The Christ Hospital and Toyota Motor Sales USA, both in Hamilton County, were among the recipients of the Annual Governor’s Award for Outstanding Achievement in Environmental Stewardship. Governor Ted Strickland presented the award to nine organizations on December 3, 2008, at the Statehouse. The awards program is open to any business, industry, trade association, professional organization or local government of Ohio. Recipients were selected following an evaluation of written nomination materials, compliance record review and a site visit by Ohio EPA.

"These companies are leaders in protecting Ohio's natural resources while implementing innovative approaches that reduced the cost of doing business, improved company efficiency, and enhanced the quality of life and the environment in their communities. I commend their efforts," said Governor Strickland.

Since 1986, Ohio EPA has coordinated the Annual Governor's Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Pollution Prevention to recognize companies and organizations that have made outstanding achievements in reducing pollution through source reduction or the recycling of waste. Ultimately, these efforts help protect Ohio's environment and public health. Starting in 2008, the Governor’s Awards were renamed the Annual Governor's Awards for Outstanding Achievement in Environmental Stewardship to broaden the program’s scope.

The Christ Hospital is a 555-bed, not-for-profit acute care hospital that employs 1,280 physicians, 3,250 employees and 300 volunteers. An Environmental Health Mission Statement has guided The Christ Hospital in becoming a leader in preserving the environment. For example, during the first year of operation, a chiller optimization project reduced kilowatt (kw) per hour usage by more than 2 million kw-hr from the prior year with similar cooling load requirements. In Phase I of a lighting retrofit, the hospital saved 58 thousand kw-hours per month with a capital investment payback of less than a year. In phase II, payback was 1.7 years and consumption savings were 51 thousand kw-hours per month. By using waterless urinals and drought tolerant/native landscaping, the hospital reduced water consumption by 9 million gallons per year. Since 2003, the hospital has decreased its solid waste by 35 tons and increased its recycling by 265 tons. Other projects dealt with “green” purchasing, air quality improvement and spill prevention.

	Rick Perkinson (center) accepts the governor’s award from Ohio EPA Director Chris Korleski (left) and Governor Ted Strickland (right) on behalf of Christ Hospital.

The Cincinnati Parts Distribution Center and Regional Sales Office support all Toyota dealers in Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Tennessee and parts of Indiana. There are about 46 employees at the Parts Distribution Center and 88 at the Regional Sales Office. Toyota Sales is certified in the ISO 140001 environmental management standard and is committed to continuous improvement. It changed from a landfill facility to a waste-to-energy facility, diverting 43,460 pounds from landfills. Lighting fixture changes realized 13 percent energy savings. Increased returnable cage usage for shipping saved 7 million pounds of wood and 2.7 million pounds of corrugated cardboard. Waterless urinals and low-flow aerators helped reduce water use by more than 3.5 million gallons from 2004 - 2006, reducing the facility’s total water bill by about 66 percent.

	Jef Friedman (center) accepts the governor’s award from Ohio EPA Director Chris Korleski (left) and Governor Ted Strickland (right) on behalf of Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

The other recipients of this year's awards are:
Anheuser-Busch - (Columbus, Franklin County) for its environmental management system and its resource conservation and recycling program. Its applied plastic label recycling project diverted more than 226 tons of the material from Ohio landfills during 2007.
Ben Venue Labs - (Bedford, Cuyahoga County) for its environmental, health and safety management system that strives to promote a safe and healthy manufacturing environment, including brownfield reuse and re-development, LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification attempt, recycling and reuse, energy saving, and water conservation.
Bowling Green State University - (Bowling Green, Wood County) for its elemental mercury collection and reclamation program. Since 1998, more than 19,500 pounds of mercury has been removed from a variety of sources throughout Ohio as well as other states, eliminating the potential for exposure hazards associated with mercury. The university has implemented measures that have resulted in more efficient and cost-effective processing of mercury and mercury-containing items they have collected.
Crown Equipment Corp. - (New Bremen, Auglaize County) for its comprehensive environmental sustainability program, which includes a comprehensive pollution prevention program, comprehensive reuse and recycling program, brownfields redevelopment, energy management, product development initiatives, and other projects. Its zero-discharge plating facility and powder-coating operation are two examples of large capital investment projects that reduced pollution.
DesignGroup - (Columbus, Franklin County) for its integration of the core principles of sustainable design into the process of every project, taking advantage of orientation, optimizing daylight, using "green" materials, optimizing the performance of air conditioning systems, and employing sustainable site techniques, while providing building users with comfort and desired features. More than 75 percent of the firm's technical staff has passed the LEED- accredited professional examination demonstrating knowledge of sustainable design principles.
Frito Lay - (Wooster, Wayne County) for its environmental management system and "Green Team" to drive not only environmental compliance but also environmental stewardship at work and in the community. Since 2004, the company reduced natural gas usage by 4.9 percent, water usage by 25.8 percent, and electricity usage by 13.9 percent. Solid waste was reduced by 22 percent since 2005.
Lube Stop - (Berea, Cuyahoga County) for its ongoing sustainability program. In May 2008, it launched a program to use re-refined oil, derived from recycled motor oil, becoming the first chain in the nation to do so in its entire market. Annually, Lube Stop uses approximately 29,121 gallons of re-refined 50/50 green antifreeze and recycles more than 400,000 gallons of waste oil and more than 37,000 gallons of antifreeze.

Award winners were selected based on a sound track record of environmental compliance and a commitment to go above and beyond regulations to improve environmental performance; a mature environmental management system that has been integrated into core business functions; aggressive environmental performance goals; and a process for communicating with the local community about program activities and progress on performance goals. More information about the award program is available at www.epa.state.oh.us/ocapp/stewardship.html.

*This article printed with permission from Ohio EPA Public Interest Center.