|
Click on photo to view larger image
.jpg)
|
An auto service facility that developed an innovative method of draining oil bottles, a manufacturer that is “landfill free,” and a college that achieved carbon neutrality for electricity are among the winners of the Maryland Green Registry’s first Leadership Awards.
The awards, which are to be presented annually, recognized five Maryland organizations that displayed outstanding leadership through their commitment to environmental practices. The recipients were: British American Auto Care; GM Baltimore Transmission; NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center; St. Mary’s College of Maryland; and Union Hospital of Cecil County.
Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Shari T. Wilson, Business and Economic Development Deputy Secretary Dominick Murray, and Natural Resources Deputy Secretary Joe Gill presented the awards July 6 at a Green Building Institute networking event at the EnviroCenter in Jessup.
“A healthy environment and a healthy economy go hand-in-hand,” said Secretary Wilson. “I am proud to present these awards to organizations that have displayed outstanding leadership through their strong commitment to environmental protection. While they represent a variety of facility types and sizes, all have several key factors in common that contribute to their success: each organization has a green team, has organization-wide commitment to environmental performance, sets annual environmental goals, and measures their results.”
The Maryland Green Registry is a voluntary program launched by Governor Martin O’Malley as part of the State’s Smart, Green and Growing initiative that promotes and recognizes sustainable greening efforts by organizations throughout Maryland. In order to join the Registry, businesses are required to complete an application detailing their involvement in at least five environmental best practices and provide at least one measurable result. There is no cost to join.
In only the first year of the program, the more than 200 Maryland Green Registry members reported reductions of 1.6 million pounds of hazardous waste, 4.7 million pounds of non-hazardous waste, 2.8 million gallons of wastewater, 3.6 million megawatts of electricity, and 1.5 million metric tons of carbon equivalent greenhouse gas emissions. They conserved 3.8 million gallons of fuel and 53 million gallons of water and recycled more than two billion pounds of solid waste. As reported by the members, these practices have resulted in an annual cost savings of $24 million.
Maryland Green Registry Leadership Award winners were chosen based on their commitment to continuous improvement and environmental results achieved to date.
British American Auto Care, an automotive service and repair facility in Columbia:
-
Developed an innovative method of draining oil bottles allowing them to save more than 55 gallons of oil and 588 pounds of plastic.
-
Converted more than half of their landscaping into a natural area that does not require mowing and converted an area to garden plots for employees.
-
Installed more efficient lighting systems throughout their facility, allowing them to cut their energy use in half.
GM Baltimore Transmission, which manufactures transmissions, including the two-mode hybrid transmission, in White Marsh:
-
Has been “landfill free” since 2007, meaning all waste is either reduced, recycled, or sent to a waste-to-energy plant.
-
Reduced its energy use by 54 percent since 2003.
-
Set goals for future water and energy conservation, driven by their ISO 14001-certified Environmental Management System.
NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center, a federal laboratory in Greenbelt that develops and operates unmanned scientific spacecraft and manages many of NASA’s earth observation, astronomy, and space physics missions:
-
Reduced their waste production by 25 percent since 2005, exceeding their original goal of a 20 percent reduction by 2010.
-
Is working to increase its renewable energy use by implementing a landfill gas project and retrofitting an existing building with a geothermal heat pump.
-
Achieved LEED Gold certification at their newly constructed Exploration Sciences Building.
St. Mary’s College of Maryland, a public honors college in St. Mary’s City:
-
Improved its energy efficiency by 25 percent and achieved 100 percent carbon neutrality for electricity through the purchase of Renewable Energy Credits supported by a fee increase initiated by the students,
-
Reduced its stormwater runoff by 50 percent -- even though the college has doubled in size since 1986.
-
Received the Audubon International Certification in Environmental Planning, making them the first college in Maryland to receive such certification.
Union Hospital of Cecil County, which offers a number of inpatient and outpatient services in Elkton:
-
Established benchmarks to measure success in programs such as their single stream recycling initiative and medical waste reduction strategies and developed a scorecard for each initiative to communicate progress to staff and the community.
-
Was the first hospital to join the “Balanced Menu Challenge,” promoting a climate change strategy through food services, and has also signed the Healthy Food in Health Care pledge to adopt sustainable agricultural practices into their food service department.
-
Converted 85 percent of chemicals purchased to Green Seal certified products.
Each of the Leadership Award winners completed a profile discussing the importance of: establishing a green team; setting annual environmental goals; measuring results; and maintaining organization-wide commitment to continual improvement in environmental performance. These Leadership Award profiles, which can be found on the Maryland Green Registry website, show that organizations of any type and size can achieve significant cost savings and environmental results by incorporating these management practices.
Maryland businesses, government and educational institutions, non-profit organizations, and facilities of all types are encouraged to join the Maryland Green Registry. All members receive an online profile demonstrating their commitment to environmental practices, a window decal, use of the Maryland Green Registry logo, and eligibility to apply for next year’s Leadership Awards.
To join the Registry, visit the “Join Here” page on the Green Registry website and download an application. For further information, contact the Maryland Green Registry Coordinator at GREEN.REGISTRY@maryland.gov or at 410-537-4119.
|
