Last week, we presented GEO’s Annual Green Achievement Awards in four categories – Business, Academic, Community/Government, and Nonprofit – plus two Lifetime Achievement Awards. Since 2018, we have focused on honorees who are active statewide or who are leaders in the area where we host the awards ceremony. See the award winners from 2018-2019 here and the 2020 honorees here.
Several of the awards have deep roots in GEO’s history. The Community Award has been given to communities located in all regions of the state, including Bowling Green (2004), Cuyahoga Falls (2005), Oberlin (2006), Worthington (2013), Minster (2015), and Athens County (2016). It’s worth noting that this year’s winner, the City of Cincinnati, also won in 2008 in a group award along with the University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Technical and Community College, and Duke Energy. Ohio’s Community Colleges (2009) and Ohio’s Green Zoos (2010) are also past winners; this year the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden won in the nonprofit category.
The Nonprofit Award has been presented to organizations who share our mission and with whom GEO has worked to move Ohio forward on clean energy – the Foundation for Environmental Education (2001), the Sierra Club (2008), Ohio Interfaith Power and Light (2009), and Green Umbrella (2012), to name a few.
The Business Award has been won by Ohio-based companies and GEO members, such as Decker Homes (2005), the Melink Corporation (2008), and the Design Group (2010), as well as international corporations with a presence in Ohio – Iberdrola Renewables (2011), Honda North America (2013), and Amazon (2016). This year’s winner, Fifth Third Bank, joins their ranks and has been given a GEO Business Membership as part of the award.
This isn’t the first year for Lifetime Achievement Awards either. Lifetime awards were presented to Sister Paula Gonzalez in 2004, Fletcher Miller in 2006, and Professor David Orr in 2015. For the complete list click here.