2017 Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award Winners Honored

For Immediate Release:
January 17, 2018

Media Contact:
Sheryl A. Watson (916) 324-9670


SACRAMENTO — Tonight, 13 California organizations will receive the state’s highest environmental honor, the Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA), in a ceremony at the California Environmental Protection Agency.

“This year’s GEELA recipients are demonstrating exceptional leadership in addressing some of our most significant environmental challenges,” said California Secretary for Environmental Protection Matthew Rodriquez. “Whether it’s fighting climate change, conserving our water supplies or reducing waste, they inspire us with their creative and collaborative approaches. Their success expands our view of what is possible. Collectively, they are proving that a healthy environment is inextricably linked with a vibrant economy.”

Established in 1993, GEELA is awarded to individuals, organizations and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made notable, voluntary contributions to conserving California’s precious resources, protecting and enhancing our environment, building public-private partnerships and strengthening the state’s economy.

The 2017 GEELA recipients are listed below by category:

Automobile Dealer Zero Emission Vehicle Promotion

 BMW of San Diego (San Diego County) for promoting the sale and adoption of zero-emission vehicles through a variety of innovative partnerships and programs.

Climate Change

AMD (Santa Clara County) for developing new generations of microprocessors that increase performance while improving energy efficiency 25 times by the year 2020.

Ecosystem and Land Use Stewardship

Terranova Ranch (Fresno County) for pioneering and expanding the practice of on-farm groundwater recharge – intentionally flooding fields with captured floodwater to replenish depleted aquifers.

Environmental Education

California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative (Alameda County) for protecting the health of nail salon workers and improving the environmental sustainability of the nail salon industry.

Orange County Water District (Orange County) for its educational programs that inform the public about recycled water and its benefits.

Insight Garden Program (Alameda County) for its innovative curriculum that combines environmental education with vocational gardening and landscaping training in California prisons.

Sustainable Practices, Communities or Facilities

Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. (San Diego County and San Francisco County) for developing environmentally sustainable urban campuses for the life science and technology sectors.

Stone Edge Farm Estate Vineyards and Winery (Sonoma County) for its MicroGrid Project, which uses advanced technology to generate, store and distribute clean energy to its property and beyond.

California Safe Soil (Sacramento County) for innovative technology that recycles organic food waste into fertilizer and feed for agricultural uses.

San Francisco International Airport (San Mateo County) for its Strategic Triple Bottom Line Sustainability Program, which has cut carbon emissions, conserved water and reduced energy consumption.

Lystek International Limited (Solano County) for a process that transforms municipal wastewater sludge into a nutrient-rich biofertilizer that revitalizes soils and increases crop yield.

Waste Reduction

Chumash Casino Resort (Santa Barbara County) for dramatically reducing its waste stream and lowering recycling costs even as casino visitation increased.

Los Angeles Convention Center (Los Angeles County) for a sustainability program that has reduced waste, conserved water and cut the center’s carbon footprint.

The finalists were chosen by a panel of judges that included the Governor’s Office and the secretaries of the California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency; the California Department of Food and Agriculture; California Environmental Protection Agency; the California Government Operations Agency; the California Health and Human Services Agency; the California Labor and Workforce Development Agency; the California Natural Resources Agency; and the State Transportation Agency.

For more information on the GEELA program and this year’s award recipients, please visit CalEPA’s GEELA webpage.