April 20, 1999

Contact:
Carolyn Duncan, (206)296-8361

Ten receive Green Globe Award
King County honors exceptional actions to help environment

King County marked Earth Day by honoring some of the people, businesses and organizations that have done outstanding things to help the region's environment. Civic leader Jim Ellis, two citizen environmental preservationists and seven businesses and organizations received the county’s 1999 Green Globe Award at a breakfast ceremony on Earth Day, April 22.

The award from King County's Department of Natural Resources recognizes businesses, organizations and individuals who stand out among their peers as environmental stewards. Recipients are participants in King County environmental management and assistance programs who have distinguished themselves from among more than 600 other eligible businesses, organizations and individuals pursuing high environmental standards.

The 1999 Green Globe Award recipients and their categories are:

• Jim Ellis — Environmental Catalyst
• Joanna Buehler, Save Lake Sammamish — Leader in Habitat Protection
• David Warren, Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust — Leader in Resource Management
• Environmental Coalition of South Seattle — Leader in Water Quality Protection
• The Boeing Company — Leader in Recycling, Waste Prevention and Use of Recycled Materials
• Sellen Construction Company — Leader in Sustainable Building
• Bedrock Industries — Leader in Market Development
• Circuits Engineering, Inc. — Leader in Industrial Waste Reduction
• Southtowne Auto Rebuild — Leader in Hazardous Waste Reduction
• University of Washington College of Forest Resources — Leader in Biosolids Recycling

This is only the second time that the county’s Department of Natural Resources has given out the Green Globe Awards. The biennial award was first given on Earth Day 1997. The awards for Environmental Catalyst and Leader in Sustainable Building are being given for the first time this year. All recipients excel in leadership and activities that foster environmental stewardship by protecting the environment, managing natural resources and benefiting the community. The award itself, designed by internationally known artist Gerry Newcomb, is made of recycled glass and marble.

"Jim Ellis’ leadership has given us cleaner water with regional wastewater treatment and green open space with innovative programs such as Mountains to Sound Greenway and the Farmland Preservation Program," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "But, it takes all of our efforts, both big and small, to make sure that our water is clean and our resources are used wisely. It takes people like our Green Globe Award recipients to show others that they, too, can make a difference for our environment."

Jim Ellis received the Environmental Catalyst award for a lifetime of effort in bringing together people of diverse interests to solve environmental problems in the community’s best interest. The projects that Ellis has helped the Seattle/King County region implement have literally become textbook examples for students of environmental management. Those projects include:

• the formation of the Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle (Metro), which cleaned up Lake Washington and established a regional wastewater treatment system
• Forward Thrust, which raised money through bonds to build the Seattle Aquarium, parks, swimming pools, playing fields, trails, Freeway Park, roads, sewers, fire stations and the public transit system
• the Farmland Preservation Program, which has protected almost 13,000 acres through purchase of development rights (an innovative idea that had not been tried on this scale anywhere else in the country) and helped ensure that the region still has locally grown fresh produce
• the Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, which is a unique partnership of people, businesses and agencies formed to protect and enhance the I-90 scenic corridor from Puget Sound to the east side of the Cascades by preserving open space and wildlife habitat, working farms and forests, and historic sites along the 100-mile greenway.

Joanna Buehler received the Leader in Habitat Protection award for her work with Save Lake Sammamish, which she founded, to address declining water quality in

Lake Sammamish. Recognizing that what happens in one part of the watershed ultimately affects all of its parts, including the lake, this grassroots organization has become involved in the wide array of activities that can improve water quality throughout the watershed. It has protected habitats, forests and streams from clearing and development. Its educational projects have raised awareness throughout the community of how each person’s actions can affect the streams and lake, even if the lake is miles away. Save Lake Sammamish has also organized and supported restoration and salvage projects.

