TECHNOLOGY MERIT: REMEDIATION

Groundwater & Environmental Services Inc. (GES), for the continued successful deployment of its patented HypeAir chemical oxidation technology. In broad use by Fortune 100 companies, mobile HypeAir units have been used at more than 150 sites throughout the United States since 2004 at an average cost below $100,000 per project. GES has achieved site closure or attainment monitoring at more than 30% of these sites. The HypeAir technology involves the injection of naturally occurring compounds such as oxygen, ozone, hydrogen peroxide and air to rapidly break down contaminants into harmless by-products, such as water and carbon dioxide. According to GES, the use of HypeAir involves less time and energy than competitive solutions and thus reduces greenhouse gas emissions.

The Adventus Group, developer of a portfolio of patented soil, sediment and groundwater remediation biotechnologies based on in situ chemical reduction (ISCR), for successfully cleaning up a 90-acre site that was formerly used as an oil-field waste disposal facility. At the site, which is being redeveloped into 300 residential units and a resource protection area for endangered plants, VOCs such as 1,2-dichloroethane (1,2-DCA), cis-1,2-dichloroethene (cis-1,2-DCE), and vinyl chloride (VC) were historically discharged with the oil field waste materials and were present in soil and groundwater at concentrations that posed concerns for residential vapor intrusion and water quality protection. Adventus and its engineering partner, LFR, Inc., deployed a multiple-approach treatment process combining excavation, on-site treatment, and in situ treatment using a low application of Adventus’ DARAMEND ISCR technology for soil remediation. This approach involved the excavation of three source areas, excavation of the upper saturated zone over the VOC groundwater plume, and backfilling of the source areas and upper saturated zone with a reactive mixture of DARAMEND and native sand. Combined with limited pumping and treatment, placing the DARAMEND-sand mixture, a “reactive blanket,” over exposed areas containing concentrations of dissolved VOCs will provide long-term mitigation of vapor pathway concerns, as VOCs migrating into the backfilled source areas or the reactive blanket will be degraded by the ISCR processes, thereby ensuring increased marketability of the prospective residential units.

HSA Engineers & Scientists, for the development of its Modified Active Gas Sampling (MAGS) technology, an assessment tool that rapidly detects unsaturated soil source areas impacted by VOCs. Rather than sampling tiny volumes of soil, HSA modified the traditional soil vapor sampling methodology to allow large-volume sample collection. The company created a MAGS unit that measures the levels of chemicals in a large volume of soil vapor. According to HSA, the technology has been very successful at locating unknown source areas commonly associated with the “rebound” phenomenon, and several such sites have been closed using this method. HSA also claims that MAGS has several advantages over the traditional methods of sampling, such as the ability to collect remedial design information during assessment—specifically, calculations for the radius of influence, pressure versus flow, and emissions rates for a vapor extraction system. MAGS is currently in use throughout the United States and has been adopted by the state of Florida for use in its Dry-cleaning Solvent Cleanup Program.

The Shaw Group, Inc., for developing and applying a stable isotope technique that is capable of differentiating man-made perchlorate from natural perchlorate in environmental samples, and thereby serving as what the company sees as an important forensic tool for establishing perchlorate sources and determining appropriate liabilities. The combination of lower detection limits for perchlorate and increased sampling nationwide has revealed that this chemical is much more widely distributed in the environment than previously thought. Mounting evidence suggests that the past application of Chilean nitrate-derived fertilizers and indigenous mineral sources of perchlorate in the U.S. are significant contributors to perchlorate in groundwater and drinking water. During this research effort, which was funded under a DOD program and conducted in collaboration with government and university laboratories, the team developed techniques to collect, purify, and measure the isotopic composition of perchlorate in source materials and in groundwater and soil samples. Consistent and significant differences in the stable isotope composition of both chlorine and oxygen have been observed between naturally occurring perchlorate and all man-made sources tested to date. Isotopic evaluations of perchlorate in groundwater have been conducted and detected in several states around the United States.
 

