Colorado CleanTech Initiative honors five companies for sustainable efforts

DENVER – Five Colorado companies received Sustainable Business Medal of Honor awards from the Colorado CleanTech Initiative for their efforts in providing products or services that provide environmental, social, health and economic benefits.

The Colorado CleanTech Initiative, a year-old effort to stimulate the renewable energy and “clean technology” business climate in Colorado, presented Gold level awards to Wonderland Hill Development Co. of Boulder and New Belgium Brewing Co. of Fort Collins. Silver level award winners were Porter Industries Inc. of Loveland, Envirofit of Fort Collins and the International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology in Golden.

Jeffrey Nathanson, chairman of the CleanTech Initiative, presented the awards Feb. 21 at the law offices of Moye White in Denver.

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The competition was conducted in coordination with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Connected Organizations for a Responsible Economy, Rockies Venture Club and The Boulder County Business Report, awards sponsor.

The awards ceremony was an opening event of Sustainable Opportunities Week sponsored by CORE and the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado at Boulder.

The winning companies, Nathanson said, offer products or services that are sustainable and provide environmental, social and economic benefits while protecting public health, welfare and the environment over their entire commercial cycle.

_ Wonderland Hill builds villages and small neighborhoods based on co-housing concepts that embody community, organic design and sustainable building practices and principles. The 30-year-old, Boulder-based company is a pioneer in the green-building sector, winning awards for almost all of its communities based on the sustainable features and energy-efficient designs implemented into their communities.

_ New Belgium of Fort Collins brews the popular Fat Tire and Sunshine Wheat beers. The company uses alternative forms of energy when producing beer and incorporates new energy-efficient technologies in its day-to-day operations.

_ Porter Industries, a commercial and residential cleaning company based in Loveland, uses environmentally friendly cleaning materials and equipment that improves the health and safety of its clients.

_ Envirofit is a nonprofit corporation based in Fort Collins that develops and installs technologies that reduce pollution and enhance energy efficiency in developing countries. Envirofit has produced a low-emission, three-wheeled tricycle to operate on the streets of the Philippines with the goal of achieving 90 percent pollution reduction and 35 percent fuel savings.

_ The International Center for Appropriate and Sustainable Technology, based in Golden, is a nonprofit organization that provides technology and business solutions to growing communities in developing countries as well as in the U.S.