Sustainable North Carolina Names 2007 N.C. Sustainability Award Winners
Posted: 10-23-2007 : RALEIGH, N.C.

Raleigh, N.C. – Sustainable North Carolina named a “for benefit” insurance company, an internationally known construction firm, a company that provides energy efficient lighting and a government organization that has saved the state millions of dollars in energy costs as the winners of the 2007 North Carolina Sustainability Awards. The four winners and seven other finalists for the prestigious state-wide honors were honored at the awards presentation and conference today at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill.

The 2007 Winners

One winner was selected in each of four categories:

The Redwoods Group won in the Corporate Social Responsibility category. Redwoods was honored for its mission to be the best commercial specialty insurance provider while protecting and improving the quality of life in the communities it serves. As a “for-benefit” company, Redwoods has donated about $2 million to charity and thousands of hours of community service by its employees during business hours.

Skanska won in the Environmental Leadership category for its commitment to green construction. The company has built two Silver LEED buildings in North Carolina and has other projects in progress across the state. It also uses a variety of programs such as “Waste Zero” for in-office composting to reduce pollution, save energy, and educate employees.

Cree won in the Innovative Initiatives category for its LED City Initiative, an expanding community of government and industry parties working to promote and deploy light-emitting diode (LED) lighting technology across the full range of municipal infrastructure to save energy, protect the environment, reduce maintenance costs, improve light quality and save tax dollars. The program began earlier this year with a parking garage light pilot program in Raleigh. The company now promotes a guide to use LED lighting for cities across North Carolina and the world.

The North Carolina Energy Office won in the Best Practices from the Public and Non-Profit Sector category. The North Carolina State Energy Office has saved state agencies and public universities more than $66 million in energy costs through increased efficiency since 2002 as part of its Utility Savings Initiative for State Facilities.

The seven other finalists were honored for their efforts as well:

Burt’s Bees
Cisco
Cary Printing
Duke University
N.C. Solar Center
Wake Technical Community College
Weaver Cooke Construction

Major sponsors for the 2007 N.C. Sustainability Awards & Conference include Cherokee Investment Partners, Bank of America, The Biltmore Company, Burt’s Bees and Novozymes. Print media partners are Green@Work magazine and Business North Carolina.

About Sustainable North Carolina
Sustainable North Carolina is a non-profit that works as a catalyst for a sustainable economy through professional education, networking, implementation assistance and recognition. SNC initiated the N.C. Sustainability Awards & Conference in 2002 to honor organizations leading the way in creating solutions for a sustainable future. Since then, the N.C. Sustainability Awards & Conference has grown into a high-profile event that attracts hundreds of business, government, non-profit and academic leaders from across the Southeast.

About The N.C. Sustainability Awards
Sustainable North Carolina will honor businesses and organizations on the cutting edge of combining financial returns with environmental stewardship and social responsibility at the sixth annual N.C. Sustainability Awards and Conference Oct. 22 at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill. For more information on the sustainability awards – including information on registering to attend the event – please go to www.sustainnc.org.