Twelve Denver city agencies were recognized with Gold and Silver Environmental Leadership Awards today at an awards ceremony hosted by Governor Bill Ritter. Denver joins a distinguished list of approximately 80 businesses, including government agencies, nonprofits and academic institutions that have been recognized for demonstrating an ongoing commitment to sustainability.
A statewide environmental recognition and reward program administered by the Department of Public Health and Environment’s Office of Environmental Integration and Sustainability, the Colorado Environmental Leadership Program honors companies that have demonstrated a minimum of one year of making significant Environmental achievements.
The agencies include Denver’s departments of Environmental Health, Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Community Planning and Development, and General Services, which includes Theaters and Arenas, the Mayor’s Office (and Greenprint Denver), City Council, Denver Public Library, Safety (Police, Fire and Sheriff departments), the Office of Economic Development, and the City Attorney’s Office. Eight of the agencies achieved gold status, joining Denver International Airport, which achieved gold status in 2004 and is the only international airport in the United States with facility-wide EMS certified to the ISO 14001 standard.
In March, Denver became one of the only cities to independently certify multiple agencies through ISO-14001, a comprehensive, internationally-recognized, independent accreditation process for sustainability.
The Denver Zoo, Botanic Gardens, and the Museum of Nature and Science were also recognized with Environmental Leadership Awards and certified in 2009 as part of Denver’s ISO 14001.
For more information about Denver’s Environmental Management System, visit
www.denvergov.org/ems.