Home County Resource Center Training and Technical Assistance

The Sustainable Communities Awards Program 

The Sustainable Communities Awards Program recognizes outstanding urban, suburban, and rural counties whose innovative collaborations are leading the effort to create sustainable communities through economic enhancement, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility. The first Awards Program took place in 1999 and with the exception of 2003 has occurred every two years since then. Applications are currently being accepted for 2007.

Award winners and their partners receive on behalf of their communities:

• A hand-crafted, engraved crystal sculpture featuring the Center logo suitable for public display as a symbol of  the community’s award
• $10,000 to one Platinum Innovation Award Winner and $5,000 each to up to three Outstanding Practices Award Recipients
• Press releases and national media attention generated by NACo to publicize the achievements of the  partnerships
• Recognition at an awards ceremony featuring leaders from congress, the private sector, and local government.
• Inclusion in a best practices publication that will be submitted to the Administration, the Cabinet, & Congress.
• Profiles of winning projects published in CountyNews, the news publication of NACo. 
• Descriptions of winning projects featured on the Center’s website.

2007 Winners:

• Boulder County, CO. Boulder County "Super IGA"
• Charleston County, SC. Charleston County Area, SC Project Impact Partnership
• Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren Counties, NC. Kerr-Tarr Regional Economic Development Corporation
• Gwinnett County, GA. The Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center
• Harford, Cecil and Baltimore Counties, MD. Chesapeake Science and Security Corridor
• Lake County, IL. Rt. 173/I-94 Intergovernmental Agreement
• Louisville-Jefferson County, KY. The Partnership for a Green City
• Morrow County, OH. Wheels to Work
• Prince George’s County, MD. Low Impact Development/Green Highway Programs
• Woodbury County, IA. Comprehensive Local Foods Systems Project

Finalist Application Deadline, July 20th

2007 Finalists:

(Listed by County)
• Allendale County, SC. Traditional and Nontraditional Infrastructure Development in Allendale County
• Blue Earth County, MN. Blue Earth County Justice Center
• Boulder County, CO. Boulder County "Super IGA"
• Carroll County, MD. Carroll County Performance Contract
• Charleston County, SC. Charleston County Area, SC Project Impact Partnership
• Dane County, WI. Creating Sustainable Local Food Systems
• Franklin, Granville, Vance and Warren Counties, NC. Kerr-Tarr Regional Economic Development Corporation
• Gwinnett County, GA. The Gwinnett Environmental and Heritage Center
• Harford, Cecil and Baltimore Counties, MD. Chesapeake Science and Security Corridor
• Lake County, IL. Rt. 173/I-94 Intergovernmental Agreement
• Louisville-Jefferson County, KY. The Partnership for a Green City
• Mason County, WA. Improvement and Protection of the Water Quality of Hood Canal
• Morrow County, OH. Wheels to Work
• Pinellas County, FL. Brownfield Spotter Patch Program
• Pinellas County, FL. Pinellas County Urban Sustainability
• Platte County, MO. Advice From "Aunt" Betty for an Innovative and Sustainable Parks and Recreation Philosophy
• Prince George’s County, MD. Low Impact Development/Green Highway Programs
• Sacramento County, CA. American River Parkway Plan Update Process
• Washtenaw County, MI. The Food System Economic Partnership
• Woodbury County, IA. Comprehensive Local Foods Systems Project

 

The 2005 Awards Winners:

• Maricopa County, Arizona and Human Services Campus LLC Members: Human Services Campus
• Solano County and the City of Fairfield, California: Solano County Government Center
• Broomfield City/County, Colorado and Pulte Homes Colorado Division: Innovative Partnership on Health, Wellness and Sustainability
• New Castle County, Delaware and the Claymont Renaissance Development Corporation: Claymont Hometown Overlay District
• Morrison County, Minnesota and the Central Minnesota Initiative Foundation: Morrison County Methamphetamine Reduction Project
• Jackson County, Missouri; the Kansas City Chiefs; Kansas City Royals; Bridging the Gap; Deffenbaugh Recycling; and, the Mid-America Regional Council: Royal and Red…With a Touch of Green
• Cascade County, Montana, Montana Dept. of Environmental Quality, National Renewal Energy Laboratory, and Wind Powering America: Cascade County Wind Power Marketing Program
• Atlantic County and Atlantic County Utilities Authority, New Jersey: A Partnership for Energy Efficiency and Environmental Protection
• Cumberland County and the Cumberland County Business Council, North Carolina: How Cumberland County, NC Is Leveraging the Military Through the Base Realignment and Closure Process
• Arlington County, Virginia; Rosslyn Renaissance, Inc; Clarendon Alliance; and, Ballston/Virginia Square Partnership: The Rosslyn-Ballston Metro Corridor
• Story County, Iowa and Interstate Power and Light Company: Energy Efficiency in Story County, Iowa
• King County, WA: King County Parks Business Plan and Strategic Partnerships And Residential Transportation Coordinator Project
  

Platinum Innovation Award Winner ($10,000): Maricopa County

Outstanding Practice Award Winners ($5,000): Arlington County, New Castle County, Morrison County

For more information on the twelve winners, click on the link to the 2005 Awards Program Publication at the bottom of this page.

 

The Center would like to thank our sponsors: National Association of Home Builders, National Association of REALTORS®,  Freddie Mac, Bank of America, International Council of Shopping Centers,  Institute for Building Technology and Safety, and Nehemiah Corporation of America.

If you have any further questions, please contact Casey Dillon at (202)942-4243 or cdillon@naco.org.





Related Files

Application, 2007 Awards Program (PDF File)
2005 Awards Program Publication (PDF File)