The Environmental Stewardship Award is presented annually to recognize companies for innovative minds and adaptive measures that support the continued health of our region’s environment.
Winners are selected based on leadership that promotes environmental sustainability in an industrial setting or demonstrates overall commitment to the natural environment.
The nomination period has closed. Click the link to learn more about our 2023 North Star Award nominees and past winners.
Award criteria
Winners will be selected based on the following criteria:
- Activities from Jan. 1, 2023 – Dec. 31, 2023.
- Activities demonstrate innovative or otherwise creative measures resulting in quantitatively verifiable improvement in nominee’s environmental performance.
- Activities improve the quality of the air, water, land or natural resources, or increase awareness of environmental stewardship and practices that result in quantitative or qualitative future improvements to the region’s environmental health
- Activities that are not required by law, regulation or permit, and not undertaken as a requirement to bring the nominee up to minimum compliance standards
- Activities have a private funding component; don’t rely exclusively on port or public funding
- Nominee may be located outside of the Puget Sound region (King, Pierce and surrounding counties), but activities must result in direct economic and community benefits to the region and contribute to making a healthy and sustainable Puget Sound
Examples
Here are just some of the activities that might qualify for recognition:
- Reduce greenhouse gas emissions; enhance air quality by decreasing airborne particulates
- Use low-emission fuels or alternative energy to power engines and equipment
- Employ anti-idling practices
- Purchase most-energy efficient and lowest emitting equipment
- Improve terminal operating efficiency and truck turn times
- Reduce waste, increase recycling or waste diversion
- Implement a comprehensive recycling program
- Establish a program to separate waste streams
- Set and achieve recycling goals for deconstruction projects
- Start a “green purchasing” program; buy environmentally friendly products
- Participate in and support local pollution prevention programs
- Promote biodiversity and sustain a healthy ecology in the Puget Sound
- Control source pollution and improve quality of water discharged to surface streams
- Utilize low impact development techniques in construction projects
- Complete a voluntary environmental cleanup project
- Complete an environmental restoration or enhancement project
- Launch corporate or community education or training programs that promote water pollution prevention and increase environmental awareness