For Release: Thursday, December 7, 2006
DEC Presents Third Annual Environmental Excellence Awards
Commissioner Sheehan Recognizes Organizations for Environmentally Sound Practices
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Denise M. Sheehan today will announce six winners of the third annual New York State Environmental Excellence Awards for outstanding efforts in environmental innovation, sustainability and partnerships. The awards presentation will be held at 12:45 pm at the New York State Legislative Office Building in Albany, NY, and is open to the media.
DEC established this awards program in 2004 to recognize innovation, sustainability and creative partnerships that achieve exceptional environmental, social and economic benefits for New York State.
The field was very competitive and applications were reviewed for technical merit by DEC staff and an advisory committee, which included representatives from academia, business, government, citizen organizations, and environmental and conservation groups.
DEC will present the awards during the Environmental Excellence Awards ceremony held as part of the Healthy Environment - Healthy Economy Symposium (www.hehe-ny.org ) . The symposium covers developments in green buildings, renewable energy and sustainable manufacturing. The awards ceremony celebrates the winners' achievements and provides a forum for each of the award recipients to present and discuss their programs and accomplishments.
The winners of the 2006 Environmental Excellence Awards (in alphabetical order) are:
Council on the Environment of New York City:
The not-for-profit Council on the Environment of New York City is being honored for promoting sustainable rainwater harvesting practices in New York City's community gardens and green spaces. Each year their efforts divert over 325,000 gallons of rainwater onto gardens rather than into stormwater drains. The Council convenes educational workshops and assists community gardeners in identifying alternate water resources and building low cost systems.
Monroe County:
Monroe County is being honored for establishing the Monroe County Stormwater Coalition, an outstanding inter-municipal partnership. The Stormwater Coalition is comprised of 27 municipal separate storm sewer system operators. Coalition members work collaboratively to improve water quality in a cost-effective manner by developing ordinances, correcting infrastructure problems and administering a multi-faceted education and training program. The Monroe County Stormwater Coalition serves as a model for inter-municipal stormwater coalitions throughout the state.
Rochester City School District:
The Rochester City School District, Monroe County, is being honored for its commitment to improve energy efficiency through an innovative and fiscally sound energy management program. Concurrently, the district advances the education of sustainability, energy efficiency and renewable energy to K-12 students and teachers throughout the district. As part of this innovative program, the district provides an incentive for participating schools by returning 50% of documented annual energy savings to fund the energy-related educational expenditures.
The Nature Conservancy and Lyme Timber Company:
The Nature Conservancy and the Lyme Timber Company are being honored for an innovative partnership to protect 104,000 acres of forest land in the Adirondack Park. The Sable Highlands project balances the environmental, economic and land use interests of multiple stakeholders. The project also ensures the sustainable use of forest land, the protection of water quality and the conservation of ecologically-significant habitats.
Town of Cortlandt:
The Town of Cortlandt, Westchester County, is being honored for leadership in open space preservation. The town has taken a holistic approach to land preservation with all regulatory boards working in cooperation to maximize preservation efforts. The town's multi-faceted approach to land preservation is grounded in the principals of smart growth planning, land conservation and conservation easements.
Xerox Corporation, Webster Campus:
Xerox Corporation, Webster Campus in Monroe County is being honored for its product stewardship and sustainable manufacturing facilitated by its implementation of an environmental management system. Xerox has pioneered the practice of converting end-of-life electronics into new products, developed an innovative life-cycle analysis process to maximize material recyclability and has improved awareness of its recycling program, resulting in an overall plant site reuse/recycle rate of 81% for all materials used in this facility.
DEC is developing an ongoing environmental leadership program. New York Environmental Leaders will focus on recognizing and providing incentives to organizations that demonstrate long-term commitments to superior environmental management and performance. More information on the Environmental Leaders program is available on DEC's website.
For further details on the Environmental Excellence Awards program and to learn more about our past and present award winners, visit our website.
