Governor awards outstanding environmental successes

Department of Ecology Press Release - October 5, 2005

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Governor awards outstanding environmental successes

OLYMPIA - Five businesses today received the Governor's Award for Pollution Prevention & Sustainable Practices, the state's highest honor for taking care of the environment while doing business in Washington.

The awards were given to four commercial businesses and a not-for-profit hospital. Each of the winners found innovative ways to offer services and make products while reducing or eliminating hazardous waste and conserving vital resources such as energy and water.

In addition to preventing pollution, the winners also were honored for business practices that are "sustainable" - that is, they support the vitality of the economy, the environment and the community. Tom Fitzsimmons, Gov. Christine Gregoire's chief of staff, and Jay Manning, the Department of Ecology director, presented the awards.

The winners of the 2005 awards are:

Ball Metal Beverage Container Corp. of Kent, for conserving water, avoiding the use of toxic materials, reducing air emissions and efficiently using materials.
Columbia Lighting of Spokane, for eliminating the use of a significant toxic chemical, conserving water, and reducing air emissions, waste water and other wastes.
Meridian Collision Center Inc. of Puyallup, for avoiding the use of toxics and conserving energy and resources.
Totem Ocean Trailer Express of Tacoma, for conserving fuel and fresh water, protecting the environment from invasive species and supporting Alaska's recycling efforts.
The University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle, for eliminating the use of a significant toxic chemical, conserving water and energy, reducing waste, and supporting the regional community.

In addition to these efforts, the award winners reached out to their customers, clients and other facilities in their fields to promote pollution prevention and sustainable practices.

"These winners are our role models for the future," said Fitzsimmons. "They show that we can design a new and better future, a future that does not depend on practices that gradually erode our natural resource base."

The judges who selected the winners included past award recipients, energy and pollution-prevention experts, and representatives from labor and environmental groups.

The judges evaluated the entries based on innovations to reduce toxic materials and waste and use less energy and water, as well as other ways they have protected the environment.

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Media contact: Caitlin Cormier, public information manager, 360-407-6149

Award Web site: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/sustainability/GovAward/gov_awards.htm
Information about the winners: http://www.ecy.wa.gov/biblio/0504022.html