West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum will recognize the Holland Board of Public Works with its inaugural Climate Leadership Award on Wednesday, October 25 at the sold-out Triple Bottom Line Bash.
The Climate Leadership Award is one of three new awards WMSBF has created as part of its annual Sustainable Business of the Year Awards. It recognizes an organization that has adopted practices that demonstrate climate leadership locally and within its industry.  The selection committee evaluates critera such as community leadership, creation of a climate action plan, innovation, and a commitmtent to both greenhouse gas reduction and climate adaptation strategies.
Some of the ways Holland Board of Public Works is responding to climate change include:

• Development and implementation of the long-range Holland Community Energy Plan (CEP)
• Largest municipal snowmelt system in North America (utilizing waste heat from power generation)
• Creation of Holland Energy Fund F
• First On-Bill Loan Program in Michigan. Initiated the legislation to make that possible. Now available to all utilities with recent energy legislation.
• Use of a Sustainable Return on Investment (SROI) process for decision making
• 18 public electric vehicle charging stations installed in Holland in 2011. HBPW does not charge customers for the “fuel” in order to promote conversion to EVs and the advanced battery economic development cluster in Holland
• Commissioned a pilot demonstration project and study at new West Michigan Regional Airport of locally invented Suntuitive Dynamic Glass by Pleotint. The variable thermal resistance windows showed energy savings of 36% compared to ASHRAE 90.1 standard glass and 12% energy savings compared to fully tinted glass.
• Participation in Georgetown University Energy Prize as a way to raise awareness and a sense of urgency to the goals of the CEP, resulted in a 6.1% reduction in electric and natural gas consumption by Holland residents, K-12 schools, and municipal buildings and infrastructure in 2015-2016 over baseline of 2013-2014.
• The new $245 million Holland Energy Park is first power plant to receive the Institute for Sustainable Infrastructure’s “Envision” rating. It cuts greenhouse gas emissions by half. Some $1.3 million is being invested in the Holland Energy Park Visitor Experience Center to increase energy literacy and inspire careers in energy.
• First utility in the county to offer a bonus incentive to businesses for installing Dark Sky certified light fixtures

The Triple Bottom Line Bash is the signature function for local sustainable business professionals. This year’s sold-out event is presented by Consumers Energy.