Posted by johnsoncontrols at 08:25 PM
|
Comments (0)
By Darryll Fortune
When you hear about an award that honors “exemplary leadership in instituting and advancing energy efficiency in the United States and abroad,” it may seem like a lofty goal, but that’s just what the Energy Efficiency Forum’s Energy Leadership Awards is designed to recognize.
The Energy Leadership Awards were established in 1991 to honor public officials who have provided exemplary leadership in instituting and advancing energy efficiency in the United States and abroad. The awards are presented at the Energy Efficiency Forum, held this year June 10-11, 2008 in Washington, DC. The event, now in its 19th year, is co-sponsored by the United States Energy Association and Johnson Controls, Inc.
This year’s theme, “What’s Happening Now and What’s Next?”, invites an examination of the energy leadership taking place in public and private sectors, and the potential impact on business and government that new energy and climate change policies from a new presidential administration could bring. The confirmed keynote speaker is Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, author of “The World is Flat.”
For almost two decades, the Energy Efficiency Forum has found plenty of suitable award winners. From the early recipients, such as then-Sen. John Glenn and then-Gov. Tom Ridge, the Forum has sought out a bipartisan representation of those who know the importance of energy efficiency. That’s because it really comes down to individuals and the impact and influence they yield in effecting a change in, well, climate.
- Sometimes it’s the efforts of dedicated environmentalists, such as 1995 winner William K. Reilly, president of the World Wildlife Fund until taking over as administrator at the EPA in 1989. People who have it in their blood to do the right thing.
- Some of the winners are those who have established and nurtured public-private partnerships, such as James Sullivan, Robert F. Ichord, Jr., Jefferson Seabright, J. Brian Atwood and Gordon Weynand from the U.S. Agency for International Development. These are people who understand it takes more than government mandates to establish an energy efficient ethic. It takes initiatives that involve businesses and industries, both in the United States and abroad, to enact large-scale energy efficiency enhancements that provide cost-savings for the betterment of the public: taxpayers, shareholders, community, patients, students and homeowners.
- An increasingly larger group is local government leaders, such as former Baltimore Mayor and now Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley, who are pushing forward legislation in response to cries from their constituents asking them to stop the bleeding from increasing utility prices.
At this year’s Forum, more individuals who have significantly contributed to energy efficiency initiatives will be honored in the following categories: Public Service, Mayor’s, Congressional, Governor’s, International and the prestigious Douglas Decker Lifetime Achievement Award.
Perhaps you want to nominate someone. Just submit names of individuals deserving of the award by filling out a nomination form at www.eeforum.net/awards.html. The deadline is Friday, May 16.
Darryll Fortune is the Director of Global Public Relations for Johnson Controls.
