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Sustainable Seattle's Sustainable Community Outstanding Leadership Awards (SCOLA) were initiated in 2001. These awards recognize the outstanding efforts of individuals and organizations that are helping to make the Puget Sound region a more sustainable and livable place. In 2010, Sustainable Seattle honored the leadership and innovation of local individuals, organizations, businesses and public agencies in the following categories: Built Environment, Business, Government, Neighborhoods & Community, and Social Justice.
2010 Leadership in Sustainability Awards
Individuals, initiatives and organizations were recognized for their long term commitment and positive impact in our region and towards our progress towards sustainability.
Natural Environment
Shelly Solomon - founder and operator of Leaping Frog Films
Shelly Solomon is social entrepreneur with an environmental cause combined with serious optimism and activism. She makes science understandable and inspiriting to the non-scientist through her films.
Personal Environment
Seattle Tilth inspires and educates people to grow food organically, conserve natural resources and support local food systems in order to cultivate a healthy urban environment and community. Seattle Tilth is working to cultivate a more sustainable city, one garden at a time.
Social Environment
FareStart is a culinary job training and placement program for homeless and disadvantaged individuals. Over the past 18 years, FareStart has provided opportunities for over 3,500 people to transform their lives, and serve over 4 million meals to disadvantaged men, women, and children
2010 Innovation in Sustainability Awards
Individuals, initiatives and organizations were recognized for introducing a new way to do things that inspires others and contributes towards positive change in our progress towards sustainability.
Natural Environment
Alleycat Acres is a urban farming collective that turns abandoned lots in urban areas into community-run farms taking a comprehensive approach they refer to as Farming 2.0: cultivating food, relationships, and a connection to our land in an urban setting.
Personal Environment
FROGBOX is a low impact moving service that provides a convenient, affordable, and environmentally friendly alternative to cardboard boxes. They use trucks powered by biodiesel that is purchased from local distributors and donate 1% of their revenue to frog habitat restoration.
Social Environment
Belltown Pull Apart is a bike shop that goes to particularly great lengths to re-use parts that would otherwise get scrapped/recycled, making cycling even more resource-efficient.
Built Environment
General Biodiesel is a Seattle-based renewable energy firm that aggregates, refines and transforms regionally generated sustainable feedstock into renewable fuel. General Biodiesel collects used cooking oil from any and all food serving establishments in the region. and operates the only plant presently certified in Washington state to transform this waste stream into low carbon biofuel.
Awards were announced at our Annual Event held at Hidmo on December 16th.
About the process: In 2010, Sustainable Seattle announced it was reviving the awards program to the public on the website, and through social media tools. The announcement included a nomination form and invitation to the public to submit nominees. Sustainable Seattle board members and staff were asked to nominate at least three individual, organization or initiative. Sustainable Seattle's advisory board for 2010 was also asked make nominations. A judge panel was convened by Sustainable Seattle and provided criteria for the awards. They selected awardees for in the area of expertise, the panel as a whole discussed the choices, including including nominees not selected by the judges and the panel as a whole voted on the winners. The board of directors oversaw the process.
Nominees for the 2010 Sustainability Awards
Built Environment Nominees
Charlie Cunniff
Charlie brought true change to our approach to a safe climate. As Director of the Seattle Climate Partnership (SCP), his work with businesses and agencies to help measure and reduce their carbon footprint has resulted in building an understanding of a carbon free world into organizational structure and behavior. Charlie creates and builds relationships among people and organizations that further our regions capacity to take action for a safe climate. Charlie was the Executive Director of Environmental Coalition of South Seattle (ECOSS) for almost 14 years before that, where he brought new definition to a collaborative environment and to environmental responsibility.
Seattle Steam
Seattle Steam work to create district heating in the Seattle area is instrumental in a safe climate. The company works with customers, suppliers and agencies to realize a Seattle with a closed loop energy system- something nature does naturally. In the fall of 2009, Seattle Steam began producing steam using a biomass boiler that burns clean urban waste wood from local sources. This project reduced CO2e emissions by about 45,000 tonnes annually. Seattle Steam is a member of The Climate Registry and has been voluntarily reporting its greenhouse gas emissions since 2007.
