Laboratory receives seven Green Zia Awards for environmental excellence

Contact: John Bass, bassvid@lanl.gov, (505) 665-9204 (01-112)

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LOS ALAMOS, N.M., Oct. 19, 2001 -- Seven organizations and projects at the Department of Energy’s Los Alamos National Laboratory received Green Zia awards from the New Mexico Green Zia Environmental Excellence Program for their efforts in pollution prevention.

The Environmental Science and Waste Technology, Human Resources, and Engineering, Science and Applications divisions won Achievement Awards. Los Alamos' Business Operations, and Facilities and Waste Operations divisions, the Nuclear Materials Technology Group and Aramark Corp., the Lab’s food service provider, won Commitment Awards.

It is the second year in a row, the Environmental Science and Waste Technology Division earned achievement-level recognition indicating the division has a prevention-based environmental management system in place.

Gov. Gary Johnson and State Environment Department Secretary Peter Maggiore recognized the seven Laboratory organizations Wednesday at a ceremony in La Cienega.

The Achievement Award recognizes organizations that have turned their pollution prevention programs into prevention-based environmental management systems and can demonstrate measurable results.

The Commitment Award is given to organizations that have made strong commitments to pollution prevention and are establishing basic, systematic pollution prevention programs.

The Green Zia Program is a voluntary program that helps New Mexico businesses achieve environmental excellence by establishing pollution prevention-based environmental management systems. It is sponsored by the New Mexico Environment Department and administered by the New Mexico Environmental Alliance, a partnership of state, local and federal agencies, academia, private industry and environmental advocacy groups.

"These organizations are doing great things to protect the environment, and the Green Zia Program provides the opportunity to recognize those great achievements," said Tom Starke, program manager for Los Alamos' Environmental Stewardship Office, which coordinates Green Zia activities at the Laboratory.

"Our ultimate goal is to make pollution prevention a cornerstone of all our business practices and to develop an environmentally conscious culture Laboratory-wide that takes us beyond mere compliance," he added.

More information about the Green Zia program is available at:ftp://www.nmenv.state.nm.us/docs/Gr_Zia/2000Criteria_final.doc online.

Los Alamos' winning applications also are available at http://emeso.lanl.gov/eso_projects/green_zia/Applying/application.html online.

Los Alamos National Laboratory is operated by the University of California for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration.