Recognizing Outstanding achievement in Environmental Stewardship

King County is pleased to host the 2009 Green Globe award ceremony Wednesday April 22, 2009 at Westlake Plaza.

The Green Globe award is the most prestigious environmental award presented by King County every 2 years.

Green Globe Award nomination process

Nominees are selected by King County program managers and below is the general criteria for Green Globe Award Winners:

• Nominee has shown leadership in activities that foster environmental stewardship in the community by protecting the environment, managing natural resources and fostering community involvement.
• Leadership may be rated on the basis on long-term commitments fostering environmental stewardship or by a single innovation that signifies a major advance in environmental stewardship.
• The nominee needs to have done the above working in conjunction with King County program(s).
• The next Green Globe Award ceremony will take place in 2011.

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The 2009 King County Green Globe Award winners

Environmental Catalyst Award
Sally Jewell, Recreational Equipment, Inc

Leader in Open Space Conservation Award
City of Issaquah

Leader in Beneficial use of Reclaimed Water Award
Ducks Unlimited,

Leader in Market Development for Recyclable Materials Award
ecohaus

Leader in Environmental Education Award
Friends of the Hidden River

Leader in Biosolids Recycling
GroCo, Inc.

Leader in Green Schools Award
Issaquah School District

Leader in Sustainable Building Award
Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center

Leader in Environmental Innovation Award
Mithūn

Leader in Hazardous Waste Reduction and Sustainable Business Practices Award
Printing Control

David Javo, REI’s Corporate Giving Program Manager – accepts the Environmental Catalyst Award on behalf of Sally Jewell.

Environmental Catalyst:
Sally Jewell

Jewell is the president and chief executive officer of Recreational Equipment, Inc. (REI), the nation's largest consumer cooperative and retailer of outdoor gear and apparel. Under Jewell’s leadership, the co-op is dedicated to inspiring, educating and outfitting its members and the community for a lifetime of outdoor adventure and stewardship. As part of its commitment, REI is working to introduce more young people and communities of color to nature so that they become active caretakers of shared outdoor recreational resources.

Leader in Open Space Conservation:
City of Issaquah

The City of Issaquah and King County signed a partnership agreement in 2007 to steer development growth away from high priority open space lands and salmon habitat located in rural King County and into the city’s existing urban areas. The city’s decision to partner with King County in this innovative conservation effort serves as a model to other suburban cities in King County to think regionally about land preservation and growth management.

 

Leader in Beneficial use of Reclaimed Water:
Ducks Unlimited

Ducks Unlimited, a leader in wetland conservation, partnered with King County's Wastewater Treatment Division to create the first wetland enhancement project in the state that uses reclaimed water as an environmentally beneficial solution for the Carnation Wastewater Treatment Facility.

 

Leader in Market Development for Recyclable Materials:
ecohaus

ecohaus, a retail store that sells environmentally friendly products, such as denim insulation, copper sinks and re-milled hardwood floors, is a leader in developing local markets for recycled materials. The company is a retailer for locally manufactured recycled-content products, helping close the recycling loop by making those products readily available to consumers at three area showrooms, including two in King County.

 

Leader in Environmental Education:
Friends of the Hidden River,

Friends of the Hidden River is an educational organization dedicated to developing and enhancing citizen understanding and action in community environmental education issues in the Puget Sound and surrounding regions. The organization has played an integral role in making possible plans for the future Brightwater Environmental Education Center.

 

Leader in Biosolids Recycling:
GroCo, Inc.

For more than 30 years, GroCo, a division of Sawdust Supply, Inc., has been blending King County’s biosolids with sawdust to produce high quality compost. GroCo is available in bulk or bag to landscapers and the general public.

 

Leader in Green Schools:
Issaquah School District

As a participant in the King County Green Schools Program, the Issaquah School District has set an excellent example for other school districts by expanding recycling and waste reduction practices and by reducing energy and water consumption. The district, which includes 24 public schools, increased its recycling rate from 30 to 50 percent, decreased energy use by six percent, even with a 15 percent increase in new building square footage, reduced water consumption by 33 percent and irrigation by 20 percent. The district also replaced disposable polystyrene trays with compostable trays and initiated food scrap recycling in several schools

 

Leader in Sustainable Building:
Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center

A partnership of the City of Bellevue and Pacific Science Center, the new Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center (external) provides unique opportunities for hands-on environmental education in the 320-acre Mercer Slough Nature Park. Completed in October 2008, the complex features classrooms, a visitor center, a community building and a "tree house," all sustainably built utilizing the LEED certification system.

 

Leader in Environmental Innovation:
Mithūn

Over the last two years, Mithūn, a design firm focused on sustainability and energy reduction efforts, has been a very active supporter of King County’s climate change mitigation efforts. In particular, Mithūn has participated in the county’s efforts to develop policy to appropriately address climate change through the Washington State Environmental Policy Act.

 

Leader in Hazardous Waste Reduction and Sustainable Business Practices:
Printing Control

The first commercial printer in King County to earn EnviroStars’ prestigious five-star rating for their innovative environmental programs, Printing Control has decreased their production of hazardous waste from 372 pounds per month in 2002 to almost zero in 2008.

 

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