Washtenaw County that provide leadership in environmental stewardship in the areas of water quality protection, waste reduction and recycling, and pollution prevention.

The awards are presented by the Washtenaw County Office of the Drain Commissioner (Community Partners for Clean Streams), Department of Environmental Health Regulations  (Pollution Prevention Program) and Department of Planning and Environment (Waste Knot Program).   Winners not only comply with environmental regulations, but they also implement innovative practices to protect our environment.

The 2004 Environmental Excellence Overall Winner is Subaru Research and Development, Incorporated.   The company has reduced water use by 74%, established a “green’ purchasing system and trains its employees every six months on spill response procedures.   Plus, its formal Environmental Goal program is showing great results!

The Excellence in Water Quality Protection goes to Toyota Technical Center, Inc. for successfully reducing contaminated runoff through regular cleaning of their parking lot with dry sweeping methods.   Honorable mentions were given to Thomson-Shore, Incorporated and Nichols Arboretum.

The Excellence in Waste Reduction and Recycling goes to Forsythe Middle School .   The integration of a recycling course into the curriculum allowed the school and its students to save the equivalent of approximately 200 trees, 5,000 gallons of oil, 40 cubic yards of landfill space, 50,000 kilowatts of energy, and 85,000 gallons of water last fall.   Honorable mentions in this category were awarded to The Ann Arbor News and Liebherr Aerospace.

The Excellence in Pollution Prevention goes to Pine View Golf Course for its use of bio-diesel (soybean based) fuel which limits emissions, and its application of precision turf fertilizer to reduce the amounts used. Honorable mentions were given to American Honda Motor Company and Flint Ink Corporation.

CONGRATULATIONS WINNERS!

Learn more about:

Waste Knot Program:   Provides community-wide recognition and organization-based technical assistance and education to businesses, schools, governmental agencies and non-profit organizations that demonstrate leadership in waste reduction and recycling to protect our environment and to improve their bottom line.

Partners for Clean Streams:   Community Partners for Clean Streams is a cooperative effort between the Washtenaw County Drain Commissioner's Office and Washtenaw County businesses and institutions with a common goal to promote business practices that protect Washtenaw County's watersheds and waterways.

Pollution Prevention Program:    The Pollution Prevention Program is responsible for inspecting facilities that store, manufacture, or use hazardous, toxic, or polluting materials. Inspectors ensure that facilities utilize and dispose of hazardous materials properly, thereby preventing environmental contamination. This program operates in accordance with the Washtenaw County Pollution Prevention Regulation.