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Mayor Gray, U.S. State Department, and Diplomatic Community Honor 10 Stewards of Sustainability Including RAMW Members ProFish, Ltd. and Farmers Restaurant Group

Sustainability=DC
June 26, 2014

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – In a ceremony tonight at the residence of H.E. Peter Taksoe-Jensen, the Danish Ambassador to the United States, Mayor Vincent C. Gray honored 10 individuals, businesses, civic organizations, and embassies for demonstrating outstanding achievements and leadership in sustainable practices. Two of these prestigious awards honored RAMW members ProFish, Ltd. and Farmers Restaurant Group.

Mayor Gray – who was joined by Under Secretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy, Ambassador Taksoe-Jensen, representatives of more than 35 foreign embassies and local businesses, and community leaders – presented awards to winners for three categories: the 2014 Mayor’s Sustainability Award, the District’s first issued Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR ® Award for Superior Building Energy Performance, and the U.S. State Department DC Greening Embassies Forum Award.

Creating a greener, healthier, and more livable city today and for generations to come requires collaboration and commitment from local government and the private sector. Our winners today have moved us all a step closer to achieving the goals of our Sustainable DC Plan,” said Mayor Gray. “The innovative ideas and civic commitment demonstrated by these individuals, businesses and missions is inspiring. Their deep commitment to the community and our environment is positioning the District as a national and international leader in urban sustainability.”

The 2014 honorees are below.

Mayor’s Sustainability Awards

Akridge

Akridge’s Building SustainabilityTM initiative, a program to increase the sustainability of the company and the buildings it operates, ensures that environmentally responsible practices are effectively incorporated to reduce the environmental footprint throughout all service offerings and operations. Akridge’s sustainability program considers energy, water and other resources; reduces waste, pollution and environmental

degradation; protects occupant health; and improves employee productivity. Akridge helped to certify 36 LEED projects and benchmarked 23 buildings in the US EPA ENERGY STAR Portfolio Manager®.

City Blossoms, Inc.

City Blossoms has developed 34 green spaces throughout the city and served over 9,500 children and youth through in-school, after-school, and summer projects. City Blossoms is collaborating with more than 21 partner gardens at schools and community-based organizations, as well as two Community Green Spaces that together provide more than 1,300 hours of free and affordable interactive activities, engaging children, youth, and volunteers citywide.

Farmers Restaurant Group

The Farmers Restaurants are Certified Green RestaurantsTM as recognized by the Green Restaurant Association for eco-friendly operations. These measures include front-of-house and back-of-house recycling and composting, high-efficiency water and energy usage, and recycled paper product usage whenever possible.

Fulya Kocak, Clark Construction Group

In her role at Clark Construction and as a tireless volunteer, Ms. Kocak supports the Sustainable DC Plan, working with local, green non-profit organizations and industry groups to promote sustainability. She helped to develop and implement the city's first green construction codes, dedicating countless hours as a member of the District’s Green Building Technical Advisory Group to ensure the cost-effectiveness and applicability of the city’s new codes.

Jimmy Edgerton

Jimmy Edgerton's passions are preserving the environment and building community, and he believes that business and relationships can sustain these goals. Mr. Edgerton has started not only a D.C.-based food company, but also a real estate and consulting businesses to help people live sustainably and realize their goals.

ProFish

ProFish is a District-based leader in sustainable seafood. Sustainability is at the core of their business, from purchasing sustainably-managed harvests, to combatting invasive species such as snakeheads, to creating one of the most advanced traceability programs in the industry. ProFish is working to improve their products and the environment those products rely on. ProFish is also greening their operations by creating systems that reduce waste whenever possible, using solar energy, and promoting conversion of waste to fertilizer.

Solar Solution LLC

Solar Solution provides clean, reliable, and efficient energy to power homes and businesses and build our local green economy. In 2013 alone, Solar Solution put at least 5,000 Solar Renewable Energy Credits (SRECS) into circulation while saving residents $29,050 with zero out-of-pocket costs, meaning more money went into local District businesses and the economy.

ENERGY STAR® Award

Paramount Group

With a score of 97, the 425 Eye Street building was the District’s best performing ENERGY STAR® certified building in 2013. This means this building performed better than 97 percent of similar buildings nationwide. 425 Eye Street is not a new building, but underwent a complete modernization in 2009 and 2010 to replace

mechanical and plumbing systems, windows, and interior spaces. Their investment is now saving Paramount almost $250,000 a year on energy, proving that efficiency and sustainability are good for business.

Greening Embassies Forum Award

The Embassy of France

In coordination with the District government, the embassy installed a 10,000-square-foot green roof to help reduce air pollution and urban heat, and to manage and filter stormwater. At the same time, their living roof provides an avenue for educational outreach to visitors from across the District, the nation, and from abroad.

The Embassy of Australia

Through an aggressive series of upgrades, including reprogramming mechanical systems; installing motion- sensor lights and efficient water fixtures; and replacing boilers, air conditioning units, and pumps with more efficient technology, the Australian Embassy made great strides this year to reduce their energy use.

About the Mayor’s Sustainability Awards

The Mayor’s Sustainability Awards (previously the Mayor’s Environmental Excellence Awards) have been awarded since 2009 through a competitive selection process. This year’s winners represent a range of innovative endeavors to improve the lives of residents, the quality of our environment and access to healthy and affordable food and housing in support of the Sustainable DC Plan, www.sustainabledc.org. Summaries and case studies on each of the award winners become part of an online library of best practices in the District, which is posted on DDOE’s website at www.ddoe.dc.gov.

About the ENERGY STAR® Award

The ENERGY STAR® Award recognizes the building with the highest score for energy efficiency in the District. Buildings that score in the top 25% for energy efficiency are eligible for ENERGY STAR® certification from the U.S. Environment Protection Agency. In 2013, with 435 certified buildings, the DC Metropolitan area was ranked as having the second greatest number of ENERGY STAR® certified buildings in the country.

About the Greening Embassies Forum Award

The DC Greening Embassies Forum, a partnership of the U.S. State Department and the foreign missions located in the District of Columbia, honors several foreign missions each year for their outstanding leadership in the field of sustainability within the District’s diplomatic community. 

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