General Biodiesel*
General Biodiesel is a Seattle-based renewable energy firm that aggregates, refines and transforms regionally generated sustainable feedstock into renewable fuel. From family-owned restaurants to schools, hospitals, corporate kitchens, shopping malls, and national chains, General Biodiesel collects used cooking oil from any and all food serving establishments in the region. In Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood, General Biodiesel owns and operates the only plant presently certified in Washington state to transform this waste stream into low carbon biofuel. Current biodiesel clients include fuel distributors and retailers, select City of Seattle and Port of Seattle fleet vehicles, private enterprise employee shuttles and more. The company’s mission is to be a leader in the renewable energy field while creating local, green economy jobs. Generating Positive Energy™ is the company’s tagline, reflecting both what it produces and its commitment to make meaningful and measurable contributions to the environment, people and communities it serves.
*Also nominated in the social and natural environment categories.
BrentHaven
Brenthaven makes zero waste ergonomically sound backpacks and laptop/technology case. BrentHave works under a three tiered belief system: Create laptop cases that last a lifetime... and stand behind them. All Brenthaven cases are made of the finest, most durable materials and come with a llifetime guarantee; Reduce what we can... Recently, Brenthaven changed its packaging strategy and eliminated the use of over 100,000 boxes; they use recycle paper and soy-based inks to make all marketing materials; and they give employees financial incentives to walk, bike, carpool or take public transportation to work; Offset what we cannot... Last year, through thier investments in carbon credits, they offset over 50% of thier carbon footprint. Their ultimate goal is to become a carbon neutral or carbon balanced company. They call this Zero Impact™. Additionally, BrentHaven works very closely with the Bellingham community to support local farmers markets, support green transportation, and be a part of the greater community through their retail outlet.
Natural Environment Nominees
Brick House Winery
Brick House Winery provides organically grown wine using the old ways in its agricultural and processing practices. All their fruit is estate grown. All of it is certified organic. Brick House Winery was the pioneer of biodynamic farming om the Oregon wine country. Brickhouse restored formerly heavily contaminated hazelnut orchards to organic practices and helped to preserve the watershed. Brick House continues education and mentoring of other winemakers in the region as well as pushing biodynamic farming principles throughout the wine making world.
King Conservation District
The King Conservation District (KCD) is a natural resources assistance agency authorized by Washington State and guided by the Washington State Conservation Commission. Our mission is to promote the sustainable use of natural resources through responsible stewardship. Since 1949, the KCD has been helping the people of King County manage their natural resources. We educate landowners, schools, scientists, consultants and agencies in how to recognize problem situations and how to avoid creating them. We also provide technical assistance in solving their problems. We promote conservation through demonstration projects, educational events, providing technical assistance and, in some cases, providing or pointing the way to funds which may be available for projects.
*Also nominated in the personal environment category.
Shelly Solomon
Shelly Solomon is social entrepreneur with an environmental cause combined with serious optimism and activism. Shelly’s business, Leaping Frog Films, make science understandable and inspiriting to the non-scientist. Shelly gave up her career as a biologist and water quality restoration specialist and devotes herself to making films to increase public awareness in our region of the positive environmental work being done around the world.
Alleycat Acres
Alleycat Acres is a urban farming collective reconnects people with food. The Alleycats turn abandoned lots in urban areas into community-run farms (with the permission of landowners!). Alleycat Acres takes a comprehensive approach to the many issues of urban agriculture facing our communities. Their urban farms lay the groundwork that enables anyone to join in the process they refer to as Farming 2.0: cultivating food, relationships, and a connection to our land in an urban setting.
Richard Conlin
Richard is a founder of Sustainable Seattle and has been on the Seattle City Council since November 1997. During that time and before Richard has ceaselessly worked to make Seattle a more sustainable city through reducing waste, strengthening neighborhoods, improving pedestrian mobility and transportation infrastructure, and making government more transparent. Richard was a champion of local food before it was called local food, and has supported people and organizations in their efforts to research, take action and form policy for a local food system.
Environmental Outreach and Stewardship (EOS) Alliance
EOS Alliance provides environmental professional training nationwide, manage a Department of Energy Carbon Capture & Sequestration grant for future CCS training as well as manage a team of AmeriCorps personnel who focus on environmental education, habitat restoration and community engagement. EOS is dedicated to making our communities and environment a better place to live. Their work focuses on inspiring change, facilitating action while producing sustainable results.
Friends of the Cedar River Watershed
Friends of the Cedar River Watershed (The Friends) is a private, non-profit organization incorporated in 1996 and dedicated to the protection and restoration of the Cedar River Watershed, an ecological preserve that is source of drinking water to more than a million greater Seattle area residents. The friends are working to; ensure the long-term stewardship of the watershed, provide and promote environmental education, especially for children, and educate the public about the importance of the Cedar River Watershed. With several current programs in place.
