The Council for a Sustainable Florida has selected Central Florida's "How Shall We Grow?" initiative as its 2007 winner in the category of The Sustainable Florida Partnership Best Practice Business Partnership Award! This year's event was held on Monday, June 11, 2007, in Tallahassee at the Florida State University Alumni Center. Additionally, the Best Practice Award winners received special recognition from the Governor and the Florida Cabinet on Tuesday, June 12, at the State Capitol.
The Council's signature initiative is its annual Best Practices Awards. Now in its 9th year, the Council solicits nominations, recognizes and honors businesses, organizations and individuals whose work demonstrates that a healthy environment and a healthy economy are mutually supportive. Awards categories include small business, leadership, non-profit, government, business partnership, education and the WCI Green Building Award - sponsored by WCI Communities, Inc.
Honoring the recipients is only the first step. Promoting winning practices statewide is equally as important so that others may benefit from their accomplishments and ultimately implement similar or equally successful practices. The Council works to promote in the media, business publications, professional journals and association publications the best sustainability practices.
Organizations also recognized from the Central Florida region include a Best Practice Non-Profit Award to A Gift for Teaching, Best Practice Awards for Large Business to Florida Power & Light and Publix; and Promising Practice Certificates to the City of Winter Park; Massey Services, Maitland; Progress Energy, Lake Mary; and Walt Disney World, Lake Buena Vista.
More than 40 companies, organizations, government programs and individuals were nominated for the 2007 Sustainable Florida Best Practices Awards Program. While the list of nominees (see below) is impressive, their efforts to help create a more sustainable Florida are more so. Each nominee - in their own way - is making a difference and leading by example. Nominees are eligible for the prestigious Best Practice Award or can be named a Promising Practice.
2007 Sustainable Florida Best Practices Nominees
- Florida Biomass Energy Group, LLC
- Green Real Estate Education
- Trifecta Construction Solutions
- Publix Super Markets, Inc. - Get Into A Green Routine
- Rayonier - Biomass Boiler Team
- Walt Disney World - Strive for Five
- Progress Energy Florida - Renewable Energy Program
- Progress Energy Florida - Energy Education Program for Students
- Titan America - Medley Plant
- Safety-Kleen - Oil Recovery Program
- Florida A & M University - Green Coalition
- Gainesville Regional Utilities - Energy Efficiency Program
- Pinellas County - Bushnell Center for Urban Sustainability
- City of Winter Park - Swoope Water Plant and Railroad Avenue Initiative
- City of Gainesville - Regional Transit Employee Pass program
- City of Tallahassee Commission - Energy Efficiency Initiative
- Collier County Stormwater Management Department - Twin Lakes Restoration
- Program for Resource Efficient Communities, University of Florida - Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Extension
A Gift for Teaching, Inc.
- WORKFORCE plus
- Arthur R. Marshall Foundation and Florida Environmental Institute, Inc.- It Does Take a Village!
- Green Living & Energy Education (GLEE)
- Indian River Habitat for Humanity - Green Home Standard House
- City of Tallahassee - Solid Waste Administrative Building
- City of Dunedin - Dunedin Community Center
- Nestle Waters North America - Madison County Bottling Facility
- The Original Florida Tourism Task Force - Agritourism Workshops
- Verandah by Bonita Bay Group
- Centerville Conservation Community
- The St. Joe Company - Bay County Sector Plan
- myregion.org - How Shall We Grow?
- Massey Services, Inc. - Pest Prevention Platform
- Babcock Ranch - Kitson & Partners, Florida Legislature, Departments
- Environmental Protection, Agriculture, and Community Affairs, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, and Charlotte and Lee Counties
- Plum Creek - Swallow-tailed Kite Initiative
- The Honorable Michael S. Bennett, Florida Senate
- Manatee Technical Institute - Photovoltaic Learning Lavatories
- Florida Power and Light - Green Fleet Program
- Solar Direct - Wauchula High School Swim Complex
- T.K. Wetherell, Florida State University
- Drew Smith, Two Trails, Inc.
Congratulations to all of our "How Shall We Grow?" partners and our fellow nominees for the important work that is being done throughout Florida!
The Council for Sustainable Florida has defined excellence for Florida's economic, environmental and social future since 1990. The Council with the help of our partners has played a significant role across the state in promoting best practices in creating a more sustainable Florida. As a program of the Collins Center for Public Policy, our E3 Strategy focuses on blending environmental respect with economic growth and equity in opportunities.
"How Shall We Grow? - Creating a Shared Vision for Central Florida" is a fifteen-month process that brings together local, regional and state agencies in a partnership to design our collective future. The Florida Department of Community Affairs, Florida Department of Transportation, the Central Florida MPO Alliance, East Central Florida Regional Planning Council, Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce, and myregion.org have combined their professional talents and resources to take this message to the people of our region.
myregion.org - A Regional Development Program - is an organization of citizens and leaders from public, private and institutional sectors who have launched a program to prepare the Central Florida Region to compete more effectively in the 21st century while enhancing the quality of life of its citizenry.
