FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 18, 2004	CONTACTS: Office of Media Relations Michele Ames 303-556-2523
Wirth Chair Sustainable Development Awards Announced
The Wirth Chair in Environmental and Community Development at the Graduate School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado at Denver, held its Seventh Annual Awards Luncheon Thursday, March 18, 2004. The luncheon honors numerous groups and individuals across Colorado who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of sustainable development strategies, policies and programs. Established in 1993, the Chair recognizes the Honorable Timothy E. Wirth, former United States Senator from Colorado and current President of the United Nations Foundation. Interim Director of the Chair, Dr. Allan Wallis, said " We experienced a 47 percent increase in the number of nominations this year. I think that says something about the growing awareness and importance of achieving sustainable solutions and the determination of business and communities to make them work. The Wirth Chair is delighted to recognize these achievements." Media awards for excellence in coverage of sustainable topics were given to Virgil Cochran of the Lamar Daily News, and, to Colorado Matters, a program produced by Colorado Public Radio that often devotes time to examine sustainability issues. Community awards for outstanding sustainable efforts were given to Melissa Knott, Director of Sustainability at Stapleton Development, and, to a group of students at Bacon Elementary School in Fort Collins who participated in a class to learn about their new state of the art energy efficient building and then gave tours to the public while explaining how a number of sustainable systems work. In the Business category, which honors corporate attempts to foster sustainable goals and strategies, Stapleton Development and Calpine Energy received Awards. From reusing 1,100 acres of runways in the aggregate for roads and sidewalks to ensuring the highest energy efficiency standards in all its new homes and buildings, Stapleton has become a national leader in designing and building a sustainable development. Calpine, soon to be the nation's seventh largest energy generator, has built two power plants in Colorado that will supply the needs of 900,000 households in Colorado's Front Range Communities. Calpine's insistence on detail and environmental protection has made it a model for the industry. Denver Post columnist Joanne Ditmer, author of more than a thousand articles on the environment and urban design issues, received the Chair's Lifetime Achievement Award and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory received the Chair's Distinguished Service Award. NREL Director Admiral Richard Truly accepted the award. Awards were also given to retiring University of Colorado Regent Susan Kirk for her support in creating and fostering the mission of the Chair and to former Director of the Wirth Chair, Marshall Kaplan. Tim Wirth, the featured speaker at the event, said, "It's clear from the awards that were given today that Colorado is ahead of the curve in understanding that the challenges we face, even though they're formidable, can be managed and in almost every case, solved in ways that improve the quality of our lives and certainly the lives of those who will come after us."