TECHNOLOGY MERIT: SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

Weston Solutions, Inc., for achieving a major milestone in 2007 by installing the one-millionth square foot of its GreenGrid modular green roof system. In 2001, the company installed its first GreenGrid green roof, a 10,000-square-foot installation on the headquarters building of ABC Supply, Inc. in Beloit, Wisconsin. The pace has been ramping up since then, with approximately 750,000 square feet installed nationwide during 2007. A typical GreenGrid green roof system can retain from 50% to 90% of the rainfall in a typical rain event, making it an effective stormwater management tool and reducing the strain on a city’s sewer system, and thus potentially reducing the amount of pollutants that enter watersheds. Temperatures on a GreenGrid green roof can be 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than a similar roof with a traditional black rooftop, resulting in major reductions in energy consumption and costs, as well as reducing the urban “heat island” effect. Green roofs also significantly extend the longevity of a building’s water-proofing system. GreenGrid systems also provide the added benefits of lighter-weight, easier-to-install, movable modules, constructed from recycled plastic to increase the overall sustainability profile of the building.


TECHNOLOGY MERIT: WATER/WASTEWATER

AMEC Earth & Environmental, for attaining a position of global leadership in the use of remote-sensing technology for environmental projects. . AMEC uses remote sensing, which involves the collection, processing and interpretation of multispectral images obtained from satellites, to assess water quality, map impervious surfaces, classify land cover for integration with watershed modeling, conduct environmental site assessments, and aid floodplain management. AMEC also has established an internal remote-sensing professional practice group, and in 2007, more than 140 employees from 36 offices were trained in the technology, including image acquisition, processing and classification; data sources; types of applications and costs. Three major recent projects used remotely sensed data to quantitatively target nutrient and sediment source areas that are having the greatest impact on water quality in the Wister Lake, Grand Lake, and North Canadian River watersheds, all in Oklahoma. AMEC also is using remote sensing to map various water-quality parameters for Cardiff Bay, Wales and Florida Bay in Florida. The firm is also using remote sensing on several stormwater projects, including one to map impervious surfaces over a 333-square-mile region that includes Cleveland and 55 surrounding cities.

EnerTech Environmental, Inc., a renewable energy company, for raising $160 million in financing to begin construction of its first commercial SlurryCarb facility, in Southern California. According to EnerTech, the company’s patented SlurryCarb process cleanly and economically converts biosolids and other high moisture wastes into a high-grade, renewable fuel, with significant cost savings over alternative methods. Once built, the production facility will recycle approximately 700 tons per day of biosolids into 145 tons of renewable fuel that will be marketed as an alternative to fossil fuel to the local cement kiln industry. EnerTech’s customers include the Orange County Sanitation District, the Sanitation Districts of Los Angeles County, and the Cities of Riverside, San Bernardino, and Rialto. In the fall of 2007, EnerTech received a Wall Street Journal’s 2007 Technology Innovation award and was placed on AlwaysOn Network’s list of Going Green Top 100 Private Companies.

Environmental Operating Solutions, Inc. (EOS), a developer of liquid carbon products for biological contaminant removal in water and wastewater, for the successful launch of its first products. The MicroC and MicroC G products are designed were launched for facilities requiring carbon sources for biological nutrient removal (BNR). Driven by increasingly stringent limits on nitrogen discharge, wastewater treatment plants are looking for safer, less expensive and more environmentally sustainable electron donors for denitrification. Methanol is the current industry standard chemical used for denitrification, but according to EOS, methanol is flammable, explosive, toxic and has increased seven-fold in price since 2002. MicroC and MicroC G have gained rapid acceptance as an alternative to methanol in plants currently denitrifying or in the process of completing denitrification upgrades. Revenues and number of customers more than doubled in 2007, and the company currently has 175 customers in 22 states.
 

TECHNOLOGY MERIT: AIR QUALITY

Soil-Therm Equipment, Inc., for obtaining two patents (#7,270,539 and #7,273,366) for the Jet-THERM aerospace combustion burner, a process that reduces VOC, nitrogen oxide (NOX) and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in thermal oxidizer applications. In destroying VOCs at high levels of efficiency, thermal oxidizers require high “excess air” and long retention times and thus generate high NOX levels in the stack exhaust. The Jet-THERM process applies ramjet combustion principles using higher degrees of turbulence in the flame region than conventional burners use, thereby minimizing the generation of thermal NOX. Soil-Therm data show that thermal oxidizer retention times can be reduced to as low as 0.12 seconds while achieving VOC destruction efficiencies of 99.9% and generating NOX emissions as low as 3.2 parts per million by volume (ppmv) in catalytic operation and as low as 8.8 ppmv and 18 ppmv during thermal operation at 1455°F and 1700°F, respectively. According to Soil-Therm, the benefits of the process include lower fuel consumption and fewer GHG emissions.


