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www.CTGreenGuide.com FALL 2016 • CONNECTICUT GREEN GUIDE 9 In Partnership With: Event Sponsors: True Green Leadership W hy do we need programs like the GreenCircle Awards? Because the solution to Connecti- cut's energy and environmental challenges lies with the actions we can all take — as GreenCircle Award winners have done for years — to reduce our environmental footprint. Since 1998 the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection has presented more than 1,100 Gre- enCircle awards to more than 1,600 projects that improved the quality of life in local communities. This year DEEP shifted the focus of the program to the importance of sustainability and reducing overall impacts on the environment. Thanks to our new partnership with the Hartford Business Jour - nal and the CT Green Guide, we were able to engage and motivate a much larger audience of decision makers to nominate projects. This partnership yielded 59 GreenCircle finalists who are working to ensure a cleaner, safer, and more attrac- tive state for us and for future generations. These entries demonstrated to us that people are committed to taking action to protect the planet: conserving energy; reducing carbon emissions and water usage; eliminating waste through increased recycling; protecting our natural resources; and increasing public awareness of environ- mental issues through education and engagement. This year's GreenCircle Awards went to four businesses, three government entities, two groups, one individual, two schools, and three universities located in Connecticut that took a coordinated, holistic approach to re - duce the environmental impact and resource demands of their operations and activities during calendar year 2015. These award winners show true leadership and serve as real models. Congratulations to the winners, who were honored at a great awards ceremony held in May at the spectacular Infinity Music Hall in Hartford. The pro- files of the awards winners in this edition of the CT Green Guide will hopefully serve as an inspiration to others. I encourage everyone to consider entering next year's GreenCircle Awards competition. Keep an eye out for details here or in the Hartford Business Journal. Robert Klee Commissioner Department of Energy and Environmental Protection 2 0 1 6 A wa r ds Meet the Winners: PGS. 10-26 Finalists: PGS. 28-29