SACRAMENTO - The California Air Resources Board held its second CoolCalifornia.org Small Business Award ceremony today, honoring 23 small businesses from across the state for their climate-smart actions.

The program recognizes California small businesses that demonstrate leadership and made notable, voluntary achievements toward reducing their climate impact.

“These California small business owners demonstrate passion and conviction for reducing their impact on the environment,” said ARB Chairman Mary D. Nichols.  “And they continue to think of ways to improve operations and save money while educating their peers, clients and employees about climate-smart actions.”
 
The 23 award winners were selected from 85 competitive applicants, representing a variety of business sectors.  These businesses took an array of actions to save money and improve their operations, facilities and practices while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.  Steps taken include installation of compact fluorescent lights, solar panels and energy-efficient computer servers; elimination of toxins and solvents; use of eco-friendly products; and, adding automated thermostats and lighting fixtures.

• Five businesses received the Business of the Year award for demonstrating exceptional climate change management practices and communication.  
• Eighteen were acknowledged with the Climate Leader award for taking proactive steps to reduce their impact on our climate and communicating this information to their employees and customers.
• Nine were awarded certificates of recognition for taking steps to establish innovative, more sustainable business practices.

These businesses come from 20 California cities and represent 15 industries, including manufacturing, trucking, food service, printing, laundry, hotel, agriculture and construction.

The award winners were ranked by 20 two-person teams of scorers comprised of staff from public agencies and private businesses.  ARB staff and leadership further reviewed scores, and conducted site visits and environmental reviews to arrive at final decisions.

CoolCalifornia.org is an online resource providing all Californians with the information and tools they need to take climate action.  The website features money-saving actions, climate calculators, case studies and links to financial incentives to help individuals, small businesses, local government and youth gain the knowledge needed to take simple steps for a sustainable future.

For more information, visit www.coolcalifornia.org.

List of the award winners:

Businesses of the Year
Arkin Tilt Architects, Berkeley   
ATDynamics, South San Francisco
Dixon Ridge Farms, Winters
Hero Arts, Inc., Richmond
Orchard Hotels, San Francisco
      
Climate Leaders
Chavez Trucking, Dixon           
Citadel Environmental Services, Inc., Glendale  
Community Business College, Modesto  
Conejo Awards, Thousand Oaks
Domus Development, LLC, San Francisco           
Green11, San Francisco            
Greenshops, Bakersfield    
Lafitte Cork and Capsule, Napa           
Light & Motion Industries, Inc., Monterey  
Nortons Cleaners Inc., Placentia   
Outer Aisle Foods, Murphys          
Paragon Label & Mrs. Grossman's, Petaluma           
Quivira Vineyards and Winery, Healdsburg   
Royal Hawaiian Honey, Oakland  
Silverado Brewing Company, Saint Helena
Synergy Solar & Electrical Systems Inc., Sebastopol  
Three Squares Inc., Santa Monica          
Zan Media, Novato

Certificate of Recognition
Berkeley Olive Grove 1913, Oroville
Choicelunch, San Ramon
Koolfog, Inc., Palm Desert
Licata Chiropractic, Inc., Arcadia
Recon Recycling, LLC, San Diego
Stanford’s Restaurant, Walnut Creek
Tamalpais NatureWorks, San Rafael
Telework Research Network, Carlsbad
Waste Less Living, Pasadena