Awards showcase company, individual environmental efforts

The eighth annual Springfield/Greene County Choose Environmental Excellence Awards, held April 18, turned an energy-efficient fluorescent spotlight on some local efforts, with seven agencies presenting awards at the Earth Day event.

LEEDing the way

Environmental Market Solutions Inc. received The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks Business Award.

The award was presented to Jason Hainline and the Springfield office of EMSI for their work in Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certification projects.

“EMSI has been in the background on most of the LEED projects that have been going on in Springfield,” said Loring Bullard, executive director of the watershed committee.

In high-efficiency buildings, front-end planning is extremely detailed, and everything from building orientation and size to space arrangement, type of windows, light penetration and location must be considered, Bullard said, noting that companies such as EMSI provide local resources to aid in the decision-making process.

Green building is increasingly attractive to business owners who have realized that “green buildings” are in fact energy-saving “high-performance buildings,” Bullard said.

Growing green houses

The Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield took top honors from the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce for its work in green building.

The local HBA has adopted the National Association of Home Builders Green Building Guidelines, which focus on minimizing impact of the built structure on the environment, as well as energy efficiency, water efficiency and conservation, indoor environmental quality and homeowner education. Approximately 14 local HBA members are pursuing NAHB’s green certification.

While green homes pay owners back in energy efficiency and minimal environmental impact, HBA Executive Director Matt Morrow said the jury is still out on how green homes will play out in the market.

“This is the first generation of homes built not just to our standard, but the Energy Star standard or LEED or any of the others out there,” he said. “These homes haven’t been resold yet, so there’s not any reliable data on comps when they turn.”

Innovative products, services

Two small firms that are taking innovative approaches to environmental responsibility, and particularly green building, are Black Oak Organics and Innoviro, both of which received environmental excellence awards from the Springfield-Greene County Environmental Advisory Board.

Black Oak Organics was honored for its work in developing, implementing and designing sustainable organic recovery and composting facilities and systems.

Led by Craig Post, former owner of Advantage Waste in Springfield, and business partner Alan Chappell, Black Oak Organics takes construction waste, including lumber, drywall, pallets, cardboard, paper, wax board, root balls and large trees, as well as food waste from grocery stores, restaurants and industrial processes and composts it all at a seven-acre facility in Verona.

Clients pay Black Oak to collect their recyclable materials, and the clients get credits they can exchange for the compost produced by the waste.

Black Oak also sells its compost and erosion control materials.

Permitted by the state in 2005, Black Oak launched in 2007 and outgrew the two-acre permit for its pilot project by midyear. “At that point we needed to go for an expansion, and we just got approved by the state for a 21-acre complex,” Post said.

Retailer Innoviro, which opened in 2007, was recognized for its environmentally responsible product lines. “We specialize in environmentally friendly building products,” said owner Justin Hough, who noted that paper stone, or terrazzo, countertops and paint products from AFM Safe Coat are popular, as are green flooring materials.

Launched in January 2007, Innoviro is a spinoff of Hough’s Outre Designs, a firm specializing in design-build architectural projects and objects – including retail fixtures, cabinetry and furniture. The two businesses interact, with Innoviro’s green materials serving as a source of inspiration for Outre Designs projects.

Branching out

The January 2007 ice storm dealt a disfiguring blow to Ozarks trees, but in the last year, local businesses stepped forward to help the community replant and recover.

KOLR-10 was honored with an environmental excellence award from the city of Springfield’s Tree City USA Citizen’s Advisory Committee for the station’s support of the Re-Forest the Ozarks Project.

KOLR rallied donors, underwriters and local agencies to offer almost 5,000 trees to the public at $10 each, while KOLR newscasters and on-air staff volunteered.

Also recognized for work in the Re-Forest the Ozarks campaign were RBX Trucking and employee Charles Story, honored with an environmental excellence award from Ozark Greenways.

RBX donated trucks, drivers and time to transport trees to the Ozarks from a nursery well north of St. Louis on three separate occasions. The trees were obtained at cost from the nursery, said Ozark Greenways Executive Director Terry Whaley, and RBX’s contribution made it possible to offer the trees at the $10 price.

Story, who coordinates the movement of freight in and out of Springfield for RBX, said the cost to the company is somewhere in the neighborhood of $1.50 per mile.

“It was good for the city of Springfield and Greene County, and it was just the right thing to do,” Story said.

Back to the farm

Millsap Farms of Springfield received The Watershed Committee of the Ozarks Agriculture Award.

Curtis Millsap and his family use conservation practices that protect the soil and water on their farm north of the city. They also engage in community-supported agriculture, selling shares of their farm products to neighbors and city residents, who can then pick up fresh produce on a weekly basis.

Millsap Farms brings food production back into the community, Watershed’s Bullard said, adding that people are reconnecting with their agricultural roots and taking a greater interest in where their food comes from and how it’s produced, with increased focus on local producers.

Individual honors

The Solid Waste Management District “O” Executive Board recognized Sarah Davis, Drury University’s first recycling coordinator, with its 2008 Environmental Service Award.

Davis serves on the President’s Council on Sustainability at Drury, and she also is active in Mortar Board and Think Green.

The Greater Ozarks Audubon Society honored volunteer coordinator Kay Johnson with its Life Award for Environmental Excellence, recognizing his hundreds of hours of service to conservation.

Johnson served as the society’s president in 1990 and has overseen the annual birdseed sale fundraiser for 13 years.[[In-content Ad]]