The City of Plano Environmental Services Department is rewarding the community for its green efforts.  

The Environmental Services Department will hold the Environmental Community Awards Celebration on Sept. 19, but prior to the celebration, the department is asking for nominations for the Environmental Star of Excellence Award, with nominations including businesses, non-profits, schools and individuals. 

Award categories include:

Business

• Environmental Commitment - Recognizes a company's passion and commitment in implementing an environmental initiative which goes beyond impacting its immediate organization.
• Green Building - Recognizes a building or facility that incorporates significant sustainable features or a construction or demolition project team whose recycling efforts resulted in a high diversion rate.
• Organic Recycling - Recognizes a company's efforts and results in participating in the City's organic recycling program.
• Single-Stream Recycling - Recognizes a company's efforts and quantifiable results in a diversion program highlighting the collection of single-stream recyclables.
• Small Business - Recognizes a company with 50 or less full-time employees which exhibits sustainable practices.
• Multi-family - Recognizes a multi-family property which offers environmentally friendly options to residents.

Community

These awards highlight and celebrate successful local projects and organizations. Projects should promote or incorporate one or more of the following practices: waste minimization, recycling, composting, litter prevention, beautification, water conservation, energy conservation, air quality initiatives or other green practices. Award categories are specifically designed to recognize the following:

• Multi-family Communities
• Non-profits (includes faith-based entities)
• Educational Institutions (any level)
• Neighborhood Group/Homeowners Association

Partnership

The Community Partnership Award recognizes an organization who has partnered with the City of Plano to accomplish an environmental objective which benefits the Plano community, or compels residents to take action to protect the environment in some way.

Individual

The Community Outreach Award honors an individual who has been instrumental in reaching out to the community to promote environmental and sustainability programs and/or educate residents about issues which impact environmental quality in Plano.  (These can be environmental initiatives independent of City of Plano programs. The nominee may have been involved in a number of different types of initiatives or only one.)

The deadline for nominations is Aug. 1 at 5 p.m.  If you're interested in nominating an individual or organization, click here to learn more about the process and to download nomination forms.