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2002 Winners: Local, State or Federal Government
 EPA Regional Administrator Wayne Nastri with Beverly Begay, program coordinator for Gila River Indian Community's Chemical Tribal Emergency Response Commission |
Gila River's Chemical Tribal Emergency Response Commission (Arizona)
Beverly Begay, program coordinator for the Gila River's Chemical Tribal Emergency Response Commission and Patricia Mariella, executive director for the Gila River's Department of Environmental Quality, developed a chemical emergency response plan for their community. Last June, the commission sponsored a table-top chemical emergency response exercise that culminated in a week-long workshop sponsored by the Gila River Indian Community Office of Emergency Management. The commission developed the plan through public participation and monthly meetings. The commission continually verifies that facilities on tribal land submitting required chemical inventory reports. The commission always strives to coordinate with neighboring local emergency planning committees in Arizona and has an excellent working relationship with the Arizona State Emergency Response Commission.
Western Shasta Resource Conservation District (Shasta County, Calif.)
The Western Shasta Resource Conservation District restores watersheds by working creatively with landowners, agencies, and other stakeholders. In 2001 the district helped restore the Clear Creek Watershed by filling old gravel mining pits and planting native trees in riparian habitat. Fall run Chinook salmon returning to spawn in Clear Creek reached their highest levels since the 1960's. Watershed assessments were completed last year for watersheds covering over 200,000 acres. To address the critical buildup of fuels, workers constructed over ten miles of shaded fuelbreaks to protect local resources from catastrophic wildfire. The district educates private landowners in watershed stewardship through trainings for livestock producers, watershed tours, and the distribution of a quarterly newsletter to 3,500 landowners.
Los Angeles County Department of Public Works (California)
The Department of Public Works developed an Integrated Waste Tire Recycling Program to address the significant need to recycle used tires. In 1993 the department began using rubberized asphalt concrete as paving material. It has applied rubberized asphalt to more than 800 lane miles of roads, diverting more than 1.6 million waste tires from landfills and saving the public approximately $13 million. Last year the department held a collection event for Earth Day, collecting approximately 10,000 waste tires by exempting the public from disposal fees. The department also built a demonstration project at a regional park to encourage the recycling market and demonstrate beneficial products made from recycled tires. This project used over 1,100 tires to surface a walking path, an outdoor shelter and 12 exercise stations.
 Alice LaPierre of Berkeley, Calif. Energy Office with Jeff Scott, EPA |
Berkeley Energy Office (California)
The City of Berkeley Energy Office runs a cutting-edge program to save energy and reduce global warming by targeting carbon dioxide emissions. The office sells energy saving products to local residents at wholesale prices and trains high school students to perform energy efficiency upgrades free-of-charge. The office has helped the city reduce carbon dioxide emissions by over 9,000 tons per year by implementing many programs such as upgrading traffic lights and retrofitting municipal buildings. The office also organized the successful Berkeley Unplugged residential energy conservation contest to encourage homeowner innovations. In 2001, the California PUC awarded the Energy Office a $2 million grant to perform lighting retrofits at 1,000 small businesses in collaboration with the City of Oakland; the hope is to reduce energy use by 1.5 MW (equivalent to reducing the amount of energy used by 1,500 homes)
Grace Omega Garces (Guam)
Garces, a public affairs officer with the Guam EPA, has protected the health of island residents by working vigorously with the U.S. Navy to provide better public information about PCB contamination of Agat Bay. Garces has also educated concerned citizens by launching the Guam EPA Web site in 2001. Finally, she reached out to the public beyond Guam by coordinating the 20th Annual Pacific Islands Environmental Conference, collaborating with environmentalists, youth representatives, and business and government leaders from throughout the vast Pacific region.
