Congratulations 2008 Sustainable NC Award Winners!

In case you missed it, the Sustainable NC Awards ceremony was on Monday at the Raleigh Convention Center. It was a great event that capped off a day of workshops and a product expo (in conjunction with the AASHE conference).

I'm a big fan of this award because nominees were required to provide metrics and PROOF that what they are putting on the application is 1. true, 2. is part of the operations of the firm and not just a PR stunt, and 3. has leadership at the executive level. Thank you to Sustainable NC for raising the bar for sustainability awards. 

This year’s winners were:

• Green Planet Catering (Raleigh) received the Entrepreneurship Award recognized demonstrating a positive impact on their employees, community and environment.
  
• Proximity Hotel (Greensboro) received the Innovation Award for demonstrating new cutting edge technologies and a business model that address social and/or environmental issues in a meaningful way.
  
• The Biltmore Company (Asheville) received the Triple Bottom Line Award for its initiative demonstrating the successful integration of all three aspects of sustainability – social, environmental and economic.
  
• The US Navy Fleet Readiness Center East (Cherry Point) received the Greater Good Award for its initiative demonstrating leadership in promoting and enabling sustainable practices in the state.
  

Sustainable North Carolina also honored five individuals for outstanding achievements in promoting social responsibility and environmental stewardship in business. This prestigious list includes Dennis Quaintance, Richard Deming, Marc Dreyfors and Mary Katherine Williams, and Courtney Lorenz. 

Congratulations to all the winners as well as those nominated. There was an impressive line up of companies and organizations that made it to the final round. Sustainable NC received 50 applications for the awards, making this a competitive award. I learned a lot about the great companies that are right here in our back yard.