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NAEP 2014 Environmental Excellence Award Recipients
President's Award -
Project Name:
North by Northwest CONNECTOR
Presented to:
U.S. Department of Energy, Tillamook County Transportation District, Sunset Transportation Services District, Lincoln County Transit, Benton County Rural Transit, Columbia County Rider, North by Northwest Transportation Foundation, David Evans and Associates, Inc., Noble Erickson, Inc., Banner Non-Profits, LLC, M2 Traffic Management, LLC
Description of Project:
The North by Northwest Connector Project is an innovative partnership between five rural public transit agencies and a private non-profit foundation in northwestern Oregon. The project, which was initially launched through a grant from the US Department of Energy, is the collaborative effort of the five transit agencies to enhance the livability and economic vitality of the communities they serve. This is a landmark project for Oregon and model for other communities and transit providers in the rest of the nation. This project is unique in the breadth of its objectives for inter-agency coordination, branding and marketing transit service in all five counties as a single seamless service, reducing fossil fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, using transit as an asset for economic development, and establishing private-public partnerships for sustainable funding.
Environmental Management Award -
Project Name:
GREEN TO THE RESCUE – AIR STATION BORINQUEN RENEWABLE ENERGY
Presented To:
Air Station Borinquen and Civil Engineering Unit (CEU) Miami
Description of Project:
Capitalizing on the abundance of sunshine throughout the year in Puerto Rico it would harness that energy and convert it to electricity through solar panel systems. Air Station Borinquen entered into an Energy Savings Performance Contract (ESPC), the largest photovoltaic endeavor ever for the Coast Guard and the largest Energy Savings Performance contract from Schneider Electric.
Partnering with US Coast Guard Headquarters officials, the Department of Energy and Schneider Electric, Air Station Borinquen entered into a $58.8 million dollar contract for the installation of new cool roofs and solar panels on more than 300 Air Station Structures. The project execution was the first of its kind for the Federal Government resulting in a 40% reduction in energy costs equating to a $1.1 million dollar annual savings over a 23 year performance period. The Energy Savings Performance Contract also included installation of variable refrigerant volume air condition, building automation system upgrades, lighting retrofits, solar window tinting and water conservation measures. More than 300 Photo Voltaic (PV) systems were installed on the facilities producing more than four million kilowatt-hours annually.
By reducing energy consumption and developing renewable energy solutions in Puerto Rico, the Coast Guard has met federal mandates, reducing green house gas emissions and stabilizing energy costs.
NEPA Excellence Award -
Project Name:
Burning Man 2012-2016 Special Recreation Permit Environmental Assessment
Presented to:
Winnemucca District, Bureau of Land Management, Black Rock City LLC,Aspen Environmental Group
Description of Project:
Burning Man is a world famous week-long event in western Nevada that is a combination art festival, social event, and experiment in community living. Held since 1990, Black Rock City LLC applied to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) for a Special Recreation Permit to continue the event from 2012 to 2016 on portions of the Black Rock Desert National Conservation Area. Aspen Environmental Group assisted the BLM with preparation of an Environmental Assessment using innovative methods to quantify impacts of the event and to mitigate the effects of this large-scale, temporary, “city”. In addition to new data collected during the 2011 event, the EA analysis also uses in-depth historical data collected by volunteers and event participants. On July 23, 2013, BLM approved a four-year Special Recreation Permit to host the Burning Man event on the Black Rock Desert through 2016, with a maximum population limit of 68,000 participants for the 2013 event.
Public Involvement Award-
Project Name:
Regional Connector Transit Project
Presented to:
Ann Kerman - Metro Community Relations, Dolores Roybal Saltarelli – Metro Planning
Description of Project:
The Regional Connector Transit Project will allow a seamless "one-seat ride" through downtown Los Angeles, north-south between Azusa and Long Beach, and east-west between East Los Angeles and Santa Monica. This two-mile gap closure in the region’s light rail system will provide continuous through-service spanning 50 miles north to south, and 25 miles east to west, improving access to both local and regional destinations.
The community in the project area, Little Tokyo, is one of only three remaining "Japantowns" in the United States. Having recognized the potential environmental justice concerns and community impacts of the Regional Connector, Metro proactively engaged the Little Tokyo community in a focused and collaborative dialogue during the NEPA process in order to address their concerns. Metro further provided funding to hire a consultant to assist the community in acquiring an in-depth understanding of the NEPA process and, in partnership with area leaders, facilitated a community-led process to develop mitigation measures reflective of community needs. This ongoing work led to the development of the Fully Underground LRT Alternative, a new alternative that not only was acceptable to Little Tokyo stakeholders, but also generated widespread enthusiasm and support for the Regional Connector project.
Best Available Technology Award -
Project Name:
Smithfield-Farmland Fresh Meat and Packaged Foods Groups-- “From Goals to Riches--Stewardship, Recycling, and Replacement Bring Us Closer”
Presented to:
Casings Water Reduction– Milan Missouri, Meatball Reformulation Reduces Water Pollutants – Arnold Pennsylvania, Water Quality Hands On Training at Schools – Smithfield, VA, Waste Not, Garden Spot– Crete, NE
Description of Project:
Each year, each Smithfield-Farmland plant invests in our future through environmental projects that focus on the sustainability goals that are common for all locations: 10% reduction in water , energy and solid waste to landfills, and a commitment to be a helpful part of the communities in which we work. The casings project in Milan, MO, reduces water usage by filtering and reusing it. The meatball reformulation project in Arnold, PA, was initiated by wastewater challenges from use of a liquid colorant. Instead, they formulated a dry ingredient as a replacement. The Smithfield, VA, location educates hundreds of school children every year about water quality, and oil spill cleanup techniques. The Crete, NE, hog processing facility composts livestock trailer wastes into fertile materials that have been used for community beautification projects, including tree planting on site.