ORGANIZATIONAL INNOVATION

Black & Veatch, for successfully reorganizing its global water business into a matrix organization. The transition of Black & Veatch’s global water business from three multi-national divisions to a single global business— B&V Water— created the challenge of integrating project service offerings globally while maintaining local client responsiveness. The adoption of a matrix structure created the skeleton for a new organization, the Integrated Global Workforce (IGW). This new organization allows B&V Water to move the right resources to the right places on a global basis more effectively in order to support ongoing projects and to pursue new business. To create capacity for IGW, B&V Water has been expanding the operations groups in Mumbai, in Singapore, and throughout the United Kingdom and the United States. Project work can be moved to those “Global Resource Centers,” where professionals create a virtual global team with those working on a site. In other cases, professionals are moved temporarily or for longer periods to work on a particular project site. B&V Water has also established global practice and technology leaders to ensure that the company’s reputation for technical leadership grows throughout the world. Centers of Excellence, such as the Singapore Center of Excellence for Desalination, which opened in February 2007, serve as locations to showcase that expertise and provide space for professionals to collaborate face to face or on a virtual basis.

ERM, for the establishment of its Minerva Knowledge Sharing Platform. Launched in May 2007, Minerva’s primary objective is to create a strong social network within ERM to enable the firm’s global experts to “discover” one another, share resources, and work together to deliver the best innovative solutions to clients. Minerva supports ERM’s business strategy and its objectives using Web2.0 technologies such as wikis, blogs, and interactive forums to transform businesses, organizational culture, and employees’ ways of working. In its first six months, Minerva recorded over 2.8 million hits. As an example of the way Minerva has facilitated more effective personnel deployment, a U.S.-based site investigation expert became involved in a project in Taiwan because his expertise was discovered by the Taipei project team on an “urgent request” discussion forum. Also, through Minerva’s climate change portal, ERM’s office in Japan has jointly developed a green building strategy proposal with an expert in Australia.


PROJECT MERIT: REMEDIATION & RESTORATION

Safety and Ecology Corporation, for the successful completion of the Kiritimati Island Clean-up Project, in the Republic of Kiribati. Christmas Island (now Kiritimati) is the largest coral atoll in the world, with an area of approximately 640 square kilometers. It is part of the Line group of islands in the Line and Phoenix Islands of the Republic of Kiribati, located in the Pacific Ocean 1,600 miles south of the Hawaiian chain of islands and just south of the Equator. The Island was used by both British and U.S. forces as a base from which to observe nuclear bomb testing in the late 1950s. Working for the Ministry of Defense and the Defense Estates, SEC removed more than 5,000 tons of materials, primarily inert metal scrap in the form of vehicles, tanks, and machinery. Contaminated materials were also carefully removed. SEC removed, tested, and packaged radiological materials and conducted a marine survey of the reef area. In addition, the SEC team was responsible for the construction of living quarters, remediation, debris and scrap metal recycling, site restoration, and international logistics and shipping.

The Shaw Group, Inc., for implementing bioaugmentation technology to successfully clean groundwater and soil containing chlorinated organics at Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii. Unique to the project was Shaw’s decision to use contaminant-consuming microbes, or “bugs,” that were indigenous to Hawaii, thereby eliminating risks that often come with introducing species into a foreign environment. Working in partnership with the Air Force Center for Environmental Excellence (AFCEE), a team of Shaw engineers and scientists increased the number of microbes that were then fed a carbon food source, stimulating them into consuming contaminants. Once the contaminated source was depleted, the microbe population returned to its original level, leaving a clean environment, which is now the site of Hickam’s Mamala Bay Golf Course.

