Governor Terry Branstad and the State of Iowa recently invited Department of Natural Resources stakeholders to apply for the 2016 Governor’s Environmental Excellence Awards, designed to recognize leadership and innovation in managing the state’s natural resources. The annual program honors result-oriented, sustainable strategies that can take many forms, including:
- Creating new technologies or processes that improve the environment or reduce reliance on natural resources;
- Reducing waste generation;
- Developing energy efficiency or renewable energy technology;
- Creating natural resource protection and enhancement projects, such as watershed protection;
- Establishing educational or prevention programs that result in environmental improvements; and
- Creating programs or processes that balance economics with the environment.
Awards are presented in the categories of environmental excellence, water quality, air quality, energy efficiency/renewable energy, habitat restoration/enhancement, waste management, and environmental education. Applications for this year’s awards are due March 31.
If your state is interested in learning more and potentially forming its own program, contact Scott Flagg, or visit this DNR webpage.