Every spring, Metro Waste Authority recognizes businesses, institutions and individuals for the positive environmental impacts they have on our communities. The Annual Dinner is a time for Metro Waste Authority and attendees to honor those who constantly work to take care of central Iowa's environment. And it's a time for us to acknowledge and be inspired by the energy, determination and creativity of our environmental stewards. Please help us celebrate our recent winners by reading more about their contributions below.
To learn more about the 2010 Environmental Stewardship Winners click here.
2010 Winners
Drake University
Playing on their school color, blue, Drake initiated "Blue is Green" to engage the campus community in responsible best practices for the environment. Enthusiasm spread across the campus and soon the University was able to boast being the first college/university to adopt single stream
recycling in residence halls, offices, and across campus. Since the implementation of this program, they have recycled 40 more tons than in the previous year. Drake also prides itself on several sustainability projects that they have undertaken. For example, instead of demolishing outdated residence
halls and constructing new ones, Drake elected to renovate the buildings to minimize the environmental impact and promote sustainability. In the plaza, they constructed porous segments along the street that help retain water to prevent flooding and runoff. Drake Athletics and dining facilities have
gone paperless by going electronic with schedules, media guides, menus and ads. Drake aims to be a paperless institution by the year 2015. Finally, Drake sought to promote sustainability through academics and other student and community outreach programs. Their Environmental Science and Policy Department
teaches students to see the connection between science, policy, economics and society. The Drake Sustainability Fair, organized in partnership with the City of Des Moines, raises awareness among community members on how to live a sustainable life.
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Iowa Health System
Iowa Health Systems made green "GrEAT" by forming its Green Environmental Action Team in 2008. This internal movement - tasked with making the entire organization more Earth friendly - has led to several programs that have had a tremendous impact in terms of reducing in materials used,
decreasing energy consumption and increasing recycling. The team has also created a culture where departments and individuals are encouraged to develop and implement environmental solutions at the grassroots level. At the same time, Iowa Health Systems is enhancing the local marketplace for green
business by seeking out environmentally conscious business partners and influencing long-standing partners to develop more sustainable offerings. They have also taken steps to reduce their environmental impact through a variety of recycling and energy and resource conservation strategies. In one facility
alone, switching to motion-activated, high efficiency fluorescent lighting resulted in annual savings equal to the average electricity used in 27 American homes each year. Iowa Health Systems and its food distribution partners have implemented a food waste disposal system that has reduced food waste
by 42% across the five participating hospitals.
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Pioneer Hi-Bred
The Corporate Services Department at Pioneer Hi-Bred, a DuPont business, is our next recipient of the Environmental Stewardship Award. Environmental stewardship has always been a key component of Pioneer's business, and last year the Corporate Services Department began to formalize its approach
toward sustainability. Since that time, Pioneer has implemented waste reduction programs by removing all non-recyclable materials from conference and meeting rooms, break rooms, cafeterias, and refreshment centers. They have also designated parking spaces at their Des Moines area facilities for employees
who have invested in hybrid or fuel-efficient vehicles. Pioneer has also made a move toward the use of modular reusable furniture, fixtures and equipment in their offices and laboratories, greatly reducing the volume of natural resources needed to outfit their workplace. In addition, they have made
other efforts of conserving natural resources by identifying lawn areas on their Johnston campus for no irrigation/no mowing. Pioneer has also received Energy Star Certification on three of their buildings.
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Wells Fargo
On the national level, Wells Fargo has a 10-point environmental commitment that includes lending to and investing in environmentally beneficial business opportunities and using due diligence procedures for customers in environmentally sensitive industries. Locally, Wells Fargo has two team member
groups – Today's Stagecoach and The Green Team – that actively encourage environmentally friendly initiatives. The Today's Stagecoach group facilitates car pooling and sponsors and participates in Bike to Work Week, in which it has ranked first in participation for 3 years running. The
Green Team focuses on education and has put together an Eco Fair which travels to other Des Moines area locations. Wells Fargo is also a strong supporter of environmental education. For the past two years, Wells Fargo has funded a grant through the Earthwatch Institute to send a Des Monies area
teacher on a research expedition to study the cause and effect of climate change. Each of these teachers also receives grant money to launch an environmental project at their school. Additionally, Wells Fargo teamed up with Merrill Middle School and sponsored a renewable energy project, allowing
the middle school to install a solar panel that students can use as a learning tool. Wells Fargo team members have donated about 2,500 hours of their time volunteering for environmental initiatives, both in the company and the community. They participate in River Run Garbage Grab and Earth Day Trash
Bash and won the "Largest Team" Award in the latter.
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Mary Burton
Burton has dedicated more than two decades of her life to reducing the impact of solid waste management on the environment and more specifically, within her community. In her two successive terms as Mayor of Polk City, Burton started several successful recycling programs. She started her efforts
at the city level, because she firmly believed the city had to set an example and then the residents would follow. At Burton's urging, the city council made recycling mandatory in city offices. Then, they expanded recycling options for businesses and residents alike by providing a recycling self-haul
drop off site with 24/7 access. Education on the benefits of recycling also became a community priority. Then Burton went from recycling paper, plastic, and other products, to envisioning a place for yard waste recycling. This led to a recycling complex in Polk City for yard waste, which is now being
considered by the local golf course, Tournament Clue of Iowa, as a source of organic soil and fairway topping. Mary is a passionate and persuasive advocate for the environment.
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Robin Fortney
As a child, Fortney was encouraged by her parents and grandparents to pay attention to, and be curious about, the natural world. She became, and is still very much today, passionate about protecting waterways and the environment around her. It is no surprise that for the past 17 years she has been
working as a volunteer to do just that. Her accomplishments are many. In 1993 she helped start the Friends of Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge, and served as President and on the board for 10 years. Between 1995 and 1996 she volunteered as Outings Chair for Sierra club where she initiated a partnership
with Polk County Conservation's Yellow Banks County Park to conduct regular stewardship projects and led paddling trips around the state. By 1997, she founded Central Iowa Paddlers to connect paddlers, encourage safety and promote stewardship of Iowa's rivers. Beginning in 2001, she encouraged the
club to partner with the Izaak Walton League to conduct annual river cleanups called the River Run Garbage Grab on the Des Moines and Raccoon Rivers. From 2005-2008 Robin participated in the Iowa Department of Natural Resource's Project AWARE, a week-long river cleanup event on several Iowa rivers.
Inspired by this project, she obtained a grant from Iowa DNR and re-organized the River Run Garbage Grab into a grassroots, community-based event. She partnered with Metro Waste Authority, greenbelt land managers, and river recreationists to expand the event from 10-15 volunteers and one dumpster
of garbage to 450 volunteers and 30 tons of garbage collected. Fortney has served on and chaired many advisory committees and conservation boards throughout these past 17 years and has received numerous accolades for her environmental awareness and protection efforts.
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Megan Reuther
When most Central Iowans are just waking up, Reuther is on the scene to fill them in on what happened overnight or what obstacles lie ahead on the way to work each day. It's enough to keep any person incredibly busy. Yet, Megan finds the time each week to produce a special report that is near and
dear to her heart. "Renew Iowa" is the title of Reuther's weekly segment that brings environmental issues into the living rooms of tens of thousands of Central Iowans. Since May 2008, Reuther has covered issues from solar power and alternative fuels to recycling and habitat restoration.
What has made this report especially unique, though, is Reuther's ability to take a person or a topic and craft a story that makes viewers sit up, take notice, and change the way they view and treat their environment. Renew Iowa covers the people and events that will shape our environment and inspire
generations to come.
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