GEMI Local Water Tool™ Receives 2012 EBJ Business Achievement Award

Environmental Business Journal Recognizes Firms for Growth and Innovation

WASHINGTON and SAN DIEGO, March 7, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Global Environmental Management Initiative (GEMI) is pleased to announce that it was chosen to receive the Environmental Business Journal® (EBJ) Award for Social Contribution for its GEMI Local Water Tool™. 

The Environmental Business Journal® (EBJ) is a business research publication which provides high value strategic business intelligence to the environmental industry.  EJB has honored 50 companies for revenue growth, acquisitions, innovative project designs, technology applications, new practice areas, social contributions and industry leadership in 2012. http://ebionline.org/2012-ebj-business-achievement-awards

"GEMI is honored to receive and accept this award for Social Contribution for the development of the GEMI Local Water Tool™," said GEMI Chair Neville Dias, Director, HESS Management System, Carnival Corporation & plc.  "As an organization focused on creating environmental sustainability solutions for business, developing the GEMI Local Water Tool™ (LWT) and GEMI LWT™ for Oil and Gas, a pair of tools designed to help companies and organizations identify the external impacts, business risks, and opportunities related to water use and discharge at a specific site or operation, was paramount to GEMI's mission," added Dias.

GEMI's Communications Chair Heather Tansey, Sustainability Manager, 3M, "The GEMI LWT™ was created over 18 months through the vision and leadership of the project co-chairs:  Karl Fennessey, Director of Water and Biodiversity, ConocoPhillips, Bill Lechner, Vice President, Global Environment Health and Safety & Security, Scotts Miracle-Gro, and Maurice (Moe) Bechard, Vice President, Environment, Health, Safety and Product Stewardship, Sealed Air Corporation." 

"The tool was developed by 52 representatives of GEMI companies and representatives from the 16 LWT Project Participant companies, and with the assistance of CH2M HILL. The GEMI LWT™, which is available for free at www.gemi.org/localwatertool, was also developed in cooperation with the World Business Council on Sustainable Development (WBCSD) to link to the WBCSD Global Water Tool (GWT), and with the International Petroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association (IPIECA) to link to the IPIECA GWT for Oil and Gas," said GEMI's Solution Tools Work Group Chair, Steve Shedroff, HSE Data Systems Leader, Procter & Gamble.

"On behalf of GEMI, I would like to thank the three co-chairs for their leadership, for their combined knowledge and insights, for the support from the GEMI member companies and LWT project participants, the collaborative support from WBCSD and IPIECA, and for the technical and development support of CH2M Hill to making the GEMI LWT™ and the GEMI LWT™ for Oil and Gas a success," concluded Dias.

The 2012 EBJ award was presented at a special ceremony at the Environmental Industry Summit XI in Coronado, CA on March 6-8, 2013. The Environmental Industry Summit is an annual three-day event hosted by EBI Inc. Founded in 1988, Environmental Business International Inc. (EBI, San Diego, Calif.) is a research, publishing and consulting company that specializes in defining emerging markets and generating strategic market intelligence for companies, investors and policymakers. EBI publishes Environmental Business Journal® and Climate Change Business Journal®.

GEMI members include: 3M; Abbott; Ashland Inc.; Biogen Idec; BNSF Railway Company; Carnival Corporation & plc; ConAgra Foods; ConocoPhillips; ENI; FedEx; Halliburton; Johnson Controls, Inc.; Koch Industries; Kraft Foods Group Inc.; Legrand; Merck & Company, Inc.; Occidental Petroleum Corporation; Perdue Farms Incorporated; Phillips 66; The Procter & Gamble Company; The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company; Sealed Air Corporation; Smithfield Foods, Inc.; Southern Company; and, Union Pacific Railroad.

For more information about GEMI, visit GEMI's web site at www.gemi.org.

Contact: Amy Goldman, (202) 296-7449

SOURCE Global Environmental Management Initiative