Envirocon,for implementing a major, $100-million design-construct project that includes all management, design, and construction of the remedial solution at the Milltown Reservoir Sediments Operable Unit near Missoula, Montana. This project was won through a competitive-bid process that required Envirocon to develop a comprehensive design-construct plan for remediation of a highly complex Superfund site subject to significant regulatory, political and community scrutiny. The Milltown Dam was originally constructed to provide hydropower electricity for a large regional sawmill in 1907. In 1908, a 100-year flood resulted in an over-bank condition that washed tailings from a major copper mining operation approximately 100 miles upstream from Milltown. A portion of the sediment that settled at Milltown, estimated to equal 2.6 million cubic yards, has resulted in poor groundwater quality in the community and increased levels of arsenic found in drinking water. Envirocon’s scope of work includes the following: construction of a 3,700-foot-long bypass structure in the Clark Fork River; construction and operation of a rail-car unloading facility; construction of a 6,000-foot-long sheet pile enclosure system; excavation and placement of a 500,000-cubic-yard soil “pre-load” layer; excavation, rail transport, and disposal of 2.6 million cubic yards of soils and sediments; demolition and removal of existing Milltown Dam and powerhouse structures; and construction of the final Clark Fork River channel alignment and re-routing of the river.

TerraTherm, for completing a major remediation project in the Southeast using its proprietary In-Situ Thermal Desorption (ISTD) technology to treat dense non-aqueous-phase liquids (DNAPLs) in fractured rock. The goal was to remove trichloroethane (TCE) from the upper 75 feet of an 87-foot treatment zone and achieve mean TCE concentrations of less than 60 micrograms per kilogram (μg/kg). Pretreatment concentrations had been 81 million μg/kg. Using ISTD, which combines thermal conduction heating with vapor recovery, TerraTherm treated the site for a period of 120 days, achieving temperatures at the boiling point of water throughout the treatment zone and removing 12,000 lbs. of VOCs. The firm says that it achieved its cleanup goals with energy costs of only $12 per cubic yard of soil treated.

Kleinschmidt, for its work on the restoration of the Kennebec River in Maine. According to Kleinschmidt, the project is unique in that it addresses diverse needs and considers interrelated elements, including both engineering and biological approaches to the issues of fish passage, shoreline stabilization, recreation, dam removal, and economic improvement. The Kennebec River restoration has involved years of planning, study, and engineering and scientific activities. In some cases, integrating the timing, need, and design of infrastructure such as fish passages was required across different independent projects. Kleinschmidt’s involvement included working with owners, agencies, and the public to ensure that mandated objectives for water quality, habitat improvement, economic, and societal needs were met. To date, each project completed by Kleinschmidt has met the needs of each client while helping to satisfy the overall goal of restoring the Kennebec River Basin to its pre-development condition.


PROJECT MERIT: ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE

TRC Companies Inc., for the collaboration of its Energy Efficiency Services group with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) in the design and implementation of the Multifamily Performance Program (MPP). The MPP is an innovative program that helps the residents of New York State to construct and retrofit multifamily buildings using energy-efficient technologies and practices that will reduce energy costs and improve the health and safety of multifamily buildings, while also benefiting the environment by reducing GHG emissions. During the development of the program, TRC collaborated with national leaders, including representatives of EPA and the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The MPP is helping to build green affordable housing across the state as well as the first Energy Star-labeled multifamily high-rise buildings in the nation. The energy-efficiency work completed under these programs will save New Yorkers over $100 million per year in energy costs, according to TRC. One example, Martin Luther King Apartments, a new 54-unit affordable housing development located in the Bronx, will save over $250,000 in projected energy costs over its lifetime. In October 2007, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) bestowed TRC and NYSERDA its “Exemplary Program” Award for the MPP, an award that recognizes the individual achievements of the selected programs and showcases these programs for emulation by other organizations across the United States.

