NASA’s Ames Research Center recently was recognized for its exemplary sustainable business practices by one of San Francisco Bay Area’s oldest and most prestigious environmental non-profits, Acterra: Action for a Healthy Planet.
Ames received the 2013 Business Environmental Award in the category of ‘Sustainable Built Environment’ for its high-performing Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) platinum facility, named Sustainability Base. The research center will be honored at the 2013 Business Environmental Awards Reception on Thursday, May 30, 2013 at Intuit Corporation, Mountain View, Calif.
“Sustainability Base is one of the most impressive buildings ever constructed,” said Steven Zornetzer, associate director for research and technology at Ames. “It is a showcase for our twin goals of providing a comfortable and desirable workplace for our staff, while advancing the science and art of managing intelligent buildings.”
Active partnerships with academia, industry and other government agencies have helped Ames progress toward these goals and contribute to its recognition for its “sustainable exemplary business practices,” according to Zornetzer.
Sustainability Base, completed last year, combines the natural, passive and ‘native to place’ features of its location with forward-looking technologies to optimize energy efficiency and minimize resource consumption. The facility incorporates NASA technologies developed to support the agency’s missions in aeronautics and space exploration, by adapting and testing them in the built environment.
Acterra, a 43-year-old non-profit organization providing environmental programming in and around Silicon Valley, has a mission to bring people together to create local solutions for a healthy planet. As part of its mission, Acterra involves and educates individuals, businesses and communities to take action against global warming, restore natural habitats and cultivate environmental leaders for the future.
Acterra’s Business Environmental Awards ares one of San Francisco Bay Area’s oldest and most prestigious environmental recognition programs. Initiated in 1990, it is considered a heavyweight among award programs, due to its rigorous application and judging process.
“Our awardees participate in a thorough vetting process through which they demonstrate their environmental commitment and accomplishments,” explained Committee Chair Laura Teksler. “In addition to a written application, all finalists must demonstrate their program’s merits firsthand to the judges during a visit to their facilities. By the time they are selected to receive recognition, our awardees have truly proven that their programs are exemplary examples of corporate environmental leadership.”
For more information about Sustainability Base, visit: www.nasa.gov/sustainability-base
For more information about NASA Ames, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ames/
For more information about Acterra, visit: http://www.acterra.org/index.html
