Applications are now being taken for this year’s Iowa Environmental Excellence Awards. The awards are considered the state’s premier honors to recognize leadership and innovation in the protection of Iowa’s water, land and air.
Emily Bainter, at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says this is the 11th year for the awards program. Bainter says, “We’ve been able to continue on with the tradition of recognizing deserving businesses and organizations that really go above and beyond in making environmental improvements.”
Bainter says there will be several different awards to recognize the state’s good environmental stewards, including one award for overall environmental excellence, which covers several categories. She says, “We also do give out special project awards in those categories, air quality, energy efficiency, habitat restoration, waste management, water quality and environmental education.”
The deadline for entries is March 28th. Bainter says it’s a swift process to enter the competition. “We have an application packet with instructions and a cover sheet form that’s available on our website,” Bainter says. “It’s easy to fill out. We have guided questions that they answer in narrative form. They can just email the application to me and we’ll take it from there.”
Governor Branstad will recognize the winners at a reception this spring. The website is: www.iowadnr.gov/eeawards.
(Reporting by Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)