U.S. Green Building Council - Illinois Chapter Announces Natural Leaders Award Winners at their Emerald Gala, Saturday, May 22nd, 6:00 p.m.

CHICAGO, May 19 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Green Building Council – Illinois Chapter announced the 2010 Natural Leaders Award winners, with a formal ceremony to recognize the recipients to be held at the Chapter's 5^th Annual Emerald Gala. The Awards celebrate individuals and organizations that are contributing to the region's sustainability and that help support the USGBC – Illinois Chapter's mission to lead the regional transformation of the built environment to become ecologically sustainable, profitable, and healthy through education, advocacy, and collaboration. Awards are given in four categories: Intent to Matter, Re-Generation, SMALL feet/large FEAT and Environmotion.

Helen J. Kessler, FAIA, LEED AP received the Intent to Matter award, which recognizes an individual or organization that is deliberate in embedding sustainability into building design, construction, or operation. With over three decades serving the green building movement, Ms. Kessler has shared her knowledge of sustainably built environments as a well-respected professional and educator. Her resume boasts a long list of LEED certified projects, but she truly shines as a teacher and mentor. As the pioneer for the Illinois Chapter's educational Nuts and Bolts for Contractors educational series, a sought-after guest lecturer at prestigious universities and highly in-demand consultant, Helen Kessler is making the built environment a better place.  She once made a promise to the world: "to create a world where all living beings have the resources to sustain healthy, productive and abundant lives." Helen Kessler is in fact, doing just that.

The Office of Illinois Governor Pat Quinn received the Re-Generation award, which recognizes an individual or organization in the field of environmental education. Article XI of the Illinois Constitution guarantees each person in Illinois the right to a healthful environment and through an Executive Order in 2000, the Green Governments Coordinating Council (GGCC) was born to ensure that right. Chaired by the Lt. Governor, comprised of members from 14 other state agencies, the GGCC has successfully developed and implemented specific projects, programs, and policies across a variety of target areas: green procurement, recycling and waste management, energy efficiency, climate mitigation, green buildings, sustainable transportation, green information technology, sustainable universities and colleges, and sustainable K-12 schools. The Illinois Governor's Office has gone above and beyond the governmental function to serve the people, to improve residents' quality of life, and to help maintain vibrant, productive communities.

Making a strong commitment to reduce its carbon footprint, McDonald's Corporation was honored with the SMALL feet/large FEAT award that recognizes an organization that made strides to reduce its impact on the environment.  In addition to its efforts at the supply chain and restaurant level, McDonald's has recently intensified its focus on sustainability in the workplace.  In 2009, McDonald's achieved LEED Platinum certification for their twenty year old global headquarters building (Campus Office Building) in Oak Brook, IL.  According to Donna Para, Sr. Director McDonald's Workplace Solutions team, active employee and supplier engagement were crucial to this effort, and also helped McDonald's achieve impressive results in a number of areas including waste management and recycling, building maintenance, energy consumption, and green workplace procurement.  In 2009, close to 65% of all Campus Office Building (COB) waste was diverted from the landfill.  With the help of Jones Lang LaSalle's building operations team McDonald's also achieved an eight % reduction in electrical consumption during that same time period at COB, also reducing overall building operating costs.  With operations in 118 countries, McDonald's recognizes that small steps towards sustainability can have a big impact.

The Environmotion award, which recognizes an individual or organization that notably advances an idea that improves or restores the environment, discovers and imitates a process inherent in nature, or averts a negative impact on nature, was awarded to HOK. Building on two decades of sustainable design experience, the 1,800-person firm partnered with Biomimicry Guild, an innovative company that uses biological adaptations to solve design and engineering challenges sustainably. With the help of the Biomimicry Guild and Colin Rohlfing, HOK's Sustainable Design Leader, HOK is working on several projects throughout the country and the world that work with and are inspired by nature. "I believe that we can solve all of our problems through hard work and innovation. The sustainable movement is seeking to solve quite a large problem that will require large amounts of both," said Rohlfing.

The Chicago Chapter will recognize the 2010 Natural Leaders Award recipients at their Fifth Emerald Gala on May 22, 2010 at Soldier Field in Chicago.

The US Green Building Council – Illinois Chapter is hosting the fifth Emerald Gala at Soldier Field's United Club in Chicago on May 22, 2010. With more than 1,500 members and the best and "greenest" in the building community attending, the Emerald Gala is the preeminent celebration of Illinois' sustainable building movement. This event attracts over 500 individuals in the green building community to celebrate the sustainable building and living movement and support of the Illinois Chapter's mission to lead the regional transformation of the built environment to ecologically sustainable, profitable, healthy places through education, advocacy, and collaboration.  Tickets are on-sale through the USGBC – Illinois Chapter's website, www.usgbc-illinois.org or contact the Illinois Chapter office at 312-245-8300.

About the U.S. Green Building Council - Illinois Chapter

Formerly the Chicago Chapter, the USGBC - Illinois Chapter was renamed in April 2010  to better reflect the Chapter's work throughout the state. The U.S. Green Building Council – Illinois Chapter's over 1,500 members represent the entire spectrum of Illinois' green building community, from real estate professionals, architects, engineers, designers and trade associations to contractors, product manufacturers, state and local government officials, homebuilders and homeowners. The U.S. Green Building Council – Illinois Chapter is the local affiliate of the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), a national non-profit composed of leaders from every sector of the building industry working to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. USGBC's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED provides a roadmap for measuring and documenting success for every building type and phase of a building lifecycle. The Illinois Chapter furthers the work of USGBC through over 150 annual programs, events, education and research initiatives, advocacy campaigns, and resources throughout its network of seven local branches: Chicago, Central Illinois, Fox Valley, North/Northwest Suburban, Rockford/Northern Illinois, South Suburban, and West Suburban.

About USGBC & LEED

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is the nation's leading coalition of corporations, builders, universities, federal and local agencies, and nonprofit organizations working together to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. The USGBC's LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System is a voluntary third-party rating system where building projects earn credits for satisfying specified green building criteria. Projects are evaluated within five environmental categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, and Indoor Environmental Quality. Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of green building certification are awarded based on the total credits earned. The LEED standard has been adopted nationwide by Federal agencies, state and local governments, and interested private companies as the industry standard of measurement for green building. For more information visit: www.usgbc.org.

SOURCE U.S. Green Building Council - Illinois Chapter