Conservation Programs Award -
Project Name:
Green India – Protect Nature, Protest Pollution
Presented To:
Green India Trust, Dr. Chilukoti Murali Krishna
Description of Project:
Green India Trust started in 2008 and is projecting awareness to everyone about a cleaner and environment friendly world. Dr. Ch. Murali Krishna developed the concept of “Billion Tree Plantation” aiming to achieve a plantation of one billion trees throughout India. Billion Tree Plantation has their own nurseries and green houses where seedlings are nurtured into plants that can sustain natural growth. The plants are then distributed to various organizations, Government and Non-Government Based Institutions to be planted around their premises and surroundings. A key component to this project has been the planting of palm trees around the coastal belt, beach sides and areas prone to flooding to help reduce the damage caused by heavy rain fall and floods. This now covers 30 km along the Eastern Coast of South India.
Education Excellence Award -
Project Name:
Susie and Jerome Learn about a Healthy Home – developed by the Healthy Environments for Children Initiative, Department of Extension, University of Connecticut
Presented to:
University of Connecticut: text by Joan Bothell and Mary-Margaret Gaudio, illustration and design by Kevin Noonan, animation by Anthony Russello, voiceover direction and editing by Karen Ryker, voices by Briana Maia, Julia Estrada, Colleen Labella, and Adam Schneemann
Description of Project:
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, most people spend more than 90% of their time indoors—much of that time in their own homes. Environmental concerns in the home include indoor air quality, lead poisoning, toxic household products, mold, asthma triggers, tobacco smoke, and pests. A healthy home—one that is clean, dry, and safe, with fresh air, no pests, and no dangerous chemicals, and in good repair—helps to reduce the risks of exposure to environmental health hazards.
The Susie and Jerome materials teach children and their adult caregivers (such as parents or guardians, teachers, librarians, and childcare providers) the key principles that make a home healthy, as well as some practical ways to implement these principles. The materials include an illustrated rhyming book, a teacher’s guide and children’s activity book, and an animated video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48XQ6glxQGM ). These materials were developed by the Healthy Environments for Children Initiative (HEC) (www.hec.uconn.edu), in the Department of Extension, University of Connecticut. HEC designs and develops programs and materials in various areas related to children's environmental health.
Environmental Stewardship Award -
Project Name:
Public Building Commission of Chicago Environmental Program
Presented To:
Public Building Commission of Chicago, Rahm Emanuel, Chairman, Erin Lavin Cabonargi, Executive Director
Description of Project:
The Public Building Commission of Chicago’s environmental program demonstrates excellence in meeting the challenges posed by environmentally contaminated project sites throughout the City of Chicago and Cook County. PBC’s environmental mission goes beyond the remediation of individual project site and supports the environmental and economic health of the larger community as well. With urban development sites that are typically located in areas challenged by industrial contamination, and in neighborhoods suffering from blight, PBC’s environmental program serves as a catalyst of positive development and brings vital community anchors into neighborhoods throughout the city.
Two projects to demonstrate PBC’s ability to deal with complex environmental concerns are the development of Back of the Yards Campus: Chicago Public School, College Preparatory High School and Chicago Public Library, Branch Library and the remediation of the future Whitney Young Library site.
The Back of the Yards Campus RACR demonstrates the previous environmental site conditions and remedial actions for the site attained by the PBC in accordance with the remedial action plan provided to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. It also demonstrates the redevelopment of this former 10-acre brownfield into a new LEED Silver high school with associated athletic field, softball field, landscape play area, tennis courts, raised garden, community library and parking.
The Whitney Young remediation design and Green Remediation Evaluation report demonstrates the "greener" site remediation of a former dry cleaning site with extensive contamination. This report will be used by the USEPA as a pilot for other municipalities to highlight green remediation is possible using available technologies outside of the standard cut/fill methods notoriously used on remediation sites.
Planning Integration Award –
Project Name:
Louisiana’s Comprehensive Master Plan for a Sustainable Coast
Presented to:
Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority
Description of Project:
Louisiana’s Comprehensive Plan for a Sustainable Coast (2012 Coastal Master Plan) is one of the nation’s largest environmental planning efforts that creates a more sustainable Louisiana Coast and enables communities to adapt to a changing landscape. The 2012 Coastal Master Plan has developed a dramatically different approach through its long-term, comprehensive vision for the future. The Master Plan is based on a two-year analysis involving some of the state’s best scientists, national and international specialists, as well as feedback from hundreds of local stakeholders and citizens. The state used this analysis to select 109 high performing restoration and protection projects that could deliver measurable benefits to our communities and coastal ecosystem over the coming decades. The plan shows that if these projects were fully funded at a price tag of $50 billion, we could reduce land loss and increase flood protection to create a more sustainable coast. In the face of devastating coastal erosion and climate change, the plan boldly offers solutions that will preserve our nation’s energy and economic security, restore the health of the Gulf region, and create more resilient coastal communities.
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