Richland Green Business of the Year:

Home Builder’s Association – Built Green Prg.
Contact: Renee Dahlgren –  735-2745; renee@hbatc.com 
Overview: Last year, this business won the “Excellence in Environmental Stewardship” award for their Tri-City wide effort to build greener. This program provides certification, education and information to encourage its members and contractors to Go Green when building or remodeling. A handy checklist and guide keeps the focus on energy and water conservation, environmental protection and preservation, recycling and using efficient building products. Far exceeding even their own expectations, the Built Green program had over 63 certified homes participating in less than a year, nearly 1/3 of which were built in Richland. Similar Built Green Programs in Washington state saw only about 20-30 certified homes, so our little community is well above the curve! Thanks to their efforts for putting this program in place, as well as being a catalyst to the entire community, I am proud to announce the Home Builder’s Association as Richland’s Green Business of the Year!

Richland Green Program of the Year:

Tri-City Herald Green Team
Contact: Kristina Lord - 582-1481; Klord@tricityherald.com 
Overview: The Tri-City Herald launched a company wide environmental program last year that was driven by like minded employees who formed the Tri-City Herald Green Team.  This team developed a logo, surveyed employees, improved recycling and environmental awareness, hosted brown bag speaker programs, started an On-Line Get Green Blog, began composting lunch scraps and launched a Green Tip featured weekly in the Herald.  This program is well deserving of the Richland Green Program of the Year as they have a large influence on behavior and can affect and educate an entire region. Their green commitment should be commended.

Green Project of the Year:

Oasis School – Green Grass Project
Contact: Phyllis Ferguson – 366-5306; Phyllis@oasis-school.org 
Overview: Oasis School’s Green Grass Project turned 2700 square feet of parking lot into a play and educational area for the children at Oasis School. The lawn was grown using organic fertilizer and the clippings are mulched or composted. Oasis received a grant and engineering assistance from Bechtel to design and build a solar powered, battery operated lawn mower, which helps maintain the lawn. Solar panels were mounted on a shed built by oasis parent volunteers, which house the charging stations and lawn equipment.  The flower beds are even watered with gray water from hand washing at the school.

Environmental Excellence:

Environmental Excellence:

Greenies
Contact: Darin Warnick, 946-3787; darin@greenielife.com 
Overview: Greenies is a Richland business that sells environmental friendly items and encourages outdoor activities by selling and renting Kayaks and bicycles. They also recycle their shipping material, paper and plastics and use recycled toner cartridges and non-toxic cleaners.  Some of their products contain 100% recycled material from shoes to fleece to T-shirts to bags. They also feature locally produced items. I for one was excited to see a business names Greenies, locate in Richland.   

Excellence in Environmental Stewardship for a Public Agency

-Hanford DOE Offices
Contact: Dr James A Wise, 376-0545; james_a_wise@rl.gov
Overview: Hanford is officially, going green and that is not easy! Hanford DOE offices are working to implement Executive and DOE Sustainability Orders to produce savings in energy, water and fuels usage while substituting environmental preferred products that reduce waste and hazardous materials handling. The Greening of Hanford will produce significant and positive impacts on how it affects future regional technological and economic development. For their efforts in implementing and overseeing this effort, Hanford DOE Offices receives the Excellence in Environmental Stewardship for a Public Agency.

Excellence in Environmental Stewardship for an Individual- Scott Albin

Contact: Scott Albin, 438-5563; scott.albin@email.wsu.edu  
Overview:  Late last year, Scott initiated a recycling program at the Red Lion Hotel where he worked. He collected the recyclables and loaded them up by hand in his ’93 Ford Explorer.  In 7 months he recycled 3.19 tons of glass, 1.74 tons of cardboard and over half ton of newspaper. He used his own time and gas money. As a student at WSU-TC, he was instrumental in reenergizing their recycling program. He increased recycling, revised the campus recycling website and founded the Sustainability Club.  His most recent accomplishment is working as an undergraduate tech assistance with a company that is conducting a greenhouse gas footprint of the entire Hanford Site. Scott recently said, “Environmentalism is my way of life and what I enjoy working for.”

Honorable Mention: Greening of the Richland Library

Contact: Ann Rosenberry, (509) 942-7450 aroseberry@ci.richland.wa.us
Overview: The remodeling of the Richland Public Library is an incredible green journey. Much of the remains of the old building were salvaged and recycled or reused, including the concrete, asphalt, copper, aluminum and steel. The contractor Chervenell Construction saved bricks and painstakingly hand cleaned them for use in new portions of the library. One preserved wall with the pictographs is now a featured interior wall in the lobby. From the roof to the windows to the lighting, all are energy efficient and environmental friendly. All of the paints, adhesives and sealers are low-volatile organic compounds and the flooring in the staff areas is made of recycled tires and tennis shoes.

Honorable Mention: Brian Upton (Individual Category)

Overview: Brian was nominated for his all around environmental commitment. Brian recycles or composts nearly all of his waste. His garbage can is seldom put out for collection. Energy and water efficiency is practiced and his front lawn has been converted into a native grass meadow which is watered by hand infrequently. His organic vegetable garden is watered carefully and is on a timer.  

Honorable Mention: Dan & Ellie’s Wiggly Worms

Contact: Dan Dutt, 366-3770; cuddlyworms@aol.com 
Overview: Most farmers increase their waste while producing a usable product but this small Benton City farmer actually reduces waste from the community while producing a waste that is then, reused by the community. Worm farming, who would have thought?  Unusable produce from markets and other farms are used as feed for Dan’s worm farm. The worms and castings are then sold to farmers, nurseries and gardeners for use as a soil amendment or for composting. 

Certificate of Appreciation: Richland School District

– Green Custodial Efforts
Contact: Mark Humann, 967-6105; mark.humann@rsd.edu 

Thanks to this year’s judges!

Nancy Aldrich, Richland Public Works
Brent Andrews, Richland Water Operations
Toby Billings, Richland Sewer Operations
Jim Coleman, Benton County Health Department
Bill Pogue, 2008 Green Business of the Year –Barracuda Coffee Company
Lora Rathbone, Richland Citizen & Community Volunteer
Ed Revell, Richland City Council, Mayor pro-tem
Dawn Senger, Richland Energy Services