The Scottsdale bureau acknowledged participants in three categories: Green, Greener and Greenest. The Green category recognizes businesses that created green projects, programs or campaigns; while the Greener designation is awarded for improvements on pre-existing efforts. The Greenest category is for companies that practice both green initiatives and offer green products or services.

GREEN AWARD WINNER
Orange Tree Golf Resort won in the Green category for installing a solar water heating system, which dramatically reduces natural gas emissions, for use in their on-site laundry and housekeeping area as well as for 20 guest rooms. It is estimated that the resort will decrease their associated natural gas bill by 50 percent and eliminate approximately 100 tons of carbon emissions annually. In six months, the company hopes to expand this green practice to all guest rooms.

GREENER AWARD WINNER
The Greener award was given to the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch for its ongoing improvement of green practices. The resort’s most recent sustainable projects include a 12,000-square-foot solar hot water system and the installation of a “cool roof” system. Thus far, the Hyatt has achieved proven results from the solar hot water system of up to a 41 percent reduction of natural gas within a given month. They are now serving as a model for other Hyatt properties.

GREENEST AWARD WINNERS
Two leading companies were recognized with the Greenest award – the Desert Botanical Garden and O’Neil Printing. The Desert Botanical Garden implemented a wide array of recycling and waste reduction programs not only to reduce their waste but also to help educate the public and act as a voice in the community. The Garden’s composting of green waste is eliminating around 180 tons of waste from a landfill annually. In addition, they offer numerous programs and classes to the public, an increasing number of which relate to sustainability.

O’Neil Printing strives to maintain an eco-friendly environment within the workplace and helps clients decrease their carbon footprint by providing eco-sustainable products and coaching clients toward greener options. According to an O’Neil recycling partner, in the second quarter of 2009 alone, O’Neil’s recycling program saved 2,157 trees, nearly 900 thousand gallons of water, almost 50 thousand gallons of fuel, over one-half million kilowatt hours of electricity and almost 400 cubic yards of landfill space.

“The Scottsdale bureau is proud to recognize these companies working to preserve our environment,” said Vice President of Marketing Lauren Simons. “The Green by Design Award winners have shown their dedication to enriching our community and protecting our future.”

A total of 14 companies submitted for the Green by Design Awards, including: Bio Waste Systems for Food Waste Separation and Collection, Dixon Golf, Enterprise Technology Services, Grayhawk Golf Club, i-o Data Centers, John’s Refrigeration, Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa, PlanetEarthPromotions.com, Thunderbird Artists and Symfonic Marketing.

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Mrs. Gertrude Divine Webster, an environmentalist ahead of her time, founded the Desert Botanical Garden in 1939.  Mrs. Webster, in conjunction with a small group of Valley citizens, gathered in Papago Park to create a botanical garden whose precepts would encourage an understanding, appreciation and promotion of the uniqueness of the world’s deserts, particularly the Sonoran Desert.  They foresaw the Valley’s potential and unique identity, envisioning the need to conserve their beautiful desert environment.  The Desert Botanical Garden, since its inception in 1939, continues to be a testament to their vision.

The Desert Botanical Garden sits on 145 acres and has more than 50,000 plants on display including a Living Collection (including more than 21,000 accessioned plants) and a Rare and Endangered Collection (including more than 328 seeds and 213 plants).  Through the research department’s partnership with educational institutions and government agencies, research staff is working to ensure the plants of the Sonoran Desert are conserved and preserved for generations to come.

The Garden acts with the environment as its priority and is continually implementing best practices to achieve this – a task that is never truly complete.  As new information and technologies become available, the Garden will evaluate and if feasible, implement these practices.  Current initiatives include energy efficiency, water conservation, recycling and composting. 

Energy Use

• Using renewable energy to meet 100% of the Garden’s electricity needs.  Solar panels on Dorrance Hall supply up to 8% of these needs
• Started to changing incandescent light bulbs to Compact Fluorescent Lights and other lower-energy bulbs.
• Staff turns off monitors each night and computer updates have been moved to a mid-week time frame.

