Three of Boise's most environmentally-friendly businesses were honored with the 2007 Mayor's EnviroGuard Award.

Boise Mayor David Bieter presented the coveted EnviroGuard Award to the Eco-Lounge Freeride Shop, the Cottonwood Grille and the Orthopedic Surgery Center of Idaho. The award presentation took place at the Eco-Lounge Freeride Shop on Thursday, September 20, 2007.

The prestigious award has been given since 1998 to local businesses taking creativeapproaches to reducing waste, energy reduction and other environmentally friendly practices in the workplace. “It’s important to recognize businesses taking unique and creative approaches to ensuring the sustainability and livability of this community,” Boise Mayor David Bieter said. “We can reduce our environmental footprint at work, home and play. These businesses set the example for others to follow in the workplace.”

An independent committee made up of small and large business owners, city and state agencies and business assistance organizations review the applications based on established criteria. The criteria include significant environmental benefits, waste reduction, economic benefit to the company and efficient use of raw materials.

Here are the main reasons why this year’s class of winners received EnviroGuard recognition: The Eco-Lounge Freeride Shop established in 2005 prides itself on selling eco-friendly skis, snowboarding equipment and clothing. The Eco-Lounge uses all natural waxes and bio-degradable non-toxic machining coolant and cleaning products. The Eco-Lounge offers an assortment of skis, snowboards, and skateboards made in the USA from renewable wood resources such as poplar and bamboo. The shop also recycles paper, cardboard, plastics, and cans. The Eco-Lounge is a community oriented business assisting with fundraising for the Idaho Black Bear Rehabilitation Center and supporting high school ski programs. “If people enjoy recreational opportunities like snowboarding, skiing, rock-climbing, and river sports in a natural environment, their actions should support keeping the natural environment as pristine as possible, along with business owners who sell recreational products,” Eco-Lounge Freeride Shop general manager Bill Erickson said.

The Cottonwood Grille opened in 1999 and features contemporary American cuisine. The Cottonwood has a great deal of pride in using fresh ingredients, made-from-scratch cooking methods and minimizing waste. The restaurant buys local game, cheese, and vegetables and fresh farm raised fish (when available) and butchers all its meat on site to guarantee quality and reduce packaging and shipping. Since the Cottonwood began a comprehensive recycling reuse program it has reduced their weekly trash volume by 50%. In addition, left over rice and vegetables are donated the Boise Rescue Mission three times per week. “I give a lot of credit to Allied Waste for making recycling programs available. I’ve worked my whole adult life in the restaurant business. Just by the nature of the business you have so much waste. To divert 85-percent of our waste from landfill makes me so proud of my whole crew for making such a big impact,” Cottonwood Grille owner Peter Blatz said. “Now it’s becoming more main stream to be an environmentally sustainable business. Also from a business point of view the way we operate is more cost effective and safer. If you cook from scratch, you know where all the food comes from.”

The OrthopedicSurgeryCenterof Idaho, LLC (OSCI ) provides out-patient orthopedic surgical services to more than 3,200 patients each year since 2002. OSCI has shown commitment to the environment in every facet of their operation. The surgery center sterilizes equipment on-site to avoid generating 64,000 paper wrappers from pre-sterilized surgical packs. OSCI stores patient files electronically to reduce the use of paper, uses energy efficient lighting and is a mercury free facility. In addition, OSCI has a comprehensive reuse and recycling program. Obsolete office furnishings and computers are donated to appropriate non-profit organizations. “It’s a grass root effort of my staff. We have so many environmentally conscious people in this office,” Orthopedic Surgery Center of Idaho, Director of Nursing Ellen Benchen said. “We all started looking for avenues of reuse and recycling.”

Along with receiving recognition at the special award ceremony, EnviroGuard winners receive a plaque, banner and their documented case studies are showcased on the City of Boise website. Some of the names of the 31 past winners include Second Chance Building Supply, The Bogus Basin Nordic Center, the Cat Doctor and Zamzows. For more information on how businesses can become leaders in pollution prevention go to the Public Works Environmental Resource Center. For more information about the 2007 EnviroGuard winners or to learn how to apply for the award in the future, call program coordinators Megan Kershner or Angela Deckers at 384-3901.