*Also nominated in the personal environment.
Social Environment Nominees
Belltown Pull-Apart
This bike shop goes to particularly great lengths to re-use parts that would otherwise get scrapped/recycled, making cycling even more resource-efficient.
ReBinder
ReBinder Not only makes their products from recycled materials as much as possible, but they also put a lot of thought into modularity - e.g. the metal and cardboard parts of their binders can be separated so when one wears out the other can be reused.
Bedlam Coffee
Bedlam Coffee has done much more than most coffee shops to create a great "third place" and they're kind of functioning as the de facto community centre for Belltown, which lacks one.
FareStart
FareStart is a culinary job training and placement program for homeless and disadvantaged individuals. Over the past 18 years, FareStart has provided opportunities for over 3,500 people to transform their lives, and serve over 4 million meals to disadvantaged men, women, and children. More recently FareStart began its YouthCare Barista Training and Education program for homeless and at-risk youth.
Inye Wokoma
Inye Wokoma is a freelance photographer, filmmaker, graphic designer, visual artist, advocate and long time resident of the Central District. As a photographer and graphic designer he works almost exclusively on projects with a sense of social responsibility. This includes taking on assignments with non-profit grassroots organizations combating HIV/AIDS, immigrant rights, and labor conditions for migrant farm workers amongst others.
Street Bean Espresso
Street Bean Espresso employs street youth, giving them an extremely valuable pathway towards getting off the street.
Taylor Shellfish Farms
Taylor Shellfish Farms has a huge community support of employees and families. They put forth an immense amount of effort towards sustainable farming practices and issues pertaining to water quality. The property encompasses an educational wilderness trail and employs several individuals committed to teaching the youth about the importance of environmental stewardship. Taylor Shellfish Farms is also working with Portland Food Alliance to develop the sustainable farming guidelines for shellfish in the Pacific Northwest.
*Also nominated in the built, natural, and personal environment.
Personal Environment Nominees
Frogbox
FROGBOX is a low impact moving service that provides a convenient, affordable, and environmentally friendly alternative to cardboard boxes. They will deliver and pickup the reusable moving boxes using trucks powered by biodiesel that is purchased from local distributors. FROGBOX donates 1% of their revenue to frog habitat restoration, and in Seattle that means it goes to the Woodland Park Zoo for their Oregon tree frog project. FROGBOX has donated over $2000 worth of services in the last month to local non-profits and offers commercial discounts for business's and non-profit's throughout the Puget Sound region.
Pinpoint Pickup
By giving a more convenient and more attractive alternative to taxis for people who won't take the bus, Pinpoint Pick up has reduced drunk driving in nightlife areas.
The Herbfarm
The Herbfarm has a regional focus on sustainable food and farming. The Herbfarm created a high-end restaurant industry out of local food twenty years before it was trendy! They have a 5-acre farm where bees, livestock, vegetables and all herbs are grown. in addition to sourcing locally year round, they are the only restaurant where three weeks out of the year they support a hundred mile commitment where nothing (no salt, lemon, olive oil, etc.) can be used that is sourced from outside of a 100-mile radius from the restaurant.
The Herbfarm provides education to the public about farming, local food sourcing, growing, and healthy eating. The Herbfarm also participates in a variety of different community events including invasive clean-up along the Sammamish River and donating to local food banks. They reduce reliance on landfills through implementation of a composting program operated on their biodynamic farm.
*Also nominated in the built, natural, and social environment.
TOPS Elementary:
TOPS Elementary provides education using an anti-bias, multicultural approach in a safe and stimulating environment for historically underserved students. TOPS students learn to understand and honor diversity, to respect and care for themselves and others, to be responsible, and to achieve a high level of academic excellence. TOPS students are taught to be active participants, leaders, learners, and contributors to social justice.
Seattle Tilth
Seattle Tilth is a nationally recognized non-profit educational organization dedicated to inspiring and educating people to grow food organically, conserve natural resources and support local food systems in order to cultivate a healthy urban environment and community. Seattle Tilth is working to cultivate a more sustainable city, one garden at a time. Programs include classes for adults, kids and families, community learning gardens, the Master Composter/Soil Builder volunteer training program, a gardening hotline. In addition to these traditional educational and outreach efforts, new initiatives include green jobs training in agriculture for homeless youth through Seattle Youth Garden Works and for refugees through a “farm incubator” program.
