This year, for the first time, EPA also bestowed a Lifetime Atmospheric Achievement Award, in recognition of longstanding work to protect both the climate and ozone layer. All award recipients demonstrated ingenuity, leadership and public purpose by achieving reduction of ozone-depleting and heat-trapping gas emissions. By reducing these emissions, they will protect against risks such as skin cancer, cataracts, increased range for certain diseases and rising sea levels. The awards were presented at an Earth Day evening event at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.
"The people, organizations and communities recognized by the Climate, Ozone, and Atmospheric Achievement awards are making impressive contributions to environmental protection," said Whitman. "Their work represents the ingenuity and effort that is needed to protect the Earth's atmosphere, and these are the leaders in this international effort."
Since the annual Stratospheric Protection Awards began in 1990, EPA awarded 461 individuals and organizations from 39 countries for notable achievements. EPA began the Climate Protection Awards in 1998 and has so far recognized 81 individuals and organizations from 14 countries. This year, there are nine winners of the Stratospheric Ozone Protection Award, 13 winners of the Climate Protection Award, and one winner of the Lifetime Atmospheric Achievement Award.
The 2003 Lifetime Atmospheric Achievement Award was awarded to SC Johnson, Racine, Wisc. The other 2003 Climate Protection Award winners included:
- Corporate and Government Awards: Center for Power Efficiency and Environmental Protection (CenPEEP), New Delhi, India; Chicago Department of Environment, Chicago; China National Institute of Standardization (CNIS), Beijing, China; City of Chula Vista, Calif.; Emerald Homes, Houston; Pacific Gas and Electric Co. San Francisco; City of Seattle, Wash.
- Organization and Association Awards: Green House Network, Portland, Oregon; International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI), Berkeley, Calif.; The Society of Automotive Engineers - Interior Climate Control Standards Committee, Phoenix.
- Individual Awards: Mayor Ross C. "Rocky" Anderson, Salt Lake City; Dr. Seunghun Joh, Korea Environment Institute, South Korea; David Konkle, Ann Arbor Energy Office, Mich.
The winners of the 2003 Stratospheric Ozone Protection Awards included:
- Corporate and Government Awards: Carpenter Co. and Bally Refrigerated Boxes, Richmond, Va. and Morehead City, N.C.; Eastman Kodak Co., Rochester, N.Y.; ExxonMobil Chemical Fluids Business Unit, Houston.
- Individual Awards: Milton Catelin, Environment Australia, Australia; Dr. Ian J. Porter, Department of Primary Industries, Victoria, Australia; Stephan Sicars, Siccon Consulting, Germany; Akio Tateya, Japan Fumigation Technology Association, Japan; Dr. Dao Duc Tuan, Climate Change and Ozone Protection Office, Vietnam; Ing.Agr. (MSc) Alejandro H. Valeiro, Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria, Argentina
For further technical information about the EPA's Climate Protection, Stratospheric Ozone Protection, and Lifetime Atmospheric Achievement Awards, go to www.epa.gov/cppd/awards/climproawards.htm or www.epa.gov/docs/ozone/awards.