The University of NH leads the winners with an “Overall Judges Award,” which recognizes the school’s extensive sustainable practices from its cogeneration plant and reuse of methane gas to power its Durham campus to transitioning its extensive transportation department to biodiesel.

Green Processes Awards were given in three categories: small companies (under 50 employees), medium companies (51 to 125 employees) and large companies (more than 125 employees). Two companies tied for the small company green processes award—Abigail’s Bakery in Weare and Bruss Construction in Bradford. Wire Belt Company of America, a manufacturer in Londonderry, claimed the medium company green processes award and Monadnock Paper Mills in Bennington won the large company honor.

The Green Building award recognizes a building project that incorporates sustainable building practices throughout the project and how those green aspects achieve efficiencies and savings. The NH Audubon’s McLane Center in Concord won this competitive category.

The competition also honored a product or service that helps businesses and people to be greener. From a highly competitive field, the judges chose to honor the BioVu line of inks produced by EFI VUTEk in Meredith for its product innovation and global reach.

Applications flooded in from all corners of the state and from a wide range of industries, including restaurants, mortgage companies, manufacturers, universities, hotels, hospitals, and nonprofits to name a few.

While applicants listed many practices you would expect to find, like recycling programs and energy-efficient lighting, our judges commented on how many applicants go beyond the norm and are taking innovative and creative approaches to being greener. That speaks highly of our winners who were selected from a competitive field.

The difficult task of selecting the winners fell to Thomas Burack, commissioner of the NH Department of Environmental Services; Margaret Dillon, a board member of the NH Sustainable Energy Association and president of S.E.E.D.S., Sustainable Energy Education & Demonstration Services; and Ami D’Amelio, a board member of NH Businesses for Social Responsibility.

Leaders from winning companies will share their best practices at the Lean and Green luncheon to be held Mar. 25, 2008 at the Radisson Hotel, Center of NH in Manchester. The event will be co-located with the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce’s “That Green Thing.” To register for the event or to order a copy of the March issue of Business NH Magazine, call 603-626-6354.