FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Stephanie Swanson (503) 823-7109
Businesses for an Environmentally Sustainable Tomorrow:
City of PortlandRecognizes 11 Sustainable Companies with BEST Awards
Portland, Ore.—Eleven local Portland companies and organizations left the 14th Annual BEST Awards Breakfast with this year’s top honors from the City’s Office of Sustainable Development. The BEST Awards recognize businesses demonstrating an extraordinary commitment to sustainability. Mayor Tom Potter joined Portland City Commissioners Dan Saltzman and Erik Sten at the breakfast held today at the Oregon Convention Center.
“Portland businesses have always been leaders in showing how business can be done differently, and profitably—how you can have a successful business, create jobs, contribute to the local economy and protect the planet,” said Mayor Tom Potter.
“The point of the BEST Awards is to honor businesses that are redefining economic opportunity and successfully incorporating sustainable business practices into their bottom line,” added Commissioner Dan Saltzman. “Regardless of who goes home today with an award, it is clear that all these companies and organizations are making significant contributions to a healthy, prosperous future for our region.”
The 2006 BEST Award winners are:
- Sustainable Energy: The Holland Inc., for committing to use 100% renewable wind energy at its 39 Burgerville locations and its corporate offices.
- Sustainable Product Development: Arnold Creek Productions, for “Architecture to Zucchini,” a video documenting 12 sustainable business case studies, marketed to colleges and universities around the world.
- Water Efficiency: Port of Portland Property Maintenance Department, for the installation of irrigation devices that test for weather and soil conditions to optimize water use.
- Sustainable Food Systems: Portland State University, for the inclusion of sustainability criteria in its food service contract with Sodexho and for educating students about sustainable food choices.
- Sustainable Stormwater Management: Henry V, an event management company, for creative design of stormwater systems at its NE Portland headquarters.
- Transportation Alternatives: Portland Energy Conservation, Inc. for high rates of alternative commuting and for purchasing CO2 offsets for all business air travel.
- Waste Reduction/Pollution Prevention: Columbia Steel Casting Company, for recycling, reducing the impacts of manufacturing processes and finding uses for old materials.
- Waste Reduction/Pollution Prevention: SCRAP (School and Community Reuse Action Project) for its used materials retail store and in-school reuse education programs.
- BEST Practices for Sustainability: Nike, Inc. for extraordinary overall commitment to sustainable practices.
- BEST Practices for Sustainability: Stumptown Coffee Roasters for extraordinary overall commitment to sustainable practices.
- BEST Practices for Sustainability: Eleek, Inc., a designer and manufacturer of sinks, lighting fixtures, for extraordinary overall commitment to sustainable practices.
The breakfast’s keynote address was delivered by representatives from the ReMix Recycling Partnership, a national effort to increase magazine recycling. David Refkin, Director of Sustainable Development for Time, Inc.; David Struhs, VP of Environmental Affairs for International Paper; and Kate Krebs, Executive Director of the National Recycling Coalition talked about their commitment to promoting sustainability within their organizations and in the community.
Award winners were chosen from forty-five BEST Award applications. To learn more about the winners and all the applicant companies visit
www.sustainableportland.org.
The BEST Awards are made possible by generous partners including The Energy Trust of Oregon, the City of Portland Bureaus of Water, Environmental Services and Transportation; the Portland Development Commission; and the Sustainable Industries Journal.
Portland's Office of Sustainable Development: A Better Future. A Better Now.
The Office of Sustainable Development (OSD) brings together community partners to promote a healthy and prosperous future for
Portland. OSD advances improvements and innovation in energy use and technologies, waste disposal and recycling, sustainable purchasing, environmental education and green building practices. For more information on OSD programs, visit
www.sustainableportland.org.
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