It’s time to celebrate the best sustainability efforts in the Las Vegas Valley with the Green Awards.
This will be the ninth year of the Business Press program and this year’s winners will be honored at an awards breakfast at Springs Preserve on July 27. Ticket information and details will be announced as the event draws near, but the first order of business is to gather nominations
This year’s program includes 10 categories:
1) Sustainability Executive of the Year — Major resort executive, public official, small business operator, academic. They’re all eligible.
2) Hotel/casino of the Year — Las Vegas area resorts are doing amazing things with their sustainability programs. But which made the greatest strides in the calendar year ending June 30?
3) New Construction of the Year — This is an award for a project that is demonstrably green and will have an impact for years to come. The award could go to an architect, builder, contractor, building owner or the business itself. The project must have received a certificate of occupancy between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016.
4) Nonprofit of the Year — They do so much for the community, particularly in the area of sustainability. Which nonprofit had the best program in the year ending June 30?
5) Public Agency of the Year — This award could go to a department of a city or county government, or to the city or county itself. Also eligible are freestanding programs, including state and federal programs.
6) Innovation of the Year — This could be a product or a service or a public policy initiative. If the idea is bearing tangible results by June 30, it’s eligible.
7) Small Business of the Year — We’re going to draw an arbitrary line at 400 employees. If you’ve got a product, a service, a green program, it’s eligible.
8) Recycling Program of the Year — Energy? Water? Building materials? There are lots of items that can be recycled. Is your program innovative or noteworthy because of the volume involved? They’re all eligible.
9) Renovation of the year — New solar project? Energy efficiency upgrades? Saving water or anything else that helps keep the community green? If your renovation/retrofit project makes a noteworthy contribution to sustainability, it’s eligible.
10) Best in Show — Our judges will review the nine winners and select the most outstanding for a second award as the year’s best. It will be announced as a surprise at the awards event.
There is no entry form but that doesn’t mean there are no rules. Nominations are to be submitted to nominations@businesspress.vegas by end of day Friday, June 10. Each must contain the name and contact information of both the nominee and the person doing the nominating. Yes, self-nomination is fine. Submit an explanation of the project — minimum 250 words — outlining the scope of the project and why it’s worthy of an award.
The judges will review the nominees and we’ll reveal the names of the winners July 25 both in print and online. Winners will be honored July 27 and a special Green Awards section will highlight the winners in print and online Aug. 1.