Black & Veatch, for its role in assisting the city of Kansas City, Missouri, in implementing a comprehensive stormwater management initiative. As part of its ongoing stormwater planning efforts, the city identified approximately 1,000 projects, with aggregate estimated costs of about $1.7 billion, to upgrade the city’s drainage system. Kansas City established the KC-One project to develop the tools needed to make its stormwater management program a leader in the region, and to garner community and stakeholder support for the proposed solutions. Among these tools were a capital improvements program supported by extensive stakeholder involvement to identify the community’s views on priorities, needs and goals. Black & Veatch developed a thorough strategic funding and implementation plan to provide the resources needed to achieve this vision. According to Black & Veatch, this plan was one of the most important components of the success of the stormwater management program. The stormwater improvements created multiple benefits, such as better water quality and more recreational opportunities for the community. In addition, to determine if areas could be made more sustainable and cost-effective, an automated best management practices locator was adopted.

Weston Solutions, Inc., for the completion of a $110-million design/build project for the Army Corps of Engineers’ Hurricane Protection Office to increase the capacity of critical pumping stations on the 17th Street and London Avenue canals in New Orleans. This fast-tracked project was completed in eight months, by the height of hurricane season. The temporary outfall canal pumps— an integral part of the New Orleans Storm Damage Reduction System— will move water into Lake Pontchartrain in the event a major storm surge requires closure of the canal flood gates. Weston aligned an integrated team of designers, suppliers, and construction subcontractors around a clearly defined project goal— to provide the citizens of New Orleans the needed operational capacity and protection from future storm events. The firm installed, started up, and commissioned 33 new pumping systems. Constant focus was on safety during this 24/7 project; over 460,000 hours of work were completed without a lost-time accident. The new systems can pump approximately 54,000 gallons per second of water from both canals, the equivalent of filling an Olympic-sized swimming pool in less than five seconds.

Michael Brandman Associates (MBA), for its central role in the development of the San Ramon City Center, a 2.1 million square-foot mixed-use infill project in San Ramon, California. The new facility is expected to create much-needed residential space in concert with the city’s 2020 General Plan. The project includes commercial/retail, government offices, cultural and entertainment venues, and a transit center. MBA’s innovative approach allowed for the development of this “city within a city” in a manner that is fully respectful of the natural environment. City staff and planning commissioners cited the analysis of air quality in MBA’s subsequent environmental impact report (SEIR) analysis as comprehensive and consistent with the city’s recent goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 11% by 2010. MBA’s innovative program, MM AIR-7, specified that at least 50% of total landscaping for the city center would consist of drought-tolerant trees with low ozone-forming potential, as listed in East Bay Municipal Utility District’s (EMBUD’s) Plants and Landscapes for Summer-Dry Climates.
 

PROJECT MERIT: WASTE MANAGEMENT & POLLUTION CONTROL

The Louis Berger Group Inc., for initiating and implementing a program to improve air quality in the area of the Taj Mahal in India. The palace, long considered an architectural, historical, and symbolic masterpiece, has been threatened by air pollution from the 4,060 square-mile Taj Trapezium Zone (TTZ) surrounding the monument. The pollution is emitted by the many small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that have historically used coal-derived coke as their primary fuel. To prevent further degradation of their national treasure, India’s government authorized the USAID/India’s Clean Technology Initiative (CTI) Program and, in May 2003, Berger launched CTI, which promotes environmental improvement in the TTZ’s industrial, transport and urban sectors. Berger provided the SMEs with low- and no-cost solutions and technical assistance that focused on best practices for utilizing raw materials, optimizing furnace operation, increasing production and process efficiency while improving health and working conditions. Berger also provided technology transfer for energy conservation, solid waste management, and green energy initiatives. Berger also established environmental benchmarks and encouraged the adoption of ISO 14001 environmental management systems (EMS). Since CTI’s start, pollution levels have decreased and the work environment for nearly a half-million people in these industries has improved.

