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EPA Honors Puerto Rico Environmental Leaders

Release Date: 04/27/2012
Contact Information: Contact: Elizabeth Myer, (212) 637-3860, [email protected]

(New York, N.Y.) The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency today announced that it has honored an environmental educational project, a media organization and a business in Puerto Rico with Environmental Quality Awards for their achievements in protecting public health and the environment. EPA Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck was joined by Mayor Dana Redd of Camden, New Jersey to present the awards to this year’s recipients at a ceremony at EPA’s offices in Manhattan.

“Change that will create a healthier and more sustainable future begins with people like those the EPA is honoring today,” said Regional Administrator Judith A. Enck. “They give of themselves and set a high bar in their actions to protect public health and the environment.”

EPA presents Environmental Quality Awards annually during Earth Week to individuals, businesses, government agencies, environmental and community-based organizations and members of the media in EPA Region 2, which covers New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and eight federally-recognized Indian Nations. The awards recognize significant contributions to improving the environment and public health in the previous calendar year. For information about the Environmental Quality Awards in EPA Region 2, visit https://www.epa.gov/region02/eqa/.

Attached is a list of the award winners.

2012 ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AWARD WINNERS

Business and Industry

Green Way Express
Green Way Express has established initiatives in the fields of emissions control, technology, education and community relations in Puerto Rico. By reducing energy use, Green Way Express has reduced CO₂ emissions by 27%. The group implemented a recycling program, which in a year, diverted 3,276 lbs of waste from landfills. Currently, Green Way Express recycles 91% of all waste produced. They provide unique supply chain solutions that have the least possible impact on the environment.

Environmental Education

Proyecto Recinto Verde
Proyecto Recinto Verde (Green Campus Project) is an initiative of the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico. The project promotes awareness of environmental protection and conservation through environmental education in various academic and community settings, and in several categories including administration, recycling, reforestation, health education and conservation. It has had a positive impact on the ecosystems of Puerto Rico, while striving to achieve a better quality of life for the university and its community.

Press and Media

Miprv.com
At the start of 2011, Mi Puerto Rico Verde (“My Green Puerto Rico), a website dedicated to offering information about how to lead a green lifestyle, changed its editorial section to include news and events related to themes like energy and the environment in Puerto Rico. The coverage provided on mipuertoricoverde.com has been crucial in educating the public about the proposed Vía Verde pipeline project, solar energy, windmills and other environmental news and advancements on the island. The site also teaches Puerto Ricans about the importance of conserving aquatic resources.

For more details, visit: https://www.epa.gov/region02/eqa

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