A pair of environmental recognition programs have joined together to honor organizations that have achieved significant achievements in protecting the environment and helping sustain the future. Winners of the Governor’s Sustainability Awards and the Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact Awards Program were presented during a luncheon in Oak Brook.
Twenty-one Illinois companies and organizations have been honored with Governor’s Sustainability Awards presented by the Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC). ISTC is a unit of the Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois. Since 1987, ISTC has presented Governor’s awards to organizations in Illinois that have demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through outstanding and innovative sustainability practices that will also save money and help the economy. Any Illinois public or private organization is eligible to apply for an award. Organizations who are winning for the first time received the Sustainability Award. Those organizations that have won in past years and are continuing their environmental efforts are awarded a Continuous Improvement Award.
“These businesses and organizations have shown that it is possible to create and maintain conditions under which people and the environment can exist in productive harmony, and fulfill the social and economic requirements of present and future generations,” said Manohar Kulkarni, ISTC Director.
The 2012 Governor’s Sustainability Award winners are:
Sustainability Award (first time winners)
- Advocate Health Care – Oak Brook
- Christopher B. Burke Engineering, Ltd. – Rosemont
- CCH, a Wolters Kluwer business – Chicago
- City of Moline – Moline
- Clarke – Roselle
- County of Will – Joliet
- Flex-N-Gate Urbana – Urbana
- Fluorecycle, Inc. – Ingleside
- Knauz Automotive Group – Lake Bluff
- The Label Printers LP – Aurora
- Lawrence Foods, Inc. – Elk Grove Village
- Naperville Park District – Naperville
- Naval Station Great Lakes – Great Lakes
- The Peterson Garden Project – Chicago
- Quaker Foods & Snacks – Bridgeview
- Testa Produce, Inc. – Chicago
- Wight & Company – Darien
Continuous Improvement
- Caterpillar Technical Center – Mossville
- Farmland Foods, Inc. – Monmouth
- Vaughan & Bushnell Mfg. Co. – Bushnell
- Village of Schaumburg – Schaumburg
The other recognition is for participants in the Illinois Campus Sustainability Compact, which outlines environmental goals that colleges and universities may adopt on their campuses. The Compact includes objectives such as purchasing renewable energy, implementing green building practices, developing sustainable transportation options, improving water conservation, and incorporating sustainable dining practices. The program offers universities and colleges three levels of participation:
- Bronze institutions making a commitment to creating a sustainability program and engaging the campus community.
- Silver institutions which are ready to make targeted commitments to greening their operations and monitoring performance.
- Gold for institutions that are integrating sustainability throughout their campus and working towards measured improvement.
The twenty-one Illinois colleges and universities being honored, and their recognition level are:
- Danville Area Community College – Danville – Bronze
- DePaul University – Chicago – Bronze
- Elmhurst College – Elmhurst – Bronze
- Heartland Community College – Normal – Bronze
- Illinois Institute of Technology – Chicago – Gold
- Joliet Junior College – Joliet – Gold
- Kankakee Community College – Kankakee – Gold
- Lewis & Clark Community College – Godfrey – Gold
- Lewis University – Romeoville – Bronze
- Lincoln Land Community College – Springfield – Bronze
- Moraine Valley Community College – Palos Hills – Gold
- Northwestern College – Bridgeview – Bronze
- Northwestern University – Chicago – Bronze
- Roosevelt University – Chicago – Bronze
- Southern Illinois University Edwardsville – Bronze
- Southwestern Illinois College – Belleville – Bronze
- Triton College – River Grove – Bronze
- University of Illinois at Chicago – Gold
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – Gold
- Waubonsee Community College – Aurora – Gold
- Wilbur Wright College – Chicago – Bronze
The Prairie Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is the home of the Illinois State Scientific Surveys: Illinois Natural History Survey, Illinois State Archaeological Survey, Illinois State Geological Survey, Illinois State Water Survey, and Illinois Sustainable Technology Center. It was established by statute in 2008 and builds on the Surveys’ reputations for basic and applied research and service. www.prairie.illinois.edu
The Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC) was established in 1985 and joined the Prairie Research Institute with the other surveys in 2008. Its mission is to be at the forefront of environmental and energy research and innovative technological advances that reduce wastes and protect natural resources. It imparts this knowledge to the general public, businesses, state agencies, and the scientific community to improve the environment and economic viability of Illinois and other communities. www.istc.illinois.edu