EQ-The Environmental Quality Co., for its selection by the automobile industry’s End of Life Vehicle Solutions (ELVS) program to be the nationwide collection manager for an innovative automotive mercury switch collection program. Mercury switches were used in convenience lighting and antilock braking systems and can be found in vehicles manufactured prior to 2003. There are an estimated 40 million mercury switches remaining in vehicles still in use. Removing mercury switches from vehicles before they are crushed and shredded for recycling prevents mercury from escaping into the environment. In 2006, EPA reached an agreement with the American Iron & Steel Institute, the Automotive Recyclers Association, the Ecology Center, the Environmental Council of States, Environmental Defense, ELVS, the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries and the Steel Manufacturers Association to establish a voluntary national program for recovering mercury switches from scrap vehicles before they are shredded for recycling. As part of the agreement, ELVS will provide education, collection and recycling of automotive mercury switches which will be carried out through EQ. As of the end of 2007, there were 6,145 recyclers participating in the program, recovering 776,924 switches and preventing 1,709 pounds of mercury from being released into the environment.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA), for creating an innovative hazardous material/waste tracking system in partial settlement of an EPA enforcement action. Nationally, VA facilities tend to use outdated chemical tracking methods that are barriers to environmental compliance. To remedy this problem, the new tracking system will implement a “cradle to grave” chemical products/hazardous waste management inventory system for all VA hospitals in New England. The software will flag hazardous chemical purchases and simultaneously identify more environmentally benign products that might be substituted. Accurate, up-to-date computerized inventories will reduce the volume of chemical products purchased and reduce the volume and types of hazardous waste generated. If successful, this new system could be installed at VA hospitals nationally, and other health centers across the country.


PROJECT MERIT: SUSTAINABILITY & RESOURCE PROTECTION

Marstel-Day, for successfully deploying a new methodology for supporting Marine Corps efforts to sustain its military operations and training through Encroachment Control Planning and Encroachment Partnering (ECP/EP). ECP/EP creates a joint planning process between a Marine Corps installation and its host community, aimed at identifying lands adjacent to an installation that can be acquired to preserve agricultural land, open space or natural resource habitat while buffering the base from incompatible land uses in order to sustain its mission capabilities. Marstel-Day built upon the “encroachment partnering” legislation that it had earlier conceptualized, and that was enacted in the 2003 Defense Authorization Act. This legislation allows services to share the costs of land acquisition with local governments or non-profit conservators when it meets both base encroachment control and resource conservation metrics. Marstel-Day has deployed its methodology at six Marine Corps installations: MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina; MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina; MCAS Yuma, Arizona; MCB Quantico, Virginia; MCAGCC Twentynine Palms, California; and for two regional headquarters: Marine Corps Installations West and East. In addition, Marstel-Day assists Marine Corps headquarters in its efforts to update policies and programs for an enterprise-wide approach to encroachment control and partnering.

Accor Services USA, for growing its Commuter Check and Wired Commute benefit programs to 300,000 participants across the United States. Accor promotes the use of public transportation to mitigate climate change and support global sustainability through employer, third-party administrator and transportation authority programs. EPA estimates that 1.5 gallons of gas are used per commuter per day, and if 300,000 commuters were to use public transit just one day per week, they would reduce overall gasoline consumption by 450,000 gallons. If they were to use public transportation every day for one year (50 working weeks), overall gasoline consumption would be reduced by 113 million gallons. In addition to providing these benefits, with tax-free commuter benefits under Accor’s programs, the commuting expense is being taken out before taxes, saving employees and employers on taxes. Typically, commuters can obtain 40% more in after-tax value, while employers save 10% or more in payroll-related costs. With programs for employers, employees, third-party administrators and transit authorities across the country, Accor is aggressively implementing its mission is to make tax-free commuter benefits a staple in employee benefits packages throughout the American workplace to help protect the environment.

MWH, for hosting a series of climate change workshops across the United States for representatives of state and federal government agencies, municipalities, utilities, academic and research institutions, and the engineering community. The purpose of the workshops is to address the global challenges of climate change at a local level, and the events have been held in a variety of regions, including the Great Lakes, Northeastern Coastal, Rocky Mountain, California, and Pacific Northwest, with each focused on items specific to the region’s needs. The sessions bring expertise from around the world and include a mixture of speakers and break-out sessions designed to facilitate understanding and knowledge sharing on the potential impacts of climate change, and to give the participants an opportunity to build collaborative networks, identify resources and discuss mitigation and adaptation strategies.