* Also nominated in the built, natural, and social environments.
21 Acres
This unique non-profit organization continues to serve a vision in creating and operating a vital, open public space, for all to rediscover the agricultural heritage of our region. The vision of the board and supporting entities lends way for the community at large to engage and learn about cutting-edge, sustainable agricultural and technologies as well as ways to maximize the beneficial aspects of fresh local produce and farm products. The “new” 21 Acres Center, green building, is an innovative, community-driven project that serves as an agricultural and environmental learning center for all. 21 Acres Center for Local Food and Sustainable Living education is designed to challenge conventional building designs. Built to last a lifetime and offer high energy efficiency, natural daylight, ventilation, and enveloped wall systems. The separate components of the building complement and compound the savings by way of energy self sufficiency, forgoing external utilities use.
*Also nominated in the built environment.
Jenny Heins
As coordinator of the Seattle Green Festival, she has managed an immense event that has brought upwards of 25,000 people to the King County Convention Center each year. Jenny has been responsible for the amazingly diverse program at the festival, she has done all this work with grace and generosity and an openness to all ideas. Jenny has also been the co-ordinator of Sustainable Ballard, and been inolved in the planning and execution of the many events that SB has carried out over the past couple of years, bringing the sustainability message to members of her local community. Jenny is also involved in the leadership of SCALLOPS, helping build sustainable communities throughout the region. She is a big tent person, who understands completely the holistic (not simply environmental) meaning of sustainability, lives her life in accordance with her values and helps all of us move forward.
*Also nominated in the social, personal, and built environment.
People for the Puget Sound
People for the Puget Sound is a citizens' group established in 1991 by Kathy Fletcher to protect and restore the health of our land and waters through education and action. People for Puget Sound’s program, “Puget Sound Starts Here” gives children, youth and adults simple actions to stop polluting our waters including scooping pet poop, refraining from washing cars where suds drains into our waters, and ending overuse of fertilizers, pesticides and herbicies and runoff into the Sound.
Judges for 2010 Sustainability Awards
Social Environment Experts
Jon Ramer
Jon Ramer is a long time leader in the sustainability movement in our region. His current projects include Seattle's Compassionate Action Network and I-Deal, a new way of trading and bringing about social consciousness. He was the Executive Director and Co-Founder of the Interra Project that sought to empower citizen consumers by aligning our deepest human values with our daily economic activities. Jon is a member of the Best Practices Working Group operating within the Access to Justice Technology Bill of Rights in the Washington State Supreme Court. Jon has studied and taught music theory and compositions for twenty five years, has authored over 100 musical compositions and performs regularly in the Seattle area. Jon lives in Seattle, Washington
Josh Neblett
Josh is the president of GreenCupboards, an online retailer of environmentally friendly products for homes and businesses. The company’s business model is unique in that GreenCupboards holds no inventory; all products are shipped directly from manufacturers or distributors which dramatically minimizes transportation and warehousing costs and conserves energy. GreenCupboards was co-founded by a team of students from Gonzaga after winning a business plan competition between Gonzaga, Whitworth and EWU. In less than 3 years, GreenCupboards has grown to 13 employees with a revenue run rate exceeding $1.5 million.
Natural Environment Experts
Heather Trim
Heather is the Urban Bays and Toxics Program Manager for People For Puget Sound. She has more than 20 years of experience in environmental work. In Los Angeles, she worked for the Regional Water Quality Control Board on water quality standards, regulatory permits, and pollution assessments of both surface and ground water for Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. She then was staff scientist for the Los Angeles and San Gabriel Rivers Watershed Council focusing on various projects leading to the greening of the rivers, including water quality, stormwater issues, pollution assessments and habitat renewal. She moved to Seattle in 2001 and joined People For Puget Sound in 2002. She works on reducing toxic pollution and protecting shoreline health in Puget Sound and also focuses on a range of Seattle issues – waterfront, habitat, stormwater, and landuse. She has been a leader of Zero Waste Seattle which has run campaigns on food serviceware styrofoam ban, plastic bags and reducing unwanted phonebooks, among other waste reduction efforts. She enjoys camping and travelling but is a pathetic bike rider.