Clark County Department of Aviation Facilities Division (Las Vegas, Nevada)
As caretakers for five airports in Clark County, the Aviation Facilities Division works to reduce energy consumption. By making changes in lighting, heating, and other facilities, the division has reduced overall annual energy use by over 5 million kilowatt hours and 54,000 therms of natural gas, as well as eliminating approximately 7 million pounds of carbon monoxide emissions. The division's initiatives include installing fluorescent light reflectors, high pressure sodium lamps, energy efficient signs and automatic light controls. The division developed new lighting strategies for baggage claim areas, equipment rooms and offices -- work that has saved over $300,000 in energy costs in 2001, while continuing to provide the traveling public with excellent facilities.
 Gail Suzuki-Jones, Hawaii Dept. of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (center), with Wayne Nastri and Laura Yoshii, EPA |
Gail Suzuki-Jones
Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (Honolulu)
Suzuki-Jones played a lead role in creating Aloha Shares, a statewide nonprofit organization that distributes reusable and recycled construction materials to help build and repair homes for the needy. In addition, Aloha Shares helps the needy by distributing tons of used furniture discarded by military housing. Suzuki-Jones also helped establish Baseyard Hawaii, a warehouse, office and baseyard for contractors to donate used and excess material. Suzuki-Jones reaches out to the construction industry to promote donations and keep valuable materials out of landfills. Her commitment and credibility have persuaded many in the construction industry to participate in pilot projects. She has demonstrated that keeping materials out of landfills by reusing and recyling can save serious money.
City of Phoenix (Arizona)
The City of Phoenix created the Tres Rios Demonstration Constructed Wetlands to polish wastewater effluent from a city treatment plant at the rate of 2 million gallons of effluent per day. A valuable research hub, Tres Rios led scientists and engineers to discover a new method of nitrogen removal in wetlands, as well as other significant findings on the value of wetlands. A sanctuary for thousands of plants and animals, the project has become a resource for community education and enjoyment as well. A disabled-access trail system and bird-viewing blinds promote interest in local species. The City of Phoenix's creation of this desert oasis represents a visionary cooperative effort of many local, state, and federal agencies and community groups.
NASA Ames Research Center (Moffett Field, Calif.)
By committing its organization to better management practices, NASA Ames Research Center achieved significant reductions in pesticide and fertilizer use, as well as a dramatic reduction in solid waste disposal in 2001. Ames Plant Engineering Branch evolved an integrated approach to landscape maintenance consisting of integrated pest management, integrated vegetation management, and composting. Ames reduced its pesticide and herbicide use by 98 percent in 2001 compared to prior use levels. In 2001, Ames reused 100 percent of its landscaping debris by composting, resulting in a savings of approximately $60,000 in disposal costs. Ames anticipates that its workers will benefit by reduced exposure to pesticides.
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (Westminster, Calif.)
The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project is a recognized leader in coastal environmental research. Since 1969 the project has made vast contributions to help us understand the effects of human activities and wastewater on ecological systems. By facilitating collaboration among various public agencies, immeasurable contribution to coastal water protection has been made. The project has assisted EPA, Regional Water Quality Control Boards, the State Water Resources Control Board, and many local governments and stakeholders to design and implement a more regionalized coastal monitoring program. The project has also incorporated the work of scientists from Mexico and citizen monitoring groups. The project has also recently expanded its accomplishments to include a broader focus on land use and watershed systems.
Orange County Water District (Fountain Valley, Calif.)
The Orange County Water District operates an amazing collection of tools to reclaim and preserve water resources. The district purifies up to 140,000 acre-feet per year of water that meets or exceeds drinking water standards for one-half the energy that it costs to move water to Orange County from Northern California. The district manages Southern California's largest constructed wetlands to naturally treat Santa Ana River flows and to give refuge to 250 species of plants and animals. The district donates ultra-low-flow toilets to save water and helps hotels and restaurants reduce their pollution. The district conducts research on how to identify and remove pharmaceuticals in wastewater and stage an elaborate annual water festival to educate children. The district's vision incorporates a complex array of solutions to the challenge of protecting our water.
