Please review for more information:
GENERAL CRITERIA FOR AWARDS
SPECIAL CRITERIA FOR NOMINEES
SUBMIT A NOMINEE
TYPES OF AWARDS
AWARD CATEGORIES
PAST RECIPIENTS

GENERAL CRITERIA FOR AWARD NOMINATIONS:

SPECIAL CRITERIA FOR NOMINEES
SUBJECT TO ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATION

Potential recipients subject to government environmental regulatory laws will be evaluated using these Special Criteria in addition to the General Criteria.

1. Recipients should be in compliance with current environmental regulations. • The environmental history of a potential recipient should be considered, but a less than good record on the part of the nominee or the nominee's parent company should not prevent the nominee from being considered.
2. Projects that are designed to clean up the recipient's past contamination should not generally receive awards. Awards are possible in some cases when the potential.
3. Recipient has cleaned up contamination caused by a previous owner or otherwise not caused by the nominee.
4. Projects that are based on mitigation for other problems should not qualify for awards.
5. A net gain in environmental improvement should be produced for a project to qualify for an award.
   • This requirement will prevent someone from receiving an award for improvement in a process while generating more pollution because of increased volume, or for a reported decrease in hazardous waste because of a decrease in productivity.
6. Internal initiatives by the candidates should take precedence over response to government pressure. That these initiatives may also be self-serving (image improvement, saving money) should not detract from the fact that they are accomplished.
7. In evaluating results of abatement, current standards applied by federal and/or state agencies should be used.
8. Awards will not be given for merely complying with minimal regulatory standards.
9. Awards may be given for innovative cleanup technologies.

TYPES OF AWARDS

1. Environmental Excellence Awards are engraved plaques naming the recipient, the category, and the date of the award.
   • These awards are given only to the top winners in each category.
   • More than one EE Award may be given in a category if all criteria are met.
   • EE Awards will not be awarded in a category if none of the applicants meet the criteria.
2. Certificates of Commendation may be awarded for projects that have good merit and meet most or all of the criteria but are not judged as outstanding as other projects in the same category.

AWARD CATEGORIES
Education
Educating the public, especially youth, about our natural environment is probably the most important factor in maintaining the future health of the natural systems in our community. Recipients of awards in this category will most likely be teachers, school systems, media or conservation groups.

Solid, long-term programs for teaching environmental education to youth should be a primary focus of these awards.

Incorporation of environmental education goals above the general Michigan suggested curriculum requirements will be demonstrated by school award recipients. Implementation of goals must be demonstrated.

Natural Resources
Awards in this category should focus on programs that restore, protect or enhance natural habitats such as streams, wetlands, lakes, and forests. Typical award recipients could be associations, conservation groups, individuals, landowners, or developers.

Business/Industry
Business and industry are required to comply with regulations and laws designed to prevent contamination of the environment. Awards may be given to firms that show significant progress in cutting pollution beyond what is required, in developing or implementing new processes that prevent pollution, cut waste, and/or conserve resources.

New and innovative programs must demonstrate results. Monetary gain or loss is not necessarily important.

Government
Local units of government administering aggressive environmental programs should be the focus of awards in this category. Programs initiated or mandated by state or federal requirements will not receive awards. Typical programs might include air/water pollution control, hazardous waste control or solid waste recycling. Planning commissions and zoning boards incorporating good environmental direction in community planning might receive awards.

Government awards should be given to programs that show leadership in the community.

Media
Newspapers, magazines and other publications, television organizations and radio stations that do an outstanding job of providing environmental information, services, and/or community projects may be nominated for an award. Broadcast media based outside Muskegon County are exempt from the residency requirement if their signals reach all of our area.

Agriculture
Muskegon County agricultural businesses that show excellent environmental sensitivity are eligible for this award. The enterprise may be a public or private unit in any agricultural area including farming, ranching, lumbering and landscape products. Awardable projects must have proven successful over a period of years in providing a stable income while maximizing environmental protection.

Lifetime Achievement Award
This award is reserved for individuals who have made outstanding contributions to environmental quality in Muskegon County over a period of decades

PAST RECIPIENTS

2007

• Agriculture - Ted and Cheryl Stein
• Business & Industry - Campbell Grinder Company
• Education - Sara Busken
• Government - Muskegon City Commission
• Individual - Annoesjka Steinman\
• Media - Ma Darn Chin Productions
• Natural Resources - Mona Lake Watershed Council
• Commendation - Jeff Knowlton

2005

• Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
  Innovative treatment technologies at the Ott Chemical Company Superfund Site
• Ken Brown, Recycling Efforts at the White Lake Area Solid Waste Station
• Alan Steinman, Director of GVSU Annis Water Reseources Institute and dedication to scientific research in local waterways
• Arn Boezaart, Individual Achievement
• Wes Lomax, Individual Achievement
• Janessa Stroud, Computer Recycling
• Rudy Bartels, Pollution Prevention Efforts at Herman Miller
• Barb Green, Recycling Efforts at Herman Miller
• Jim Austin, Lifetime Achievement