Dr. Tim Abbe PhD, PEG, PHG
Dr. Abbe is an internationally recognized geomorphologist, a licensed engineer and hydrogeologist with 20 years of applied science and research experience in geology, geomorphology, environmental restoration, risk assessment, self-mitigating flood and erosion protection, sustainable land management, and water resources. Dr. Abbe has developed and implemented cutting edge solutions for a wide range of complicated problems involving rivers, shorelines, infrastructure and development. Dr. Abbe is one of the foremost experts on the dynamics, management and re-introduction of wood debris in the world. He pioneered the development of engineered log jam (ELJ) structures which emulate natural conditions and processes to rehabilitate aquatic and riparian habitat, provide erosion control, flood diffusion, grade control, and sediment retention.
Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott
Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott is WSU’s Extension Urban Horticulturist and holds a Ph.D. in Horticulture from Oregon State University. Linda has lectured extensively to a variety of audiences on sustainable landscaping, based on current and relevant plant science. In 2009, she and three other academic colleagues launched “The Garden Professors” blog, through which they educate and entertain an international audience. Over the past 11 years, Dr. Chalker-Scott has written articles for Fine Gardening, Organic Gardening, and MasterGardener Magazine. In 2010, she was named a contributing editor to Fine Gardening magazine. Her first book, The Informed Gardener, is an award-winning examination of some common horticultural myths. The sequel – The Informed Gardener Blooms Again – was released in 2010 and continues horticultural myth-busting. She also recently published Sustainable Landscapes and Gardens: good science – practical application (2009, GFG Publishing, Inc.), a 22-chapter book which she edited
and jointly authored with 20 colleagues.
Website: http://www.theinformedgardener.com
Blog: http://www.gardenprofessors.com
Built Environment Experts
Anja Gilbert
Anja Gilbert is a Program Associate with The Climate Registry, a nonprofit collaboration among North American states, provinces, territories and Native Sovereign Nations that sets consistent and transparent standards to calculate, verify and publicly report greenhouse gas emissions into a single registry. In her role as a Program Associate, Anja assists Registry Members and regulated facilities in Massachusetts and Nevada apply Climate Registry protocols to develop their inventories, report into The Climate Registry’s GHG software CRIS and verify their emissions inventories. Anja also develops trainings, assists with software development and hosts sector specific user groups for utilities, local governments and wineries. Before joining The Registry, Anja worked in various environmental education and legislative analysis roles for organizations including a grassroots lobbying firm in Sacramento, California, the National Branch of the Sierra club, and California Assemblyman, Kevin deLeon. Anja received a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of California at Davis.
Alistair Jackson
Alistair has worked in the field of sustainability for more than 14 years, with a focus on sustainable development of the built environment since 2001. Alistair leads O’Brien & Company’s residential services team, who provide feasibility analysis, design support and facilitation, verification and performance testing for residential projects. Alistair is the Certifier and senior consultant for O’Brien & Company’s role as Provider for LEED for Homes certification in Washington, Alaska and Hawaii. Alistair has developed educational curricula and spoken at numerous green building Conferences, including West Coast Green, Affordable Comfort Northwest, and Built Green. He has delivered green building presentations, trainings and workshops across the US, and is a LEED for Homes Faculty member for the USGBC. LEED Faculty are highly trained in both green building practice and instructional methods.
Personal Environment Experts
Jeff Aken
Jeff Aken started working for the Cascade Land Conservancy in August of 2007. Jeff works as a planner on the Cascade Agenda Cities Program. His work focuses on creating compact communities by using smart-growth tools along with community outreach about regional growth patterns. This work includes policy analysis, citizen engagement and best practices research. He has a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Washington. Prior to this Jeff worked for the College of Forest Resources at the University of Washington. Jeff grew up in northern Colorado and still has a soft spot for pine forests and sage covered hills.
Pam Elardo
Pam Elardo is the Director of King County’s Clean Water Utility, the Wastewater Treatment Division, where she manages 600 employees serving over 1.4 million customers to protect the Central Puget Sound region. Pam began with the county in 2001 in leadership roles at the West Point Treatment Plant and Capital and Asset Management Programs. Before coming to King County, Pam worked with the Washington State Department of Ecology for 14 years. Pam has master’s degree in environmental engineering and a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering. She is a licensed Professional Engineer and is a certified Group IV Treatment Plant Operator. Pam’s career began as a Peace Corps volunteer in Nepal constructing village water supply and sanitation systems. She currently serves as the President of the Living Earth Institute (http://living-earth.org), an international non-profit dedicated to empowering communities to protect their health and environment through sustainable use of water resources.
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