“Growing Green” Awards Honor Sustainability Leaders

The U.S. Green Building Council- St. Louis Regional Chapter (USGBC) recognized eight organizations and indivduals as leaders in built sustainability at  its inaugural Growing Green Awards on March 31.  The program recognized people and organizations that are "Transforming the Built Environment" and sharing their knowledge of green building and sustainable practices.  By choosing judges outside of the St. Louis area, the nominations were evaluated without any preconceived notions of the people and companies, USGBC said.

Judges were Mark Shapiro, AIA, LEED AP, BNIM, Kansas City;  Cindy Finstad, Mortensen Construction, Brookfield, WI ; Jeremy Sigmon, LEED AP,  USGBC Advocacy Coordinator, Washington, DC; Kris Neurauter, Sustainable Design Leader, Gensler, Chicago; and Ken Brandson, Haworth, Inc. , Holland, MI.

Selected for recognition were:

Innovator Category: WILLIAM A. KERR FOUNDATION
The William A. Kerr Foundation transformed a historically significant building in an underdeveloped and often overlooked part of downtown St. Louis into an educational showplace for sustainable strategies. The foundation, a longtime advocate of environmental protection, committed to plans for LEED certification early on. In so doing, the Kerr Foundation Headquarters achieved the first LEED Platinum Certification in the City of St. Louis and only the second in the St. Louis region. The Kerr Foundation not only uses its building to continually educate the public on sustainability by hosting tours, meetings and events, but also funds sustainable causes throughout the region.

Judges’ comments:  “They aimed very high. That’s what we want to see, someone with high aspirations, going above and beyond, pushing the boundaries.”

Residential Category: HABITAT FOR HUMANITY SAINT LOUIS
Habitat’s mission is to eliminate substandard housing in our region and they are doing it with compassion, skill, creativity and a commitment to innovation in energy savings along with sustainable construction techniques and practices. All 27 homes in Habitat’s 2008 Build were certified LEED Platinum in March 2009 and plans are well underway for 29 more LEED homes in the 2009 Build. The 2008 Build has been made a case study by Habitat for Humanity International and the Home Depot Foundation that will spread far beyond St. Louis. Much of what is being done here is being adopted as ‘best practices’ in other parts of the country. And Habitat for Humanity St. Louis in turn, has incorporated building science improvements from other sources it has encountered in its work.

Judges’ comments:  “They are really pushing the boundaries. Their social connection is a win-win for the entire community!” and “Just fantastic!”

Government Award: CITY OF CLAYTON
The City of Clayton has a long standing tradition of environmental stewardship with its 15-year old residential recycling program, the establishment in 1997 of the Ecology and Environment Awareness Committee and the Tree City Designation from the Arbor Day Foundation. More recently, Clayton ramped up its commitment to being a sustainable leader in the region. In 2006, the Mayor signed the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement and the Board of Alderman passed a resolution requiring all city-owned, operated and occupied new construction and major renovation to achieve LEED Silver Certification.  

Judges’ comments:  “We can take what’s happening here and apply it and use it nationwide as a great model for programs, regulations, building activity and so much more.” and “Absolutely fantastic!”

Government Category Special Mention: U.S. CONGRESSMAN RUSS CARNAHAN

Congressman Russ Carnahan is a strong advocate nationally and locally for high-performance green building and schools.  He was the co-founder of the U.S. House of Representatives’ High-Performance Buildings Caucus and is also member of the Green Schools Caucus, the Sustainable Energy and Environment Caucus, the House Biofuels Caucus and the Congressional Climate Change Caucus. Congressman Carnahan has sponsored and co-sponsored numerous pieces of legislation which have consistently addressed green building, including green schools and green housing, green economic development, alternative energy, climate change and innovative green products.

Judges’ comments: “He has played a crucial role in promoting green building in Missouri. Having the government’s involvement and support is a key component to transforming the built environment.”

Quietly Green Category: Winner: RICHARD REILLY, BOA CONSTRUCTION

Richard Reilly has been with Boa Construction Company for over 25 years and now serves as COO. Richard is heavily involved in nonprofit organizations and local associations to promote green building without ever asking for anything in return.  He dedicated numerous hours of LEED consulting time to Habitat for Humanity St. Louis’ 2008 build, introducing several other Boa employees to Habitat to increase the volunteer efforts from his company. Reilly’s passion for sustainability is evident in all he does.  The associations he chooses to be involved in and the way he completes his day-to-day tasks center on environmental issues.  In addition, he encourages fellow employees to become involved in sustainable initiatives, which allows his influence to grow exponentially.  

Judges’ comments: “His passion for sustainability is evident in all he does; he dedicates so much time and energy to actively promoting sustainability.” and “He seems to breathe it!”

Award 2:  DAVID BERTORELLI

David Bertorelli spent thirteen years as Facility Director and Director of Space Planning and Design at Enterprise Rent-A-Car's corporate headquarters in St. Louis. At Enterprise, David promoted the LEED philosophy within Enterprise and outside, while spearheading the company's first LEED CI certified project from start to finish, and positioning the company as the first rental car firm nationally to gain LEED certification. David was also instrumental in launching ReSource St. Louis, an organization aimed at reducing Construction and Demolition waste through reduction, recycling, and reuse. As the co-chair of Greening the Heartland 2008 Conference, David brought the 5-year old conference, hosted by USGBC-STL, to a new level, exceeding attendance, sponsorship and exhibitor participation and “paying forward” a profit to USGBC-Detroit, the host of Greening the Heartland 2009.

Judges’ comments:   “His achievements have made a big impact throughout the entire corporation, and most importantly, have changed corporate culture for the better.”

Education Category:  PARKWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT

Parkway realized the need for being environmentally proactive long before the going green trend became popular. Since 1990, the Parkway School District has implemented a number of programs focused on environmental compliance, waste diversion, energy conservation, water conservation and green cleaning practice under the Parkway Environmental Services Department, Parkway Planning and Construction or the Parkway Buildings and Grounds Department. The materials recovery program began in 1990 and has diverted 11,466 tons of material from the landfill since May of 2000, while the waste diversion has generated $263,800 in revenue. The District’s energy conservation program focuses on the operational side and includes conservation measures implemented daily, over weekends, holidays, and summer breaks. The energy saved is the equivalent of removing 23,420 cars from the highway or planting the equivalent of 3,337,434 tree seedlings for 10 years. The average avoided utility expenses for the district have been $843,062 for each of the last 15 years.

Judges’ comments:  “Educating our children is the best place to start. This is an area of maximum impact because educating children impacts their ideas, and thus our future. Their efforts and achievements towards this end are transformational.”

Commercial Category: LOFTWORKS, LLC

Ten years ago, Craig Heller’s company, LOFTWORKS, LLC, converted a long vacant warehouse space into the first for-sale condominiums in downtown St. Louis. LOFTWORKS recognized the potential of downtown St. Louis to be a neighborhood distinguished by sustainable lifestyles and building practices.  After ten years, LOFTWORKS is completing another first: developing the first LEED Gold core-and-shell project in downtown St. Louis. LOFTWORKS’ commitment to maintaining the building with sound sustainable practices and transferring these practices to its other projects increases the level of commitment to creating a green downtown.  LOFTWORKS has raised the bar for its future developments for all other developers downtown.

Judges’ comments: “They showed a real commitment to the community. We really liked the social equity component in their work. Their vision and community-centered approach truly broadened their engagement with the community.”

Next year’s Growing Green Awards will be held Wednesday, March 31, 2010, and nominations will open at the first of the year.

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