Congratulations to the Finalists
AND WINNERS of the 2007 Environmental Initiative Awards
In 2007, new awards categories were created to better
represent the wide range of innovative and collaborative
environmental partnerships across Minnesota. The finalists
and winner in each category were announced on May 17,
2007 at the Environmental Initiative Awards dinner.
Air
Quality and Climate Protection
Green Building
and Development
Environmental
Education
Green Business
and Environmental Management
Natural Resource
Protection
Partnership
of the Year
Air quality and climate protection
winner:
Waldsee BioHaus serves as a unique Environmental Living
Center for the Concordia Language Villages in Bemidji,
Minnesota. The BioHaus features cutting edge approaches
to energy conservation and innovations in sustainable
building design. This approach resulted in a dramatic
reduction in energy consumption, as well as the showcasing
of a green roof system and low-emission building products
such as paints, flooring materials, and cabinetry.
The Laurentian Energy Authority (LEA) is a joint powers
public authority formed between the municipal utilities
of Virginia and Hibbing to develop and operate combined
heat and power renewable energy biomass plants in Northeastern
Minnesota. The LEA Biomass Energy Project preserves public
utilities, creates new jobs, reduces reliance on fossil
fuels, improves environmental impacts, and provides a
framework for biomass research opportunities in northern
Minnesota.
The Elk River Landfill Gas to Energy Project collects
landfill gas that is generated by the natural decomposition
of municipal solid waste and uses that gas to generate
electricity. Burning the methane gas for fuel produces
electricity, which supplants the need for fossil fuel.
This project represents an opportunity to reduce our dependence
on fossil fuel and reduce the production of greenhouse
gases.
Green Building and Development
WINNER:
The I-35 Corridor Alternative Urban Areawide Review was
a proactive, citizen-driven environmental review process
that comprehensively assessed the environmental impacts
of development in a 4600-acre growth area in the city
of Lino Lakes. The AUAR assessed the impact of development
on sensitive natural resource areas and provided a mitigation
plan for protecting these areas as well as documenting
and planning for infrastructure needs and improvements.
The Hawk Ridge Estates development is a major land redevelopment
in the city of Duluth that was within a mile of a national
birding area known as Hawk Ridge. In order to minimize
the impact to the birding area, the Housing and Redevelopment
Authority of Duluth, in consultation with the Hawk Ridge
Nature Preserve had its engineers conduct a study of migratory
raptors. Storm water issues were also a concern, as the
site is just upstream from a tributary to Lake Superior.
The site was able to be reassembled and redesigned in
such a way as to maximize the utilization on small building
sites while leaving as much as 38% of the total land undisturbed
or allowed to return to its natural vegetation.
The Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership (SWMHP) is
a nonprofit agency committed to developing and preserving
affordable housing. In 2006, SWMHP acquired the Viking
Terrace Apartments with the goal of preserving affordable
housing for the community while also undertaking extensive
green redevelopment of the property. The project included
the substantial rehabilitation of the interior and exterior
of the building with multiple green technologies, including
the installation of a geothermal heating and cooling system.
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION WINNER:
The Eco Experience is a partnership between the Minnesota
State Fair and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency,
as well as dozens of additional public and private partners,
to create a first-of-its-kind “eco experience”
at the Minnesota State Fair. This partnership was the
first in the nation to undertake such a large scale effort
to explain how environmentally friendly practices and
choices can keep our water and air clean and to preserve
natural resources, while supporting economic development.
The goal of LakeSuperiorStreams.org and the Regional Stormwater
Protection Team is to protect and enhance Minnesota’s
North Shore region’s shared water resources through
stormwater pollution prevention. The LakeSuperiorStreams
project uses a partnership of regional scientists, managers
and educators to enhance public understanding of streams
and their connections to watershed land use by using real-time
data and interpretive materials to illustrate the nature
and consequences of degraded stormwater and its real cost
to society.
Big River Journey is an environmental education partnership
among twelve organizations that connects school children
with the Mississippi River’s science and heritage,
and fosters river and watershed stewardship. The partnership
engages students in river-related curriculum over several
months, including hands-on exploration, restoration, and
community service projects that provide students with
the chance to learn and practice citizenship in the form
of river stewardship.
GREEN BUSINESS AND ENVIRONMENTAL
MANAGEMENT WINNER:
In February 2005, Andersen Corporation, Minnesota’s
largest window manufacturer, was notified that the steam
energy provided from a nearby plant would not longer be
available for use, requiring Andersen to find a steam
source within two years. Adhering to their environmental
performance guidelines for both manufacturing products
and process, Andersen selected a steam sourcing solution
that provided the ability to use virtually all renewable
energy.
As part of its commitment to reducing the amount and toxicity
of packaging waste, Medtronic developed a packing and
literature reduction strategy to reduce landfill waste.
Through this effort, Medtronic has developed new packaging
designs, and is moving from paper to electronic literature.
These new designs have reduced Medtronic’s packaging
waste and paper literature by over 500,000 pounds, and
has saved the organization $2 million.
Sparc is a community development corporation working in
St. Paul’s North End, South Como and Hamline Midway
neighborhoods. In conjunction with the St. Paul –
Ramsey County Department of Public Health, Sparc developed
a program to help homeowners replace windows in their
homes that contain lead paint. The primary goal of this
program is to reduce children’s exposure to lead,
with a secondary benefit being an increase in the energy
efficiency of the house.
NATURAL RESOURCE PROTECTION
WINNER:
The Pine Bend Bluff Natural Area is an ongoing partnership
among government, industry, and nonprofits to protect
and restore one of the highest quality remaining natural
areas in the Twin Cities on the bluffs of the Mississippi
River. To date, the partnership has resulted in the permanent
protection of 256 acres along the river, and ecological
resource management plans were developed for about 800
acres of the Natural Area. This planning has been followed
by implementation that includes intensive ecological restoration
work on over 160 acres to date.
The Minnesota Forest Legacy Partnership works with landowners,
loggers, recreationists and communities to preserve forests
for timber, jobs, outdoor recreation and wildlife habitat.
The Partnership uses conservation easements to prevent
the development of environmentally or ecologically significant
lands while securing in perpetuity public access, sustainable
timber management, and ecological diversity.
The Minnehaha Creek Watershed District’s Land Conservation
Program works cooperatively with private landowners, municipalities,
counties, and other agencies and organizations to ensure
the protection of our water, wetlands, and wildlife as
our communities grow. MCWD’s Land Conservation Program
works to address the link between land use and Minnesota’s
growing list of impaired waters. The result of these efforts
is a green infrastructure of natural areas that takes
advantage of the free water resource protection services
provide by nature, along with other benefits such as habitat
protection, reduced costs, conservation of natural resources,
and the protection of our quality of life.
pArtnership of the year WINNER:
Big River Journey is an environmental education partnership
among twelve organizations that connects school children
with the Mississippi River’s science and heritage,
and fosters river and watershed stewardship. The partnership
engages students in river-related curriculum over several
months, including hands-on exploration, restoration, and
community service projects that provide students with
the chance to learn and practice citizenship in the form
of river stewardship. |
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About the Awards
Awards Nominations
Attend the Awards
Finalists & Winners
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
2003
2002
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