WASHINGTON –Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne and Deputy Secretary Lynn Scarlett today honored eight recipients of the 2006 Department of the Interior Environmental Achievement Awards in a ceremony at the Interior Building in Washington, DC. The Secretary said the recipients are “role models for all Americans who want to celebrate Earth Day this week.”
The Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge “Green” Headquarters and Visitor Contact Station in Swanton, Vermont won one of the prestigious national awards for constructing and managing its facility in keeping with the principles of sustainable design.
The awards convey high-level recognition to DOI employees and partners for DOI projects in the following areas: Waste/Pollution Prevention, Recycling, Green Purchasing, Environmental Management Systems, Sustainable Design/Green Building, and Alternative Fuel and Fuel Conservation in Transportation. A panel of experts from each Interior bureau recommended the awardees to their agency heads. More information on the awards can be found at http://www.doi.gov/greening/awards/env2006N.html.
Recently completed and opened in April, 2007, the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge facility strives to minimize the negative environmental impacts of construction. Achievements of the project include selection of recycled materials, efficient use of energy, and water conservation and runoff treatment. Building materials for this project were selected for low impact on the environment. Extensive use was made of recycled content materials. Materials with low or no Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) or hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) were selected. The facility also features numerous energy conservation features, including extensive use of natural day-lighting, a geothermal heating ventilation and air conditioning system, a photovoltaic solar array, and a wind turbine.
The eight awardees are:
- Dr. John Portnoy, Ecologist - Herring River Salt Marsh Restoration, Cape Cod National Seashore, NPS.
- Students Against Global Abuse at Herndon High School (SAGA) Partnership with MMS.
- The California BLM Abandoned Mine Lands Team - Boston Placer Mine Sluice Tunnel Remediation Project, Red Dog, California.
- JW Dalton Legacy Well Cleanup Project Team, National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska, BLM.
- Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge "Green" Headquarters and Visitor Contact Station Team, Swanton, Vermont, FWS.
- Northeast Regional Office “Green” Team Hadley, Massachusetts, FWS.
- Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture, Planet EVERgreen: Protecting and Preserving "The Last Frontier," Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, NPS.
- Yellowstone National Park Employees, Xanterra Yellowstone Employees, Montana and Wyoming Departments of Environmental Quality, and Environmental Protection Agency, Region 8, Environmental Stewardship at Yellowstone National Park and the greater Yellowstone area, Wyoming.