The American Chemical Society (ACS) has announced that it has won the 2010 Mayor's Environmental Excellence Award from Washington D.C. Mayor Adrian M. Fenty. The annual award recognises businesses and nonprofit organisations for their environmental stewardship, innovative best practices, pollution prevention, and resource conservation. Chosen from among 44 applicants, ACS was one of only nine recipients, and one of only two in the large facilities category.
In the last seven years, ACS has prioritised sustainability in facilities management and achieved the prestigious U.S. Green Building Council gold certificate for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Existing Buildings. ACS facilities were the second in the District of Columbia to achieve this certification and were one of only 40 sites nationwide to meet this level of sustainability for operations and maintenance.
ACS has implemented more than 20 separate initiatives to greatly enhance sustainability. The Society purchases energy certificates to invest in 100 percent renewable energy resources. The net effect of this single effort has been to offset 4.6 million pounds of carbondioxide annually.
In addition to the facilities management initiatives, the ACS Green Chemistry Institute promotes the implementation of green chemistry and engineering principles into all aspects of the chemistry enterprise. ACS has also engaged its staff to support the green mission by forming an ACS Greening Committee, which consists of staff members from across the organisation who develop innovative ideas in sustainability that can be implemented among the Society's local sections across the nation and abroad.
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