Water Use
The Garden’s utilization of native landscaping assists in minimizing water usage. 

Recycling

• The Garden recycles #1 & #2 plastics, paper, cardboard, aluminum, steel and glass.  Receptacles have bee installed throughout the Garden that separate waste and recyclable materials. 
• Four out of six of print vendors use Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) standards.
• All copy machine default settings are for double-sided printing.
• Encouraging catering companies to be environmentally conscious encouraging reusable, recyclable, or decomposable materials whenever possible. 

Composting
The Garden delivers all green waste for composting to Singh Farms.  In addition, the Garden purchases this compost for use in the Garden. 

If you are interested in learning more about sustainability, the Garden teaches the community sustainable environmental practices through educational programs and outreach and the Desert Landscaper School, which focuses on xeriscape and native plants.  Come check out the beauty of Desert Botanical Garden – you’ll see not only the unique flora of the Sonoran Desert, but how the Garden is working to preserve that environment!

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Green Cactus in Scottsdale, AZ, originally uploaded by mikeyexists.

Scottsdale’s greenest event of the year is coming November 12, 2009. Details are at http://www.greenstreetscottsdale.com.

As part of the Scottsdale bureau’s green programming, the Green by Design Awards recognize companies that exhibit outstanding green practices. Companies can nominate their business or another local company for the efforts they have made to become more environmentally friendly.

Awards will be presented in three categories:

1. Green: For the creation of green projects, programs or campaigns
2. Greener: For the improvement of pre-existing green projects, programs or campaigns
3. Greenest: For businesses that have both green business practices and offer green products or services

In all categories, entrants must demonstrate their effort to help preserve the environment or reduce their carbon footprint. This may include, but is not limited to: waste reduction, energy efficiency, water conservation, green meetings, or a green product or service for consumers.

“The Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau is challenging local companies to do their part and utilize sustainable practices,” said Rachel Sacco, president and CEO at the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau. “We want to recognize those who are dedicated to maintaining the vibrancy of our destination, which is critical to our future.”

Visit www.ScottsdaleGreenbyDesign.com to download a nomination form (on the Green Community Resources page). Applications are due Sept. 1 and awards will be presented during a Scottsdale bureau event in the fall.

Winners of the Scottsdale Green by Design Awards will receive special public recognition by the Scottsdale bureau commemorating their efforts, as well as recognition on the Scottsdale Green by Design Web site, in a Scottsdale bureau quarterly e-mail blast to 100,000 leisure visitors, and in the bureau’s monthly “Spotlight on Scottsdale” tourism section in The Arizona Republic.

Last year’s awards were given to Hotel Valley Ho in the Green category, Fairmont Scottsdale in the Greener category and Edwards Design Group in the Greenest category.

Along with its Green by Design Awards, the Scottsdale bureau’s green efforts include working to promote the city’s sustainable offerings at the Green Build International Conference and Expo in November. To correlate with the conference, the bureau, along with the City of Scottsdale and the Scottsdale Downtown Group, is working on a special Green Street Scottsdale event to showcase sustainable ventures and provide conference attendees an opportunity to experience downtown Scottsdale. The event will include the weekly Scottsdale ArtWalk, live music, artist demonstrations and exhibitions.

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The City of Scottsdale Downtown Group has placed recycle cans through out downtown

If your looking for things to do in Scottsdale on Earth Day, we’ve started a list of local businesses that have activities going on. This page will be updated as we hear word of any other events or activities going on. If you know of any, please feel free to leave them in the comments below.

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The Scottsdale bureau acknowledged participants in three categories: Green, Greener and Greenest. The Green category recognizes businesses that created green projects, programs or campaigns, while the Greener designation is awarded for improvements on pre-existing efforts. The Greenest category is designated to companies that have both green practices and offer green products or services.

