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Race To The Top: Recipients of the 3rd PBEC Environmental Award The PBEC Environmental Award showcases projects of members who achieve excellence in environmental stewardship within a sustainable business model. This year, eight finalists were evaluated for the 3rd PBEC Environmental Award and the top finalists were recognized at the Tokyo IGM held last month. Beyond their nominated projects, the member companies from PBEC Korea, U.S., Japan, New Zealand, and Canada (Samsung Electronics, General Motors, Ford, Osaka Gas, Honda, New Zealand Dairy Board, and Placer Dome, respectively) evidence that globalization is not a race to the bottom. Their achievements prove that globalization can and should be a race to the top - in best environmental practices, community-based stewardship and economic development, and in long-term corporate citizenship. Here is a snapshot of the corporate commitment of the three PBEC Environmental Award recipient companies. Other Finalists General Motors China and a GM China program featuring Alternative Fuel & Electric Vehicle Development; Environ-mental Management & Facility initiatives; a Clean Fuel Campaign; an Air Quality Campaign; a Vehicles Emissions Control program; support for The Nature Conservancy in China and the Yunnan Great Rivers Project. Hansol Paper Company, Ltd. and its Environmental Char-ter of the company that includes Innovative Recycling Technologies, Local Reforestation of Over 42 Million Trees, Research and New-Waste Reuse Technologies; Reintro-duction of Traditional Papermaking techniques which are pollution-free, and Lifelong Environmental Education and Training in the Community and Schools. New Zealand Dairy Board for their recycling program that has eliminated the waste disposal of whey into rivers, oceans, and open farm land where it would deplete oxygen levels and cause sewage fungus, and has redirected it, supported by major technology and management invest-ments, into new products including texturizers for meat, yogurt, and fresh cheeses, proteins for sports and medical products and hypoallergenic proteins for infant formula. Placer Dome, Inc. for their innovative development and leadership in new technologies in wet and dry cover designs for tailing and wasterock, respectively, for con-trolling acid rock drainage. In addition, the company developed new advanced modeling technologies and predictive techniques for existing and new mining sites. The results include significant improvement in managing mine materials and preventing water pollution associated with acid drainage. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. for its Green Management Project including full ISO 14001 certification throughout the organization, development of life cycle assessment soft-ware and design-for-environment standards for their prod-ucts, complete discontinuation of use of CFCs and other ozone-depleting compounds, organization-wide us of clean-burning Liquefied Natural Gas and other standards, and development of many community projects including eco-ponds and constructed wetlands, and environmental standards required of all subcontractors. Gold Award Recipient: OSAKA GAS http://www.osakagas.co.jp In addition to innovations in alternative energy, one of the latest New Environmental Technologies being developed by Osaka Gas is an afforestation technique using VAM fungi, an environmentally sound method of regenerating tropical forests in areas with depleted soil. The project is being conducted in conjunction with the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth and with the Indonesian Science Institute (LIPI), leading to large-scale cultivation this year. Osaka Gas has also begun large-scale development of reuses of melted sludge in asphalt and metal recovery from melted sludge fly ash. The water-permeable construction blocks produced in this method are safe and low-cost building materials that render the sludge ash as nonhazardous. The company's production of methane gas using industrial wastewater is another example of the development of new technology to preserve the environment and create affordable alternative sources of energy. "We are greatly honored to have been awarded the Gold Level Award, and we take special pride in this achievement. It is an official recognition of the environmental friendliness of natural gas and the commitment of Osaka Gas for its environmental activities," stated Osaka Gas President Akio Nomura, "We will continue our efforts to further the position of natural gas in the energy market and to contribute to improving the environment through our R & D activities in environmental technologies." Silver Award Recipient: FORD MOTOR COMPANY http://www.ford.com Ford is perhaps best known for its environmental stewardship through its Chairman William Clay Ford, Jr. who redesigned the landmark River Rouge facility into a sustainable plant, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and benchmarked corporate practices in climate change. Last year, Ford Motor Company released its first Corporate Citizenship Report, highlighting corporate standards of conduct in transparency, environmental stewardship, climate change, human rights, and merging measurements in these areas with established measurements of corporate finance. As stated by Chairman William Clay Ford, Jr., "We are honored to receive the Pacific Basin Economic Council's Silver Environmental Award for our development of advanced technologies which are being used to reduce emissions on new and used vehicles in Asia. I believe the distinction between a good company and a great company is that a good company delivers excellent products and services and a great company delivers excellent products and services and strives to make the world a better place. We look forward to working with the PBEC to help make the world a better place." Added Dennis Schueltze, Director of Research and Technology and lead on Ford's Rare Earth Oxide Catalyst program nominated for the Award. "The Environmental [Statement], developed by the PBEC member companies at the Tokyo Annual Meeting, is aligned with the objectives of Ford Motor Company to support environmental stewardship and the technical, social and economic development of our international community. This prestigious recognition by the PBEC helps confirm that our company is moving in the right direction." Bronze Award Recipient: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD. http://www.honda.com The PBEC Bronze Level Environmental Award went to the Honda Insight hybrid vehicle project, a lightweight and aerodynamic passenger vehicle that was also awarded the "Sierra Club Award for Excellence in Environmental Engineering". Honda Motor has long been developing advances in technology that make vehicles more environmentally sound including low-fuel consumption vehicles, green factories that produce no waste products, and innovative vehicle designs with aluminum bodies that utilize recycled aluminum. Their community-based projects in environmental stewardship are characterized by capacity-building in the host community. Honda also funds multidisciplinary approaches to environmentalism, ranging from education and training programs for at-risk youth that emphasizes environmental stewardship to public aquariums and ecosystem protection projects to interactive educational centers on climate change and its causes. Its work in energy-efficiency and air quality with educational institutions and environmental non-profit groups has been global. In Asia, Honda's air quality research with the Asian Institute of Technology's Asian Center for Transportation Studies is a benchmark program. In the U.S., their work with TampaBay Watch is being used to educate people about protecting manatees and the seagrass estuaries of Tampa Bay. "The (Honda outboard) boat is environmentally friendly," said Tampa BayWatch Director Peter Clark, "There is no propeller to hurt the manatees and the engine is 95% cleaner than conventional engines." The flat bottom also was designed to reduce danger to manatee, which are frequently killed or injured by powerboats. Addressing their receipt of the PBEC Environmental Award, Honda CEO Hiroyuki Yoshino stated, "We are honored to receive this award. We are dedicated continuously to developing products that are environmentally friendly with ever-higher objectives."