The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency revealed its roster of Pacific Northwest honorees for their sustainability efforts to conserve energy and water and reduce food waste and trash headed for landfills.
According to an EPA news release, Food Recovery Challenge winners include PCC Community Markets, Gonzaga University, the University of Washington, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Seattle Mariners/T-Mobile Park and the Microsoft corporate headquarters campus.
“PCC Community Markets operates on a triple bottom line, always balancing the co-op’s economic, social and environmental impact and results,” Brent Kawamura, PCC Community Markets sustainability manager, said in the news release. “With efforts to be one of the most sustainable grocery stores in the U.S., including working to achieve zero waste, the co-op takes actions including getting food into the hands of those who need it rather than landfills.”
According to the release, the honors were given to groups taking part in the EPAs Federal Green Challenge, Food Recovery Challenge and WasteWise programs. It also noted in the release that participants in the WasteWise program kept nearly 410,000 tons of non-food waste from landfills, saving nearly $23 million in landfill fees in the process.
The EPA release noted that organizations, businesses and federal agencies have participated in programs including WasteWise, with partners diverting nearly 249 million tons of waste from landfills over the years.
On its website, the EPA noted it is evolving its sustainable materials management partnership programs, and will no longer be accepting partners in Federal Green Challenge or the Food Recovery Challenge as it develops new programs to align with its new priorities.
