On May 11th, PEP presented the 7^th Annual PEP Environmental Stewardship Awards to 5 member companies and a Community Partner during its Annual Membership Meeting at 5 Rivers Delta Center. 

 PEP Member Awards are presented to member companies that have made a significant and positive contribution to the Mobile/Baldwin region’s triple bottom line, economically, environmentally and socially.

PEP Community Partner Awards are given to individuals or organizations that dedicate their time and resources to improve the sustainability and resiliency of Coastal Alabama.  

 2011 PEP Member Award recipients:
Aerostar Environmental Services manages a 380-acre preserve near Citronelle where federally threatened gopher tortoises are relocated from road right of ways where waterline maintenance and installation occur in Mobile County.

 Arkema installed new equipment at its Axis plant to reduce energy consumption. It resulted in a 10% reduction in the site’s overall natural gas usage and CO2 emissions by about 3,000 tons per year, which is like taking 515 cars a year off the road.

 BASF, collaborating with a variety of state and federal agencies, successfully  remediated the historic DDT impacts to floodplain sediments at its McIntosh facility. In just 2 years, collected fish samples had 90% lower DDT levels.

 E. I. DuPont de Nemours implemented new processes and  improved environmental and safety risks, minimized waste and reduced energy usage. A new liquid CO2 neutralization technology and turning a former waste into a raw material reduced risks, reduced transportation requirement and reduced the site’s  carbon footprint with lower air emissions and a 45% decreased energy usage.  At the same time, saving the company money.

 White-Spunner Construction constructed the shrimp and crab waste processing plant in Bayou La Batre for the Gulf Coast Agricultural Seafood Co-Op (the Co-Op).  The plant’s goal is to redirect from landfills the annual 5,900 tons of shrimp and crab waste collected  from Co-Op members and recycle it into a beneficial sellable product. It will likely qualify for the first Gold LEED Certification for an industrial project in Alabama. As part of this Award, PEP extends special recognition to the Gulf Coast Agricultural Seafood Co-Op for its creativity and initiative in developing this plant.

 2011 Community Partner Award:
Downtown Mobile Alliance was awarded PEP’s Community Partner Award in recognition of its work to create a more sustainable urban community. The PEP Board recognizes the DMA’s initiatives to foster a clean, safe, welcoming and beautiful downtown experience for business and visitors that is more walkable and livable. The DMA has encouraged the adoption of Smart Code resulting in more walkable mixed use neighborhoods, worked to make the I-10 Wallace Tunnel Interchange safer and participated in the Green Streets Initiative with Auburn University to help manage storm water runoff through innovative redevelopment of downtown parks and green spaces. These are key examples of their work to make Mobile more sustainable; environmentally, economically and socially.