BOSTON - Veolia North America (VNA), a leading provider of environmental solutions in the U.S., today announced that it is the recipient of two elite Top Project of the Year Awards, handed out every year by Environment + Energy Leader in recognition of outstanding contributions to the fields of energy and environmental management. The two projects won awards in their individual categories, one for environmental sustainability and the other for energy solutions.
The two VNA projects to be singled out for recognition are:
A visionary project performed by VNA’s environmental solutions team to recycle wind turbine blades when they have reached the end of their life cycle. In partnership with GE Renewable Power, GE wind turbine blades are dismantled, cut into sections and then processed into confetti-like material used in the manufacturing of “green” cement. Before the project, most wind turbine blades -- which can stretch up to 120 feet or more and have an average life cycle of about 20 years -- were disposed of in landfills, an unsustainable solution to a sustainable form of energy. The fiberglass, wood and other materials found in the blades are isolated and shredded, then shipped to cement manufacturing kilns replacing traditional fuels such as coal and helping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 27 percent. This is the second major award the project has won since it was launched.
“We are enormously pleased and proud to be recognized with this award, which is the result of hard work and dedication on the part of our team,” said Bob Cappadona, VNA executive vice president and COO for the company’s waste management division.
VNA was also recognized for a highly successful, comprehensive energy efficiency project performed by Enovity, VNA’s California-based energy services company. The California team worked with Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno to develop and implement comprehensive energy conservation measures including installing LED lighting systems and optimizing the hospital’s central cooling plant. With these improvements, the hospital has reduced total electricity consumption by more than 10 percent, resulting in annual cost savings of more than $600,000 while reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 1,350 metric tons. The plant is also now more responsive to cooling needs during summer peaks, improving patient and staff comfort.
“This award is a tremendous validation of the expertise and commitment on the part of our team in California. I’m proud they are being recognized for their hard work,” said Keith Oldewurtel, VNA executive vice president and COO of VNA’s energy services division.
The Environment + Energy Leader Awards are meant to recognize excellence in products and services that provide companies with energy and environmental benefits, and in projects implemented by companies that improved environmental or energy management and increased the bottom line. “With a very experienced and critical judging panel and a strict set of judging criteria, entrants faced an extremely high bar to qualify for an award in 2021,” said Sarah Roberts, Environment + Energy Leader publisher.
About Veolia: The Veolia Group's ambition is to be the benchmark company for the ecological transition. With operations on every continent and almost 179,000 employees, the Group designs and distributes useful, concrete solutions for the management of water, waste, and energy, which help bring about radical change. Through its three complementary activities, Veolia is growing access to resources, preserving the resources available, and renewing them. In 2020, the Veolia Group provided 95 million people with drinking water and 62 million with sanitation; it generated almost 43 million megawatt hours and recycled 47 million tons of waste. Veolia Environnement (Paris Euronext: VIE) posted consolidated sales of €26.010 billion in 2020.
About Veolia North America: A subsidiary of Veolia group, Veolia North America (VNA) offers a full spectrum of water, waste and energy management services, including water and wastewater treatment, commercial and hazardous waste collection and disposal, energy consulting and resource recovery. VNA helps commercial, industrial, healthcare, higher education and municipality customers throughout North America. Headquartered in Boston, Mass., Veolia North America has more than 7,000 employees working at more than 250 locations across the continent.
About the Environment + Energy Leader Awards
For nearly a decade, the Environment + Energy Leader Awards have celebrated excellence in the world of environmental, sustainability and energy management. Award winners are truly buzz-worthy, and companies that sport a Top Project or Top Product of the Year Award badge are known to be the best of the best. When other companies are seeking a sustainability or energy management solution, they know that E+E Product of the Year Award winners offer a significant group of products, vetted by experts, to peruse for help in making their decisions. Project of the Year Award winners are known to illustrate how sustainability and energy management projects can successfully help other companies improve the bottom line.
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