Kirksey, a Houston-based architecture and interior design firm, for creating The Kirksey Center for Sustainable Architecture, a private think tank and consulting group whose focus is to mainstream environmentally friendly building practices. The purpose of the center is to educate other firm members and the architectural community on green building practices. Kirksey has developed a basicGREEN program that prescribes sustainable design measures that can be implemented on any project, regardless of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification and at no added cost to the project. With 4 million square feet of LEED projects certified or underway, Kirksey has achieved major milestones, including the first LEED-certified building in Houston (Silver, New Construction), the first LEED Commercial Interiors certification in Houston (Silver), the first LEED Existing Building in Texas (its own corporate headquarters), and the first LEED Core and Shell certification, which is also the first LEED Gold building in Houston.

U.K.-based JPD and NQA Training Ltd., for training and consultancy initiatives in the environmental sector. JPD and NQA provide training for well over 6,000 delegates per year in many different fields, including the environmental field. Specific areas include environmental management, auditing, legislative and regulatory awareness, management systems, waste management, carbon footprint, the climate change levy, and more. The two companies claim to have received excellent customer feedback from delegates and from regulators such as the International Register of Certified Auditors (IRCA) and the Institute of Environmental Management & Assessment (IEMA), both of which are involved in accrediting a number of the courses provided. Through a dedicated set of professional, experienced advisors and tutors, JPD and NQA constantly strive to keep up with the market and promote current and future environmental initiatives.

Ecology and Environment, Inc., for the successful deployment of GreenRide to help states, cities, large employers and campuses to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, decrease energy consumption and provide economic savings. GreenRide is a web-based emissions reduction and tracking tool that provides allows employees and the public to find transportation alternatives to driving alone, such as carpooling, van-pooling and transit services that match their personal schedules. The tool also tracks the environmental, economic and energy savings at an individual and organizational level for measuring and reporting program performance. According to the company, since its launch three years ago, GreenRide has become a key element of sustainability and climate action programs and is helping to save an estimated 20,000 tons of CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere annually. GreenRide has won top awards for “ease of use” from the GIS software company ESRI and for “excellence in energy conservation” from the American Council of Engineering Companies in New York . GreenRide has been selected by 37 organizations in 16 states and internationally to offer ride-sharing and emission tracking solutions to over 30 million people. According to Ecology and Environment, GreenRide’s year-on-year sales growth is several hundred percent.


C&E FIRMS: NEW PRACTICE AREAS

ERM, for growing revenues from its climate-change practice by 62%. During 2007, ERM established a core climate change team of 10 people working at a global level, and rapid recruitment is underway around the world to ensure that the firm’s climate change practitioners are strategically positioned to meet clients’ needs. One year earlier, ERM’s climate change practice constituted just under 1% of ERM’s business revenues, but within three years, the aim is for the practice to make up 5% of total business revenue. The firm has established “carbon schools” to educate ERM professionals in methods and approaches for addressing climate-change interlinks across all aspects of its work, and this approach to company-wide education is being rolled out to provide clients with the information and tools necessary to address their own climate change issues and to identify the business benefits of doing so.

Symbiotic Engineering, a start-up environmental consulting and engineering company, for the development of the Defining Green program for assessing claims of “green” or “sustainable” practices and operations by businesses and municipal agencies. Rooted in the principles of life-cycle assessment, Defining Green is an iterative process with the client that first requires quantifying environmental and economic impacts and then seeks innovative solutions that work within critical social aspects to better define sustainability. Symbiotic Engineering is working with the green-building community and other industries and municipalities to raise awareness of the need to rigorously quantify and verify environmental claims and to credibly establish the clear ownership of the right to make environmental claims. Symbiotic Engineering has also launched a series of “Green Papers” to educate stakeholders on topics critical to substantiating environmental claims. Topics covered so far include the embodied energy of bamboo flooring vs. concrete, substantiating the environmental claims of green buildings, the implications of carbon cap-and-trade systems on green-building environmental claims, and a quantifiable methodology for greening the Democratic National Convention.