2004

• West Michigan Shoreline Regional Development Commission
  Ozone Action Program, Muskegon Area-wide Plan Cross-jurisdictional planning at the watershed level
• Krepps Farm, Sustainable Agriculture
• ADAC Plastics, Innovative waste reduction practices
• Pace Union Local 6-1015 and Bunker School, Grand Trunk Railroad cleanup and restoration project
• Mark Evans, Individual Achievement
• Darlene DeHudy, Individual Achievement
• Allen Bell, Lifetime Achievement

2003

• Muskegon River Watershed Assembly, Wild Rice Project
• City of Muskegon Heights, Elimination of liquid chlorine in water filtration process
• Jeremy Wagenmaker - Bunker School, Salmon life cycle project
• Sarah Corello and Alex Morton - Churchill School, Environmental Report Card
• David Craymer - Muskegon High School, Excellence in promoting environmental education
• Tom Hamilton, Lifetime Achievement

2002

• Muskegon Environmental Research and Education Society, Educational Wetland Project
• Howmet and Alcoa Company, The White River Initiative and company-wide environmental standards
• Dean and Nancy Kantola Farms, Environmentally Friendly Agriculture
• City of Muskegon, The Lakeshore Pathway
• Ruddiman Creek Task Force, Promoting progress in cleaning up the creek
• Mercy General Health Partners, Overall environmental performance including mercury reduction
• Lake Michigan Federation, 10 years of environmental achievement in the Muskegon area
• Kathy Evans, Individual achievement
• Florence Bright and Colette Klukos, Giving the White Pine Partnership its start
• Norman Ullman - City of Whitehall, Achieving the Tannery Bay cleanup

2001

• Michigan Nature Association
• Outdoor Habitat Classroom Pilot Project, (Twin Lake, Phillips, Oakview, Glenside)
• Camp Pendalouan's Outdoor Education Program
• GVSU Annis Water Resources Institute/W.G. Jackson, Making Lake Michigan Great Tours
• Baker College
• Preservation of Whitey's Woods
• Montague Township Recreation Committee
• United States Postal Service, Muskegon Office
• Sycamore Nature Preserve
• Kurdziel Industries
• Bluffton Bay Estates, LLC and Brenda Moore
• Tensen Family Dairy, LLC
• Florence Kiskey
• The Michigan Nature Association (Commendation)
• Scott Sieradzki (Commendation)

2000

• The Muskegon Chronicle
• Dilesco Corporation
• Muskegon Lake Task Force
• City of Whitehall
• White River Township
• Friends of Musketawa Trail
• Fred Wilder
• Richard Rediske
• WRI (GVSU) State of the Lakes Conference
• Elizabeth Brockwell-Tillman
• The Wildlife Habitat/Outdoor Classroom Project (Commendation)

1999

• Timberland R C & D
• City of Muskegon Department of Public Works
• Mona Shores Middle School Sixth Grade Science Camp
• Swanson Pickle Company
• Johnson Technology
• Dr. Ron Ward
• Marion Schroeder

1998

• Community Foundation for Muskegon County
• Ross Park Elementary School
• Reeths-Puffer Elementary School
• Montague High School FFA
• Elizabeth (Betty) Gutsell
• Mary K. (Kasey) Hartz

1997

• Prince of Peace Church
• Rich O'Neal
• Muskegon Area LakeWatch Volunteers
• Michigan Pines and Dunes Girl Scout Council
• ESCO
• Resource Recovery Corporation
• Ted Stojak/Integrated Metal Technology
• Greg Mund

1996

• West Michigan Region Environmental Network
• UAW Local 637
• Hackley Hospital
• Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory
• Montague Township Board
• Youth Volunteer Corps/Summer Days Day Camp
• Trout Unlimited - White River Chapter
• Master Tag Corporation
• Making Waves Committee
• Reeths-Puffer High School
• Mona Shores High School, Student Services Class
• William Jackson
• Dave Peden, Site Manager/Remediation Coordinator Cordova Chemical Company (Commendation)
• Local Emergency Planning Committee, Muskegon County - In response to the Community Right-to-Know Act (Commendation)

1995

• White Lake Sportfishing Association
• Muskegon County Soil Conservation District
• Mark Kutches, Orchard View High School
• Lincoln Park School Ecology Club
• Whitehall Intermediate School Sixth Grade
• Brunswick Bowling & Billiards Corporation
• Burdick & Jackson Laboratories
• William Schroeder, Jr.
• Jane Wade
• Wint and Betty Dahlstrom

1994

• Jeff P. Bonin
• Nicole Marie Lee
• John and Mary VanDenBrink
• Helen Carlson
• Lorin Industries
• Fruitport Middle School with Special Recognition to Special Education
Teacher - Bobbi Tayor

• Jolman Elementary School
• Steele Middle School
• Teacher Gene Hosko, Reeths-Puffer Elementary
• Gary Packingham
• Edward T.Goulet

1993

• Holton Elementary School
• Bluffton Elementary School
• City of Muskegon
• City of Muskegon Heights, Downtown Development Authority
• Plumb's Whitehall Store
• Hy-Lift Division- SPX
• Robert Meacham
• Save Our Shoreline, Inc.
• Tom Hamilton
• Jeff Alexander