Two Chattanooga organizations were named winners in the 2016 Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards announced Wednesday.
The Electric Power Board and green|spaces were among 11 organizations from across the state recognized for their voluntary actions to improve or protect the environment and natural resources with projects or initiatives not required by law or regulation.
green|spaces was honored in the environmental education and outreach category for its Empower Chattanooga program, which helps residents in certain city neighborhoods save on their utility bills.
"Information obtained from the Chattanooga Area Food Bank indicates that 69 percent of their clients are choosing between paying for food or paying for utilities," stated a news release announcing the awards. "Empower Chattanooga works to resolve this issue through community fairs that serve to educate residents about how to prevent high utility bills with home energy saving checklists, hands-on workshops that teach low-cost/no-cost energy saving measures such as caulking around doors, and English and Spanish language digital media so residents can learn about energy savings on their own time."
EPB won in the energy and renewable resources division for its Performance Excellence in Electricity Renewal (PEER) certification, with the release describing EPB as "the first major utility in the world" to earn PEER certification.
"Smart meters installed on all homes within EPB's 600-square-mile territory have resulted in the avoidance of two million individual meter reads annually, and an associated reduction of 419,877 miles driven by EPB trucks," the release said. "This is equal to a 22,257 gallon decrease in gas consumption, or driving from Nashville to Chattanooga over 3,000 times. This reduction is also equivalent to the carbon sequestered by 162 acres of forest in the United States for one year."
Other recipients included Belmont University, the Tennessee Clean Fuels Coalition, Emmett Elementary School in Sullivan County, The Jackson Walk in Madison County, Sevier Solid Waste, Inc. in Sevier County, the Tennessee Environmental Council, Sharp Transport in Lawrence County, the Music City Center in Davidson County and Lipscomb Academy Elementary in Davidson County.
The winners will be recognized in a Nashville awards ceremony on June 15.
"The quality of our air, land and water is essential for public health and the marketability of our state," Gov. Bill Haslam said in the release. "I thank all of the winners for their individual contributions to keeping Tennessee a beautiful state to live, work and visit."
A panel of 24 agricultural, conservation, forestry, environmental and academic professionals judged more than 85 nominations and selected this year's award recipients based on criteria including on-the-ground achievement, innovation and public education.
"It is important that we pause to recognize the people and organizations that work so hard to protect our environment while teaching others about sustainability," Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation Commissioner Bob Martineau said in the release. "These winning efforts will help pave the way for future ideas on how we can further protect our natural resources."