Gov. Schwarzenegger Announces 2010 Top Environmental Leadership Awards

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today honored 13 companies and organizations that have made extraordinary contributions to California’s environment and economy by awarding them with the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leaderships Award (GEELA) at the Governors’ Global Climate Summit 3. The award recipients were selected for their outstanding environmental leadership by voluntarily working to conserve the state’s precious natural resources, improve the environment and contribute to the economy.

“California’s long history of environmental leadership is due in large part to the companies and organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to preserving and protecting our natural resources,” said Governor Schwarzenegger. “I applaud this year’s honorees for their extraordinary leadership, innovative solutions and strategic investments to protect our environment and boost our economy.”

Established in 1993, the GEELA program is the state’s highest honor in recognizing individuals, companies and organizations that make significant contributions to the state by developing environmentally-friendly practices while contributing to the local economy. The 13 winners were chosen from more than 100 applicants in 10 different categories including: climate change; waste reduction; sustainable practices or facilities; enhanced environmental and economic leadership; children’s environmental education; comprehensive land-use planning; environmental and economic partnerships; sustainable communities; technological and market innovation; and ecosystem and watershed stewardship.

Awards are given based on strength in eight specific areas: results, transferability, environmental impact, resource conservation, economic progress, innovation and uniqueness, pollution prevention and environmental justice.

“These companies are true leaders,” said California Environmental Protection Agency Secretary Linda Adams. “They prove that we can make the move to a thriving green economy and that going green is good for the pocketbook and the environment.”

The 2010 GEELA recipients are:

1.      Alameda Municipal Power (Alameda County)

o   Alameda Municipal Power has prevented more than 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from entering our air annually by converting methane gas at four landfill energy plants into clean, renewable energy for its residents.

2.      Apple (Santa Clara County)

o   Through the development of cleaner, greener products, Apple helped eliminate more than 11,000 miles of polyvinyl chloride, 70 pounds of mercury, 7.5 million pounds of lead and 18,000 pounds of arsenic from our waste stream.

3.      California Cartage Company (Los Angeles County)

o   The California Cartage Company provided hundreds of its independent owners and operators a lease-to-own option that maximizes the federal tax credit and grant funding to offset the cost of new trucks. This program has helped to reduce emissions while significantly lowering the payments on new diesel trucks.

4.      California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance (San Francisco County)

o   The California Sustainable Winegrowing Alliance’s program has provided a Code of Sustainable Winegrowing Practices Workbook to the industry. They have conducted more than 200 self-assessment workshops with more than 1,500 vintners and growers who have assessed their operations against 277 sustainable winegrowing criteria.

5.      Earth Friendly Products (Orange County)

o   Earth Friendly Products and business practices have reduced waste from their business by 73 percent. They also produce more than 60 percent of their electricity from solar panels, reducing their carbon emissions. The company’s goal is to achieve 100 percent waste diversion by 2011 and zero emissions by 2015.

6.      The Energy Coalition (Orange County)

o   The Energy Coalition’s PEAK education curriculum provides hands-on energy lessons to elementary and middle school classes. Since 2006, the PEAK program has reached more than 130 schools and 600 teachers throughout California. They partner with local utilities to host energy saving events and conduct school energy audits, resulting in $188,000 provided to local schools for energy retrofits.

7.      First Community Housing Casa Feliz Studios (Santa Clara County)

o   First Community Housing Casa Feliz Studios is a LEED Gold certified green housing complex that serves low-income and developmentally disabled residents. The project is home to the Silicon Valley’s first-ever green vegetated roof top and its construction decreases energy usage, conserves water and utilizes drought resistance landscaping.

8.      High Mountain Fuels (Alameda County)

o   High Mountain Fuels, LLC’s Altamont Bio-LNG Facility has been producing up to 13,000 gallons of clean renewable Bio-LNG per day by purifying and liquefying landfill gas from the Altamont Landfill. The Facility generates enough fuel for 485 of Waste Management’s LNG collection vehicles throughout California and displaces 2.5 million gallons of diesel fuel annually.

9.      Renesas Electronics America (Placer County)

o   Renesas Electronics America’s Roseville Diversion Program successfully diverted 89 percent of its solid waste, resulting in a cost savings of $43,605 and nearly $85,000 in revenue through its various recycling programs.  Their waste reduction efforts prevented 996 metric tons of carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere. Their water re-use project saves 15.6 million gallons of water per year and saves $72,000 annually.

10. San Diego Padres PETCO Park (San Diego County)

o   San Diego Padres PETCO Park diverted roughly 575 tons of materials from landfills and reduced costs by $65,000 by reducing trash hauling fees. They compost food scraps, provide a universal waste drop-off center and provide daily service to the park in natural gas vehicles.

11. Union Pacific Railroad (Placer, Los Angeles and Riverside Counties)

o   Union Pacific Railroad’s Ultra-Low Emitting Genset Locomotive Technology reduces nitrous oxide emissions by 80 percent and particulate matter by 90 percent, while using as much as 30 percent less fuel compared to current older switching locomotives. The fuel savings also translates into a 30 percent reduction of greenhouse gases.

12. Venida Packing Company (Tulare County)

o   Venida Packing Company installed 8 acres of solar panels to offset 100 percent of its yearly power usage. The project provided more than 20,000 man hours of employment and will offset more than 45,389 tons of carbon dioxide emissions in the first 25 years.

13. Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation (San Diego County)

o   Wakeland Housing and Development Corporation’s Los Vecinos Apartments are the most efficient LEED Platinum affordable housing, multi-family development in Chula Vista that features zero-energy homes with 100 percent solar use and saves more than 1 million gallons of water annually. The development saves tenants $700-$1,100 annually in utility costs.

GEELA program recipients are selected by a large panel of evaluators including secretaries of the California Environmental Protection Agency, the California Natural Resources Agency, Business, Transportation and Housing Agency, the Department of Food and Agriculture, the State and Consumer Services Agency, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency and the Governor’s Office.  For more information about GEELA, visit http://www.calepa.ca.gov/Awards/GEELA/.