Los Angeles County Mayor Michael D. Antonovich and other members of the Board of Supervisors will present the Seventh Annual Green Leadership Awards during its weekly meeting on Tuesday, April 28, 2015. “We are recognizing outstanding and innovative environmental sustainability projects,” said Mayor Antonovich.

The GLA honors will be handed out at 9:30 a.m. in the Board Hearing Room 381-B, Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration, 500 W. Temple St., downtown Los Angeles.

The 2015 Green Leadership Honorees are:

CHAIR AWARD: Tom Tindall, former Director of Internal Services, County of Los Angeles

BUSINESS: Armstrong World Industries – Floor Recycling Program and Waste Reduction

PUBLIC AGENCY: Los Angeles World Airports – Harvest Food Donation Program

NONPROFIT: Theodore Payne Foundation – Landscaping for Resilience Project

LOS ANGELES COUNTY: Sheriff’s Department – Pitchess Detention Center Material Reclamation Project

RESIDENT: 4th Street HOA , The Green Condo: Retrofitting Multifamily Housing

“The Green Leadership Awards were established by the Board in 2008 to promote citizen involvement in conservation and the protection of our natural resources,” said the Mayor. Award recipients range from a Santa Monica Homeowner’s Association creating a roadmap to sustainability in multifamily housing to a creative recycling program at Pitchess Detention Center, which provides training for inmates in an emerging career field.

Additional honorees include a County executive, who championed environmental sustainability, a San Fernando Valley non-profit that teaches sustainable landscaping to local residents, a South Gate firm that reclaims and recycles floor tile, and a food donation program that benefits the homeless and low-income families, which was spearheaded at LAX by HMS Host and Hudson Group.

“These awards highlight best practices by both the private and public sectors, and are presented as part of the County’s annual observance of Earth Week to raise community awareness,” said Interim Chief Executive Officer Sachi Hamai.

The Chair’s Green Leadership Award recipient was selected for the following accomplishments:

Tom Tindall

Director, Department of Internal Services (Ret)

County of Los Angeles

Mr. Tindall served as Director of the Department of Internal Services from 2008 to 2013. During this time, he singlehandedly placed environmental sustainability on the County’s radar. Tindall established the first County Office of Sustainability and appointed staff to focus on reducing the County’s carbon footprint. He advocated for and implemented some of the first County green programs such as LEED for new and existing County buildings, green purchasing and contracting and energy efficiency innovations.

These achievements led to the development of a County Strategic Initiative Goal for Sustainability in 2014, a major step toward embedding sustainability into the County culture. Mr. Tindall’s vision, drive and ability have benefitted the County both internally and externally as we seek to implement sustainable solutions in the County.

Los Angeles County Green Leadership award winners were selected for the following accomplishments:

L.A. County Department – Sheriff’s Department (LASD) – Castaic, CA

Pitchess Detention Center Material Reclamation Project

The Department created an innovative training program for inmates that also diverted tons of materials from landfills. The Pitchess Detention Center (PDC) is a 2,600 acre facility that self-hauls its waste. Landfill fees were significant, even with the existing recycle programs. PDC saw an opportunity to provide viable training to inmates, reduce fees, and to address regulatory waste reduction requirements by creating the Pitchess Material Reclamation Center.

The Center diverts waste from the waste stream, collects revenue-producing recyclable materials, and provides training for inmates. Benefits include going above and beyond regulatory waste reduction requirements, reducing landfill fees, generating revenue from sales of recycled materials, and training inmates in an industry open to hiring people with criminal records.

Business Category – Armstrong World Industries, Inc. – South Gate

Floor Recycling Program and Waste Reduction

The company accepted the challenge to establish an extended producer responsibility program for their vinyl composition tile (VCT) flooring products so that products could be returned to an Armstrong facility and made into new products.

From 2009 to 2011, solutions were developed to process reclaimed VCT flooring and develop new products with recycled VCT. In 2012 they launched a sustainability initiative to recycle VCT products; including covering the costs of transport back to their facilities. They do not limit the collection to their own products but accept qualified materials from other companies. At this point, the Armstrong South Gate facility takes in far more recycled materials than it generates, making it “net positive” for waste.

Public Agency Category – Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) – Los Angeles

Harvest Food Donation Program

LAWA management and staff, in partnership with HMS Host and Hudson Group, spearheaded a program to minimize the amount of Los Angeles Airport food waste sent to landfills, while providing quality food products to non-profit community groups serving the homeless and others in need. A third party vendor, Food Donation Connections, coordinates the donations and provides measures and reporting.

Since May 2012, LAWA and partners have donated over 178,000 food items with an equivalent weight of 87,514 pounds. Beneficiaries include U.S. Vets- Inglewood; Vickers Foundation (domestic abuse); Oceangate S. Baptist (feeding homeless); and Much More Bounce (servicing youth in need).

Non-Profit Category – Theodore Payne Foundation for Wild Flowers and Native Plants – Sun Valley, CA

Landscaping for Resilience Project

The Theodore Payne Foundation is dedicated to the understanding, preservation and use of California native flora. They are continuing the work of Theodore Payne, an environmentalist and horticulturist in California in the early 1900s. Mr. Payne recognized the beauty and environmental value of the native plants of the region.

Today the foundation is offering a series of workshops to the public, “Landscaping for Resilience (LFR),” teaching how to transform ornamental, water-thirsty landscapes into beautiful native landscapes. In addition to the benefits of saving water and energy with LFR, the program helps preserve the natural habitat and biodiversity of the area.

Resident Category – The 4th Street Home Owners Association – Santa Monica

The Green Condo Project – Retrofitting Multifamily Housing

The 4th Street Homeowners Association in a 61-unit Santa Monica housing complex launched an aggressive environmental sustainability program 13 years ago. The Association researched, implemented and documented efforts to reduce electrical usage, water consumption, and install solar and electric vehicle charging stations.

Their energy, commitment and creative approach to “The Green Condo Project” has produced significant reductions in energy and water consumption for this multifamily complex. Residents are happy to realize the cost savings resulting from the project. Even more important, the Association established a sustainability roadmap for other homeowner associations in multifamily buildings.

For more information on the County’s Green Leadership Awards, contact Victoria Pipkin-Lane at (213) 974-1361, vpipkin@ceo.lacounty.gov or Mary Savinar at (213) 974-1390, msavinar@ceo.lacounty.gov.