Arizona Department of Environmental Quality South Phoenix Environment Initiative (Phoenix)
The South Phoenix Environment Initiative represents one of the most ambitious community- based environmental efforts ever undertaken by the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality. The initiative has been an impressive success in matching a number of agency resources and programs to specific community needs and priorities. ADEQ's efforts led to the elimination of a longstanding public health risk at a prominent brownfields site, setting the stage for a safer, revitalized neighborhood. The initiative launched a comprehensive inspection sweep of hazardous waste facilities in South Phoenix, which provided a first-ever comprehensive baseline for industry compliance. ADEQ successfully widened its public notification systems and reorganized its efforts to create a more vigorous public outreach and education program.
Luke Air Force Base (Arizona)
Luke Air Force Base has been a leader in environmental activities for the Air Force for several years. Recently, Luke Air Force Base won the distinction of becoming the first major Air Force installation in the United States to be removed from EPA's federal Superfund list after aggressively pursuing a cleanup of World War II contamination. Luke serves as a model on how federal and state agencies can work together toward successful cleanups. Luke has also worked to excel in many areas such as recycling, car/van pooling, shuttle services and electric cars, curtailing water use and reclaiming wastewater for irrigation and landscaping. Luke continues to be a good neighbor by sponsoring local school Earth and Arbor Day festivities. The Air Force Base is also recognized in the state of Arizona for winning the Tree City, USA award for the eighth year in a row, the longest winning streak of any city in the state.
South Coast Air Quality Management District (Diamond Bar, Calif.)
The district's Clean Fleet Initiative has set the international standard for design and implementation of clean fleet programs. In 2000, the district that covers Orange County and portions of Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties began by adopting the most comprehensive set of clean fleet rules in the country . The rules require that owners and operators of fleets of 15 or more vehicles purchase low-emission vehicles whenever they replace or add to their fleets. The district has worked with fleet operators to ensure that clean vehicles and fuels are available and affordable. It has established programs to subsidize the purchase of clean vehicles and the installation of clean fuel delivery systems. At the state level, it has also worked with officials and legislators to provide additional financial support to affected fleet owners and to establish clean fleet programs at the state level.
Los Angeles Unified School District (California)
The district has developed a comprehensive waste diversion and recycling program for nearly one million students and 80,000 employees. The district has recently initiated a number of environmental measures, which includes expanding the mixed-paper recycling program to all schools and administrative offices, and developing a pilot composting program at several schools to process grass clippings and other green waste, milk cartons, food waste, and biodegradable products. The district also designated several test schools where recyclables will be picked up as part of the city's curbside program, and set up a recycling program for toner cartridges from schools and offices. In addition, the school board recently adopted a resolution to purchase environmentally preferable products. The district's commitment to recycling helps educate nearly one million students about waste reduction and recycling.
California Conservation Corps (Fortuna, Calif.)
The Fortuna Waste Reduction Team meets bi-weekly to discuss , implement and evaluate its waste reduction practices, procedures and solutions. The team started off the year by performing a waste audit before devloping a yearlong stratgy to improves its waste reduction and recycling practices. 2001 achievements included establishing and using "gourmet compost" bins, donating used furniture and appliances to local non-profits, switching over to non-toxic cleaning supplies and starting an aggressive recycling program. The corps also instituted a number of smaller measures, such as switching over to reusable laundry and lunch bags, and crafting notepades out of outdated paper forms. The team joined EPA's WasteWi$e program in August.
Redwood Valley Outdoor Education Project (Ukiah Valley, Calif.)
In Redwood Valley, a 45-acre forest of second-growth oak and madrone trees plays host to thousands of students learning about the forest ecosystem. The Ukiah Unified School District, which owns the property, intended to launch on-site outdoor education activities, but could not provide additional resources. A remarkable grassroots effort of the Ukiah Valley community unfolded with an anonymous donor providing $50,000 a year for five years to hire teachers dedicated to the site. Many other community members have joined in, forming a volunteer advisory board and donating time, materials, and financial support. Field trips and workshops involve streamside research, study of native plants and insects, and scouting activities. Ukiah Valley's project shows true community commitment to environmental education.
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