By Simone Butler
Corporations, organizations, innovators and small business owners were honored at the 33rd Annual Valley Forward Environmental Excellence Award Ceremony in September. Projects and products from across Arizona were submitted to compete for the coveted Crescordia Award—the highest honor given for the best pioneering sustainability advancements in the Valley. The awards were broken up into “seven broad categories” which encompass buildings and structures, communities, site landscape and development, public art, environmental technologies, environmental education and communications and environmental stewardship.
2013 ENVIRONMENTAL EXCELLENCE AWARDS COMPLETE LIST OF WINNERS
PRESIDENT’S AWARD (Best of Show)
Grand Canyon Trust Volunteer Program, submitted by Grand Canyon Trust
BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES
Residential
CRESCORDIA: Encore on Farmer, submitted by Okland Construction
AWARDS OF MERIT: Gordon Estates, submitted by Mandalay Homes;
Lofts at McKinley, submitted by Gorman & Company, Inc.
Civic
CRESCORDIA: Tom’s Thumb Trailhead in the Scottsdale McDowell
Sonoran Preserve, submitted by Fucello Architects
AWARDS OF MERIT: LEED Platinum Phoenix Fire Station No. 59, submitted by LEA-Architects, LLC; Maricopa County South Court Tower, submitted by Gilbane Building Company
Historic Preservation
CRESCORDIA: 1891 Second Pinal County Courthouse Rehabilitation, submitted by Pinal County Board of Supervisors
AWARD OF MERIT: EMCC Buckeye Educational Center at 1928 BUHS A-Wing submitted by Michael Wilson Kelly – Architects, Ltd.
Commercial & Mixed Use
CRESCORDIA: DARTS submitted by Gabor Lorant Architects Inc.
AWARD OF MERIT: 4400 Civic Center, submitted by John Douglas Architects
Institutional
CRESCORDIA: Fireside Elementary School, submitted by DLR Group
AWARDS OF MERIT: Central Arizona College – Superstition Mountain Campus, submitted by Adolfson & Peterson Construction; University of Arizona Health Sciences Education Building, submitted by Ayers Saint Gross
Industrial & Public Works
AWARD OF MERIT: City of Phoenix – Corona Service Yard, submitted by Gabor Lorant Architects Inc.
LIVABLE COMMUNITIES
Sustainable Communities
CRESCORDIA: Stabilizing Phoenix Neighborhoods Using Sustainable Green Standards and Strategies, submitted by City of Phoenix Neighborhood Services Department
AWARDS OF MERIT: Aeroterra Redevelopment Project, submitted by City of Phoenix Housing Department; PHX Renews, submitted by Keep Phoenix Beautiful
Adaptive Reuse
AWARD OF MERIT: Canvas Cornor, submitted by C & H Associates
Multimodal Transportation & Connectivity
CRESCORDIA: The Sky Train Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, submitted by City of Phoenix Aviation Department
AWARD OF MERIT: City of Avondale Zoom Neighborhood Circulator, submitted by City of Avondale
Public Policy/Plans
AWARDS OF MERIT: General Plan 2030 submitted by City of Avondale; Sustainable Community Master Plan for the Navajo Nation, submitted by Swaback Partners, pllc
SITE DEVELOPMENT AND LANDSCAPE
Public Sector
AWARDS OF MERIT: Centennial Way Federal Aid Transportation Enhancement, submitted by Achen-Gardner Construction, LLC; City of Peoria Green Campus, submitted by City of Peoria
Private Sector
AWARD OF MERIT: DARTS submitted by Gabor Lorant Architects Inc.
Trails
AWARDS OF MERIT: Skip Rimsza Paseo in the Phoenix Sonoran Preserve, submitted by City of Phoenix; Scottsdale Via Dona Trail, submitted by City of Scottsdale
Parks
CRESCORDIA: Westwing Neighborhood Park, submitted by EPG
AWARDS OF MERIT: Avondale Community Garden, submitted by City of Avondale; Downtown Owls, submitted by Audubon Arizona
ART IN PUBLIC PLACES
CRESCORDIA: Nodal Water Garden, submitted by Scottsdale Public Art
AWARDS OF MERIT: HI-BROW, Submitted by Colab Studio, LLC; PHX Sky Train Terminal 4 Connector Bridges Glass Mural Project, submitted by Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture
ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNOLOGIES
Public Sector
CRESCORDIA: DVL UAV Rainwater Harvesting Innovative Technologies Project, submitted by Desert View Landscape, LLC
AWARD OF MERIT: Surface Aeration for the Removal of Disinfection Byproducts from Drinking Water, submitted by City of Phoenix Water Services Department
Private Sector
CRESCORDIA: PepsiCo Tolleson Sustainability Program, submitted by PepsiCo
AWARD OF MERIT: Inovus, submitted by Strategies 360
ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION/COMMUNICATION
Public Sector
CRESCORDIA: City of Avondale Solar Demonstration Project, submitted by City of Avondale
AWARDS OF MERIT: Chandler Water Audit Program, submitted by City of Chandler; Do More Blue (Jeans), submitted by Town of Queen Creek
Educators, Students & Nonprofits
CRESCORDIA: River Pathways,submitted by Audubon Arizona
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP
Central Arizona
CRESCORDIA: Wilderness Stewardship Program, submitted by Arizona Wilderness Coalition
AWARDS OF MERIT: McDowell Sonoran Field Institute Citizen-Science Program, submitted by Daniel G. Gruber; Janice Miano, submitted by Arizona Heritage Alliance
Northern Arizona
CRESCORDIA: Grand Canyon Trust Volunteer Program, submitted by Grand Canyon Trust
AWARD OF MERIT: Chip Norton, submitted by Jane Whitmire, Ph.D.
Southern Arizona
CRESCORDIA: Tucson Electric Power – University of Arizona Science and Technology Park, submitted by Tucson Electric Power
AWARDS OF MERIT: Trees for Tucson, submitted by Tucson Clean & Beautiful, Inc.; Pima County Sustainable Action Plan for County Operations, submitted by Pima County