David Warren received the Leader in Resource Management award for his personal leadership and role as executive director of the Vashon-Maury Island Land Trust in preserving forests on Vashon and Maury islands. As executive director, Warren has secured permanent conservation for numerous properties. His effort to publicize the county’s incentive programs and encourage forest stewardship among Vashon landowners has been effective in conserving forests on Vashon. Warren has written a forest management plan for his 10 acres on Vashon and has enrolled the property in the timberlands taxation program. He has been instrumental in forming partnerships with the county and the Washington State Department of Natural Resources to provide forest stewardship classes on Vashon Island.

The Environmental Coalition of South Seattle received the Leader in Water Quality Protection award for its work in pollution prevention in the Duwamish River watershed. Under the leadership of executive director Charles Cunniff, the coalition works with a variety of industries to develop stormwater pollution prevention plans and teach employees the importance of water quality protection.

The Boeing Company received the Leader in Recycling, Waste Prevention and Use of Recycled Materials award for recycling and waste prevention programs at its King County facilities. Each facility is home to a full schedule of recycling and waste prevention activities that include employee-sponsored newspaper and aluminum beverage programs and the purchase of more than 100 products made with recycled materials. The company’s Reclamation Operation handled 43 million pounds of aluminum, 22.4 million pounds of steel, 22 million pounds of paper and 4.2 million pounds of plastic, wood and other recyclable materials in 1998, saving the company more than $20 million dollars through recycling. By switching from drawings on paper to digital graphics through its Product Design Improvement Process, Boeing has saved mountains of paper. The company also works with its vendors to minimize packaging waste and use resources wisely.

Sellen Construction Company, one of the largest construction firms in the Puget Sound region, received the Leader in Sustainable Building award for its outstanding commitment to waste prevention and job-site recycling, which has set the industry standard against which other projects are measured. Sellen consistently reaches recycling rates of 80 percent or higher at its job sites. In addition to recycling, the company uses recycled-content building materials and innovative waste prevention practices at job sites. It also promotes the use of sustainable building practices to its clients, employees and industry peers both locally and nationally. Sellen’s commitment begins at the top with chairman Richard Redman, followed by the company's many site superintendents and sustainable construction manager Lynne Barker.

Bedrock Industries received the Leader in Market Development award

for its effort to create a market for recycled glass products. Under president Maria Ruano’s leadership, the company takes recycled glass from a number of sources—building construction, curbside pickup and artist studios—and responds to the unique qualities of the glass in developing a wide range of creative products for both the consumer and the professional designer. In 1996, this company created new consumer products out of 60 tons of recycled glass. In 1998, it used 150 tons. In addition, Bedrock Industries combines its focus on creating a market for recycled glass products with efforts to reuse a wide range of other recycled materials in product development and business practice.

Circuits Engineering, Inc. received the Leader in Industrial Waste Reduction award for creating a corporate environmental philosophy and implementing a variety of waste reduction, pollution prevention and environmental awareness programs. Once subject to a major enforcement action, this small circuit-board manufacturing facility so effectively changed its business practices that it earned the King County Industrial Waste Program's EnvirOvation Award for environmental excellence in 1998. The company managed not only to stay in business but also to increase its business significantly, save money and produce circuit boards in an environmentally sound manner.

Southtowne Auto Rebuild received the Leader in Hazardous Waste Reduction award for its dramatic reduction in paint wastes, which resulted in a 35-percent savings in disposal costs, a 50-percent reduction in solid waste and a wide array of recycling activities. The award also recognizes the personal commitment of owners Mike and Donna West to reinforcing an environmental ethic in their industry and their community.

The University of Washington College of Forest Resources received the Leader in Biosolids Recycling award for the multiple ways in which it has assisted the region in recycling organic products. The college has worked cooperatively with King County and other groups nationally over the last 25 years to develop practical technology and establish environmentally sound principles for biosolids management. Recently, the college has established a new program called Sustainable Resource Sciences. This program emphasizes sustainability of the environment by focusing on recycling, life-cycle analysis, soils and soil amendments, bioremediation and ecological restoration.

Updated: April 28, 1999

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