2010 Sustainability Awards

Oregonians have always put great value on the long-term health of the environment in which they live, work and play, and therefore take a long-term view when making investments in economic development. Sustainability is an integrated concept in the strategic planning of most Oregon organizations and companies, but some are truly moving to the head of the pack. Governor Ted Kulongoski created the Sustainability Awards to recognize those outstanding efforts.

The 4th annual Oregon Sustainability Awards event will be hosted by the Oregon Sustainability Board and Business Oregon at an upcoming event. The details of the presentation are still being worked out but will be provided as soon as they are available.

Eligibility

Any private, public or non-profit organization is eligible to apply. Awards will be given based on merit, but organizations may be grouped by size and/or type in order to make comparing applicants more efficient and appropriate. Winners will show a commitment to sustainability that goes beyond compliance with regulatory requirements. Winners will be innovators in their fields and show that becoming more sustainable is not in conflict with achieving the organization's core mission, whatever that may be.

In 2009, awards were given to organizations in each of three groups: small businesses, large businesses and government/non-profits. It is likely, but not guaranteed, that the 2010 awards will be given out in the same format as 2009, but a review of past winners should provide a relatively good sense of what is expected to be a winner. Information on past Sustainability Award winners is available on oregon.gov. The Sustainability Board will decide after reviewing the 2010 applications if the breakdown of the awards will be the same or different than last year's approach.

Process

A review panel is performing an initial review of applications received and will decide if further information is required of any applicants. If more information is needed, applicants will be contacted by Business Oregon. If not, the review panel will make recommendations to the Sustainability Board. The board will review the applications and recommendations and make a final decision on awardees. Business Oregon will then contact all applicants to inform them of the decision on their applications. The review process should take approximately two months. Business Oregon will contact applicants after the review process is completed. Applicants should expect a response approximately two months after the Nov. 5th deadline.