We’re in excellent company; congratulations to our fellow Award recipients!
NEWS RELEASE
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
Contact: Victoria Pipkin-Lane, Green Leadership Awards Project Chair
vpipkin@ceo.lacounty.gov or (213) 974-1361
April 10, 2014
County Presents Sixth Annual Green Leadership Awards
Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman, Honors Innovative, Creative Environmental Sustainability Projects
LOS ANGELES – On April 22, 2014, Supervisor Don Knabe, Chairman, and members of the County Board of Supervisors will conduct its Sixth Annual Green Leadership Awards ceremony, recognizing outstanding and innovative environmental sustainability projects.
The awards will be handed out at 9:30 a.m. during the weekly Board of Supervisors meeting, Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 W. Temple St., Room 381-B, downtown Los Angeles.
The 2014 Green Leadership Honorees are:
CHAIR AWARD: Sona K. Coffee, Environmental Programs Manager, City of Manhattan Beach BUSINESS: The Boeing Company/El Segundo – Natural Resources Conservation Team
PUBLIC AGENCY: City of Manhattan Beach – Sustainability Programs
NON-PROFIT: ANEW, Inc. – Surplus Furniture Liquidation -Doing What’s Right with What’s Left
LOS ANGELES COUNTY: Department of Public Works – Household Hazardous Waste Management
“Members of the Board established the Green Leadership Awards in 2008 to promote citizen involvement in conservation and the protection of our natural resources,” said Supervisor Knabe. “This year the recipients range from a San Gabriel Valley non-profit, which recycles and repurposes surplus furniture to a Venice-based architectural firm that transformed a 100-year-old home into an energy saving marvel,” said the Supervisor.
“These awards highlight best practices by both the private and public sectors, and are presented during Earth Week to enhance community awareness,” said Chief Executive Officer William T Fujioka.
The Chair’s Green Leadership Award recipient was selected for the following accomplishments:
Sona K. Coffee
Environmental Programs Manager City of Manhattan Beach
Ms. Coffee currently serves as the Environmental Programs Manager for the City of Manhattan Beach, where she spearheaded an innovative sustainability program that provides valuable information to more than 30,000 people. The program encompasses climate change, water conservation principles, waste reduction, energy efficiency and renewable energy, and targets businesses, local residences and schools. Her strong leadership and writing skills resulting in the city receiving grant funding for alternative fuel vehicles and to install electric vehicle charging stations.
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She successfully incorporated biking and walking initiatives in various city projects and effectively communicated sustainability principles during numerous presentations to local elected officials, business groups, educational institutions and non-profit organizations.
The Los Angeles County Green Leadership award winners were selected for the following accomplishments:
Business Category – The Boeing Company – El Segundo
Natural Resource Conservation Team
Taking on the company’s commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, the El Segundo site formed an employee-driven Natural Resource Conservation Team, which aggressively promoted energy efficiency, water conservation and reducing solid waste to landfill. Innovative strategies and initiatives were implemented, including recycling, reusing and/or repurposing all non-hazardous waste. Boeing-El Segundo saved enough electricity to power more than 1,040 homes and supplied 65 households with water for an entire year.
The site achieved $1.1 million in electricity savings and nearly $35,000 in water savings. In addition, the team increased employee awareness and support through website postings, newsletters, monthly metrics and a conservation awards program, ensuring a culture of environmental sustainability.
Public Agency Category – Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach Implements Sustainability Programs
Management and City staff joined with residents serving on the Environmental Task Force to develop and implement programs designed to reduce energy consumption, greenhouse gas emissions and waste, while promoting alternative fuel/electric vehicles. The City provided free, accessible EV charging stations, beach clean-up tools, workshops to teach residents about water conservation and sustainable landscaping.
It also implemented pilot food waste collection projects and adopted public policies aimed at reducing pollution to the marine environment. Local landscape experts and high school students volunteered to re- landscape the entrance to City Hall, utilizing funding from the Santa Monica Bay Restoration Commission, and assist with other conversion projects.
Non-Profit Category – ANEW (Asset Network for Education Worldwide, Inc.)
Surplus Furniture Liquidation – Doing What’s Right with What’s Left
The non-profit organization was established to offer an environmentally-sound alternative to corporate and commercial surplus liquidation. Furniture, fixtures and equipment are redirected from area landfills to charities, educational facilities and public agencies. ANEW serves as a single point resource to coordinate the removal of furniture and other items and then reuse, resell or repurpose them and in the process create sustainable liquidation practices.
Documentation by independent specialists ensure ANEW’s metrics for landfill diversion and stewardship for community matching are measured and confirmed. Since its founding in 2005, the organization has redirected 12.8 million pounds of corporate surplus to more than 800 charities, representing a value of more than $1 million.
Resident Category – Duvivier Architects
Integrating Water/Architecture
The Venice, CA based firm transformed a 100-year-old, single-family home into a 1,750-square foot LEED Platinum residence. Isabelle Duvivier, an advocate for watershed management in architecture, utilized the Brooks resident to demonstrate how and where water is distributed and reused. A trench drain and Eco-rain boxes were installed at the low section of the property to allow for infiltration and prevent flooding. Collection cisterns for irrigation were used.
Garden areas were designed to create a haven for wildlife as well as a spot for orchards and farming. The passive solar home relies on lots of natural lighting, carefully placed windows, solar tubes and skylights. Natural ventilation eliminates the need for air conditioning. Approximately 85 percent of construction waste was reused instead of being sent to a landfill.
L.A. County Department – Department of Public Works (DPW)
Countywide Household Hazardous Waste Management
The Department went beyond a state mandate to implement a Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) program to establish a permanent, state-of-the-art collection center in Signal Hill, known as EDCO, and nine additional facilities across the County. The program also includes 96 annual events, mobile and permanent, 21 Sheriff Station drop-off sites, 14 collection sites at Public Health Clinics and 16 sites at Public Libraries, as well as nine used-oil centers, allowing residents to easily and conveniently dispose of household hazardous waste products.
EDCO is a strategic partnership between the private company, which operates the site, the City of Long Beach and the County Sanitation Districts, which has saved the County $3 million in design and construction costs. To date, more than 18 million pounds of HHW has been property and safely handled.
For more information on the County’s Green Leadership Awards, contact Victoria Pipkin-Lane at (213) 974-1361, vpipkin@ceo.lacounty.gov or Mary Savinar at (213) 974-1390, msavinar@ceo.lacounty.gov.
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