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Susanne Wilson Award
for Pollution Prevention / Resource Conservation (Large Company)
 The
Roche Bioscience research center in Palo Alto focuses on the discovery
and early clinical development of innovative medicines to treat diseases.
The company employs approximately 1,000 people as part of the Roche
Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland. Roche’s commitment
to its environmental programs is evidenced by the extent to which
most of the programs far exceed the requirements for compliance. The
Energy Reduction Program in the past year alone was responsible for
a 16% decrease in electricity consumption and a 23% decrease in natural
gas. Roche is dedicated to employee awareness through events such
as Environment Day, Health and Safety Fairs, Environmental Committees,
and other programs. Roches’s collaborative partnerships include
the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, the Bay Area Council, City
of Palo Alto Utilities, and the California Energy Commission. |
Susanne Wilson Award
for Pollution Prevention / Resource Conservation (Small Company)
 Cal
EarthCare Landscaping is a full-service residential landscaping company
providing all aspects of installations, custom designs, and specialty
maintenance to the Bay Area since 1994. Cal EarthCare is committed
in equal parts to quality work, customer satisfaction, and sustaining
the environment. The company’s intent is to eliminate the use
of toxic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers, reduce water consumption,
and divert waste. Some of their methods include the use of only approved
organic and/or integrated pest management control methods, reliance
upon quality slow release organic fertilizers and organic composts
to renovate soils, promotion of “no lawns,” “reduced
lawns,” or “non-traditional lawns,” and the use of
native plants. In addition, half of the trucks operated by the company
are dedicated natural gas vehicles. EarthCare has built relationships
with groups such as the Ecological Landscaping Association, Bio-Integral
Research Center, Peninsula Open Space Trust, and the Business Environmental
Network. |
Commute and Transportation
 The
San Mateo County Commute Alternatives Program serves county offices
in Belmont, Daly City, East Palo Alto, Menlo Park, Redwood City, and
San Mateo. Since its creation in 1993, the program has experienced
a four-fold increase in participation and is currently serving over
1,200 people (a 25% employee participation rate). The program offers
steadily increasing incentives, preferred parking for carpoolers,
an in-house web page for carpool matching, free shuttle service from
East Bay BART station, Central Valley vanpools, and a convenient,
simple system for purchasing transit tickets via interoffice mail.
In 2001, these commute alternatives resulted in a 10.27 ton reduction
of reactive organic compounds, nitrogen oxides, and particulate emissions. |
Environmental and
Sustainability Education
 Since
1996, the Alameda County StopWa$te Partnership has offered businesses
and public agencies in Alameda County environmental performance improvement
services to reduce waste, conserve energy and water, and use materials
more efficiently, while simultaneously reducing operating expenses.
Working with over 150 businesses and public agencies, StopWa$te has
diverted over 65,000 tons of waste from landfills. The partnership
is managed and funded by the Alameda County Waste Management Authority
& Source Reduction and Recycling Board. Current working partners
include Economic Development Alliance for Business, PG&E, East
Bay MUD, and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC).
Projects range from setting up recycling programs at individual companies
to demonstrating waste, wastewater and energy reduction technologies,
and piloting corporate-wide environmental performance improvement
programs. These free services are provided in return for a client’s
commitment to implementing cost-effective recommendations that support
the environment. |
Sustainable Built Environment
 Hidden
Villa has been leading environmental sustainability for many years.
Five years ago the Board of Directors established a set of sustainable
principles to guide its decision-making in the areas of construction
and maintenance. Since then, they have built three model “green
buildings,” which have become the foundation for a teaching curriculum
focused on sustainable living. Hidden Villa educates local schools,
universities, and businesses about the benefits of sustainable buildings,
which can be functional, economical, practical, and esthetically pleasing.
Significant environmental benefit is achieved through the use of passive
solar design that reduces fossil fuel burning, water-based stains
and sealers, gray water plumbing system to allow reusable water for
irrigation around the buildings, and bale walls constructed with rice
straw that is considered a waste product. The buildings are not fancy
– they are simple ones whose concepts can be transferred across
many applications and meet the requirements of modest budgets. |
Sustainable Built Environment (Special Commendation)
In 1994, San Jose’s City Council adopted
“San Jose 2020” as its general plan. The plan includes the
“Sustainable City Major Strategy,” which details goals that
will make San Jose a city designed, constructed, and operated to efficiently
use its natural resources and minimize waste for the use of present
and future generations. In 2000, the City Council adopted three specific
policies for “Green Building” incorporating green building
principles and practices into all phases of City building construction,
adopting a Green Building Rating System, and providing leadership
and guidance to the private sector. |
Social Equity for Sustainability
 Eight
Latina women, whose mission is to protect the environment, own Eco-Care
Professional Housecleaning. All of the products used by the cooperative
business pass rigorous testing to assure that both the workers and
their clients will not be exposed to toxic or harmful ingredients.
The cleaners use a variety of eco-friendly products such as baking
soda, white vinegar, and vegetable-based soaps, combined with specialized
cleaning techniques. By replacing just two conventional cleaning products
(all-purpose and glass cleaner), Eco-Care is preventing exposure to
and the release of more than 1900 pounds of hazardous materials each
year. Workers are empowered by being owners of the business and part
of the democratic philosophy of the company. Eco-Care is a Certified
Green Business in Santa Clara County. |
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