Pennoni Associates, a multidisciplinary engineering firm generating $18 million from its environmental consulting practice, for growth in a new practice serving the uranium mining industry. Key successes include increased revenue of $2 million exclusively in this new growth area, repeat business and multi-year contracts, an increase in training for staff involved in uranium projects, and expansion into new geographical markets. Pennoni has also successfully developed substantial expertise in uranium mining and milling techniques as part of promoting nuclear power as a key alternative to fossil-fuel energy dependence. Mining and milling operations include aqueous, chemical and mechanical processes that resemble traditional environmental treatment processes. Pennoni’s environmental engineers extended their expertise to include mining processes such as filtration, ion exchange, carbon adsorption, chemical precipitation, dewatering, solvent extraction, reverse osmosis and crushing and grinding operations. Through this effort, Pennoni has expanded its technology and is currently supporting mining and milling projects in New Mexico, Wyoming and South America.

Psomas, for the establishment of its new Ecohydrology practice. Psomas’s Natural Resources Group has blended the company’s 20 years of hydrologic and resource management experience into a new discipline that simultaneously supports its clients’ project objectives while benefiting the environment. In response to the competing pressures of balancing the natural and built environment, Psomas scientists are using an approach to natural resources management that maximizes an ecosystem’s ability to withstand and absorb human-created pressures. Ecohydrology takes advantage of the intrinsic relationships between plants and water. Psomas scientists apply their hydrologic and resource management expertise to the design and engineering of projects to achieve a balance between the demands of the project and the needs of the environment, creating self-sustaining hydraulic systems that fulfill the requirements of regulators and the demands of a thirsty public. Psomas says that, by combining its expertise in the fields of surface hydrology, sub-surface hydrology and restoration ecology, it is addressing real-world issues of diminishing water supply and threatened open space, providing clients with positive project outcomes.

EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc., for growth in its Munitions Response Services practices. Starting with a single project in 1999, the practice today employs 25 full-time professionals, generates $5 million in annual revenues, and as of the end of 2007 had a backlog of about $10 million. EA currently holds 12 prime contracts with the federal government that involve activities and tasks handled through the Munitions Response Services practice. As of the end of 2007, EA was conducting qualitative assessments at 4,342 operational ranges located at 175 active Army, Army Reserve and Army National Guard installations in several regions of the United States and within the Pacific Installation Management Command. EA is also completing site inspections at Formerly Used Defense Sites (FUDS) and site inventories at more than 400 state National Guard facilities.

Golder Associates Inc. (GAI), for rapid growth in a new construction practice. Golder Construction Services Inc. (GCS) achieved growth in gross revenues of 190% during 2007 to $5 million. Historically a provider of design and engineering services, GAI developed GCS to apply the parent firm’s engineering solutions in the field. GCS services range from environmental remediation of soil and groundwater to landfill gas management system construction and O&M, dredging for channel maintenance, and water treatment. Most recently, GCS staff have worked on stabilizing and remediating lead-impacted soils at gun ranges and manufacturing sites, providing in situ groundwater treatment through bioenhancement at Superfund sites, resolving mercury waste problems in California, providing water treatment systems for mine sites, conducting landfill gas system operations and maintenance for Republic Waste in Michigan; and supplying in situ chemical oxidation for groundwater remediation at aluminum facilities in Alabama.


About the EBJ Business Achievement Awards

Between October and December of 2007, EBJ solicited the environmental industry via e-mail, web site, and word-of-mouth for nominations for the annual EBJ Business Achievement Awards. Nominations were accepted in 200-word essays in either specific or unspecified categories. Categories or size designations may be altered each year depending on the volume of nominations, the number of worthy recipients, or the emergence of new categories. Nominations were submitted by companies themselves, people or companies representing other companies, company partner or clients, EBJ staff, and EBJ editorial advisory board members. The EBJ Business Achievement Awards are then selected by a committee of EBJ staff and EBJ editorial advisory board members and released in early January.

The 2007 EBJ Business Achievement Awards will be presented in a special ceremony and awards banquet at EBJ's Environmental Industry Summit in Coronado, near San Diego, California, on the evening of February 20, 2008. The Environmental Industry Summit is an annual three-day event hosted by EBJ. Dates for the 2008 Summit are February 20-22, 2008 and award recipients are invited to attend to receive their award. Congratulations to the 2007 winners and EBJ encourages all interested companies to participate next year. Awards disclaimer: Company audits were not conducted to verify all information or claims submitted with nominations.