GREEN AWARD

Hotel Valley Ho won in the Green category for its creation of a recycling program, and other environmentally friendly and energy efficient practices. The hotel started its recycling program in 2006, and is now the largest recycler in downtown Scottsdale, recycling approximately 4,500 pounds of material per week. The Hotel Valley Ho also uses green-certified cleaning products, non-toxic cleaning fluid for dry-cleaning services and dual pane glass windows. The Orange Tree Golf Resort was recognized as a finalist in this category for its green committee that worked on three main goals: to reduce non-recyclable waste, reduce water usage and implement a recycling program on property.

GREENER AWARD

The Greener award was given to the Fairmont Scottsdale for its ongoing improvement of green practices. The hotel has been committed to improving its impact on the environment for more than 25 years and continues to develop sustainability programs such as its green partnership with AZ BioDiesel. This collaboration allows the Fairmont to save 100,000 pounds of carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere by converting its kitchen grease to biodiesel. The Boulders Resort & Golden Door Spa was named the Greener finalist for its organic foods, spa treatments and retail offerings, as well as its water conservation efforts.

GREENEST AWARD

The highest award was given to Edwards Design Group, an Arizona-based custom home design firm, for its dedication to providing quality, sustainable homes. For the past 30 years, the builders have specialized in building energy efficient homes made with non-toxic, recycled and locally produced materials. Dedicated to increasing awareness about the importance of sustainability, co-owner Kevin Edwards serves on the City of Scottsdale Green Building Advisory Committee and co-chairs the city’s Green Building Lecture series. Bio Green Planet was recognized as the finalist in this category for its specially formulated solution that helps restaurants safely clean grease traps instead of sending grease to landfills.

More than 15 companies submitted for the Green by Design Awards, including: CityCenter of CityNorth, Electric Bike Company, The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Bio-Green Planet, EcoCab, EcoFresh, FireSky Resort & Spa, Organic Dry Cleaners, Rave FabriCARE Master Cleaners, Take A Hike Arizona, and the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort and Spa at Gainey Ranch.

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The City of Scottsdale Downtown Group has placed recycle cans through out downtown Scottsdale.

The Scottsdale Downtown Group has installed 10 recycle containers in downtown Scottsdale. These containers are located at key activity areas, including Stetson Plaza at SouthBridge, the Canal Bank, all public parking facilities and public restrooms, and the heavily used trolley stops – 5th Street and Craftsman Court, 5th Street and Stetson, and 3rd Street and Craftsman Court. Residents and visitors to downtown can recycle cans and plastic bottles. Additional recyclables will be considered in the future as this effort grows. This effort was initiated by the Downtown Group in support of the Scottsdale Convention & Visitors Bureau’s green initiatives, as well as in response to input from downtown visitors who frequently asked where they could recycle cans and plastic bottles.

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• Water Use – Because Scottsdale is in a desert environment, conservation and efficient use of water is always top-of-mind for the city’s golf industry. Nearly 75 percent of Scottsdale’s golf courses use sophisticated computerized irrigation systems and weather monitoring stations to maximize the efficiency of their water use. These systems apply the minimum amount of water required to maintain the health of individual plants in addition to minimizing evaporation and maximizing transpiration.
• Maintenance – Scottsdale golf courses also have modified their regular maintenance practices to increase the sustainability of their properties. Efforts include using organic fertilizer rather than petroleum-based fertilizer, switching gas-powered equipment from two-stroke engines to four-stroke in order to reduce emissions, and frequent testing of soil conditions to ensure proper application using the minimum amount of product to ensure the plants’ health.
• Environmental Stewards – Scottsdale golf properties like Sanctuary Golf Course at West World, TPC Scottsdale and Camelback Golf Club continue to look for new eco-friendly opportunities to ensure that golf maintains its overall positive impact on the city and state. The courses have all achieved, or are achieving, certification in the Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary Program, a program that requires golf facilities to protect the Earth by enhancing precious natural areas and wildlife habitats. In addition, Scottsdale-based Troon Golf Management has made the commitment to have its entire portfolio of 190 golf properties worldwide certified through the Audubon initiative.

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This 60-second video will teach you about the benefits of installing compact fluorescent light bulbs in your house and how to properly dispose of them. Visit http://www.quantumshift.tv/v/1193782018/ to view the video.