Tag Archive for 'Rivanna clients'

Budget woes? No problem. Consider a perpetual plaque!

Is your budget tighter than ever? If so, you might want to consider a perpetual plaque.

Rockwell Automation perpetual plaqueMany organizations are making the switch to perpetual plaques and more modest awards. One of our longtime clients, Rockwell Automation, introduced perpetual plaques for their environmental and safety award programs a few years back. Acknowledging that some of their facilities are consistently at the top, winning gold and silver awards year after year, Rockwell decided to create a single plaque for each facility and then provide year plates to note the facility’s annual achievement.  Not only does Rockwell save money this way, but each facility has added incentive to meet their annual environmental goals – how would it look if a year plate was missing? The company saved about 60% in cost for their program, and according to award coordinator Esmey Kosier, “The results have been fantastic. Facilities love the awards, no one feels like they weren’t recognized, and ordering is a breeze.” Recipients continue to be grateful for the recognition and Rockwell not only saves money, but helps conserve our precious natural resources in the process.

Perpetual plaques represent more than simply a public, cost-effective way to acknowledge award winners. Recognizing achievement with a perpetual plaque reflects both respect for the past and the future.  After all, the most meaningful accomplishments are not necessarily singular efforts, particularly in the world of sustainability.   They are achievements that rest on the shoulders of those who came before us, just as tomorrow’s successes depend upon the good work we do today.

We’re introducing a new line of perpetual plaques, made from our eco-friendly materials, that offer a fresh, contemporary approach to ongoing recognition.  In addition to our two current designs, we will be offering a total of 12 new perpetual plaques, hand crafted from bamboo, FSC-certified sustainably harvested cherry and mahogany, and FSC recycled wood. The plaques come in two sizes – 9” x 12”, and 12” x 15”. The smaller plaques have space for six plates, as well as plenty of room for your logo and text. The 12” x 15” plaques come in 9, 12, and 18 plate varieties. The 9” x 12” plaques are $124.95 each, and the 12” x 15” are $144.95, with the exception of one with room for 18 plates, which is $149.95. The engraving plates are $10 each and can be ordered annually.

We’ll have photos soon, but for now you can download a PDF catalog for a sneak peek of the new designs. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like to order one of the new perpetual plaques!

Santa Monica Public Library celebrates sustainability with Green Prize for Sustainable Literature Awards

The city of Santa Monica is at the forefront of the sustainability movement, and its beautiful, LEED Gold-certified public library is the embodiment of green design. Not only is the building constructed from 50% recycled materials or sustainably harvested wood, but carefully planned gardens containing specifically chosen plants surround the space (and the library website offers a photo, name, and description of each plant!). The harmony of indoor and outdoor spaces is particularly refreshing: even indoors, visitors have 75 percent access to daylight and have window views from 90 percent of the regularly-occupied spaces.

It’s no surprise, then, that the library also seeks to promote sustainability through the best way a library can – books. The Green Prize for Sustainable Literature Awards are in their third year, and recognize authors who bring environmental issues to the forefront through fiction, non-fiction, reference, and children’s books. Sponsored by the library as well as the City of Santa Monica Office of Sustainability and the Environment (OSE), the awards are yet another demonstration of the city’s commitment to sustainability – in theory and in practice. Rivanna was honored to be selected again this year as the provider of the recycled glass awards for this prestigious event.

kellyjacobsReinforcing how important sustainability is to the city, mayor of Santa Monica Ken Genser gave an introduction and voiced his dedication to the city’s continuing sustainability efforts. Dean Kubani, Director of the OSE, presented the awards. Many of the winning authors don’t live in the United States and realized it wouldn’t exactly be “green” to hop on a plane and jet across the Atlantic to attend the ceremony, but there were a few in attendance; most notably, Chip Jacobs and William J. Kelly, authors of Smogtown: The Lung-Burning History of Pollution in Los Angeles and winners of the award for Adult Local Impact book. Many other authors sent video acceptances or eloquent written expressions of gratitude.

The Green Prize for Sustainability Literature Awards celebrate two causes that are near and dear to us here at Rivanna – protecting our environment and encouraging reading. We’re continually inspired by the work our clients and their award recipients are doing to improve our planet and hope that by sharing their efforts, we can motivate others to get involved, too.

For a list of the award winners, visit the library website – http://www.smpl.org/greenprize.htm.

An excerpt of Jane Goodall’s acceptance video is below:

NPPR recognizes Kansas State University program with Rivanna plaque

Many of our clients at Rivanna represent progressive organizations that care about the environment. Their award programs honor those in the green world who are changing the way we do business and discovering ways to reduce our environmental footprint. Some of these projects are pretty cool!  We’re delighted to use this space to spread the word about the interesting things recipients of our awards are doing.

KSU

This month, the National Pollution Prevention Roundtable (NPPR) awarded six organizations with its annual MVP2 Project/Program Awards.  The awards recognize innovative, effective pollution prevention (P2) projects all over the country. Kansas State University’s Pollution Prevention Institute received an award for its P2 summer intern program that connects top engineering and environmental science students with industry (and pays them, too – even better!). It’s a great way for students to get hands-on experience in an industrial setting, and firms get the benefit of a well-developed plan to help them reduce energy use, emissions, hazardous solid wastes, water contaminants, and employee risks. Plus, the interns often receive job offers from the host companies. It’s a win-win program that also benefits the environment – win-win-win!

For more information about the KSU P2 Institute and the intern program, visit http://www.sbeap.org/content/internships.  To learn about the NPPR and their awards, head over to www.p2.org.

We’re looking forward to spotlighting other inspiring award winners in the future, so check back often or contact us to share your story!