Mayor Walsh opens up the 8th annual Mayor's Greenovate Awards

Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that he is now accepting applications for the 2014 Mayor’s Greenovate Boston Awards, which recognizes sustainability leadership across the City of Boston, including businesses, community organizations, non-profits, residents and institutions. Nominations are due April 18th, 2014, and the awards ceremony will take place on May 31, 2014 at the Greenovate Boston Community Summit.

"The City of Boston continues to work closely with our residents, business and institutions to make Boston the greenest city in the country," Mayor Walsh said. "I am looking forward to celebrating our local leaders and participating in the Greenovate Boston Community Summit."

In their eighth year, the Greenovate Awards will again recognize leaders whom are helping reach the City’s goals of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050.  This year, the awards will be a part of a much larger event, the Greenovate Boston Community Summit. The Summit is a citywide gathering for residents, businesses and organizations to connect, learn about and give feedback on the City’s 2014 Climate Action Plan update, and learn about ways they can take their own climate actions.

"The Summit is an important part of the City’s community engagement plan for the Climate Action Plan update," said Brian Swett, Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space. "We’re looking forward to honoring this year’s sustainability leaders, and engaging future leaders at this event."

The Greenovate Boston Community Summit will be held on Saturday, May 31st.  In addition to the awards ceremony, the Summit will include world-class speakers, interactive workshops and trainings, and a Marketplace of Ideas to showcase local innovations, products, and services. This day-long event will help gather input and ideas from the community for the 2014 Climate Action Plan Update, which is due for completion by the end of the year.

In the spirit of the Climate Action Plan and Summit, this year’s awards will focus on the themes of collaboration and engagement. Applicants should highlight a recent project or practice that demonstrates leadership in one of the following categories: Climate Preparedness, Waste Reduction, Sustainable Food Systems, Alternative Transportation, Energy Conservation, Renewable Energy, Behavior Change, or Water Conservation. 
Award winners from last year were a diverse group, representing all parts of Boston, including Charlestown’s Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital for its innovative climate change-adaptive design, Back Bay’s G20 Spa for its energy- and water-saving renovations, Dorchester-resident Elizabeth Charles for her home energy-savings efforts, and the Mei Mei Kitchen Food Truck for their locally-sourced food and sustainable practices.

Greenovate Boston is a collective movement to ensure a greener, healthier and more prosperous future for the city by meeting City of Boston’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050. Propelled by creativity and drive, Greenovate Boston will encourage continued sustainable growth within the city, making Boston the greenest in the United States. Visit http://greenovateboston.org for details.