Local
Non-profit Receives Prestigious
Environmental Award
from Governor Schwarzenegger

Ecology Action
of Santa Cruz received the
Governor’s Environmental
and Economic Leadership Award
in Sacramento on December 1,
2003. Governor Schwarzenegger
presented the award to Ecology
Action in the Environmental-Economic
Partnerships category slated
for businesses “that
foster unique, cooperative
approaches between the private,
public, and/or non-profit sectors
to achieve both environmental
and economic ends.” This
award acknowledges Ecology
Action’s success over
the last 33 years as a valuable
collaborator with communities
and businesses throughout California.
In announcing
the award, The California Environmental
Protection Agency press release
states: “Ecology Action
is an environmental non-profit
that has instilled environmental
awareness and created opportunities
for individuals, businesses,
and communities to save money,
create jobs, and contribute
to a sustainable local economy.
Ecology Action’s success
is grounded in relationships
with a network of affiliations,
government agencies and civic
groups. Based in Santa Cruz,
the 30-year-old non-profit
developed exemplary public-private
partnerships beyond county
limits, working with governmental
organizations dealing with
energy, water, land and agriculture.”
Ecology Action
received this award for their
successful business assistance
programs known as the Business
Environmental Performance Initiative
(BEPI), which include RightLights,
the Agricultural Used Oil Network,
and the Small Business Solid
Waste Reduction program. The
RightLights program provides
subsidized, energy efficient
lighting retrofits for small
to medium sized businesses
and has thus far helped over
600 small businesses save enough
energy to power 700 homes and
reduce CO2 emissions by more
than 3 million pounds annually.
The Agricultural Used Oil Collection
Networks serve more than 9,000
farmers in California, diverting
an estimated 20,000 gallons
of used oil from potential
soil and water contamination
in 2002 alone. The Small Business
Solid Waste Reduction Program
serves over 700 small businesses
and has resulted in an estimated
annual savings of $108,800
or an average of $242 per business
served. Each of these three
programs help businesses reduce
costs, reach new green markets,
comply with regulation, and
increase environmental performance
in harmony with market forces
and the laws of natural systems.
The RightLights program has
been so successful that Ecology
Action recently received an
additional $5 million in funding
to expand the program into
Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties.
Established in
1993, the Governor's Environmental
and Economic Leadership Awards
are California's highest and
most prestigious environmental
honor recognizing individuals,
organizations, and businesses
that have demonstrated exceptional
leadership in building public-private
partnerships while making notable
contributions in conserving
California's environment. This
year's awards recognized outstanding
contributions by businesses,
organizations and government
offices in seven award categories.
Please contact
Mahlon Aldridge, Vice President Energy Programs,
(831) 426.5925 ext 16 for more
information. Pictures of the
awards ceremony with Governor
Schwarzenegger are available
upon request.
For more information about the Governors Environmental Excellence Award,
visit the Cal/EPA
website.