WESTON in the News

WESTON Wins Two EBJ 2007 Business Achievement Awards

WESTON has been awarded two Environmental Business Journal (EBJ) “Business Achievement Awards” in the categories for Technology Merit: Sustainable Construction and Project Merit: Energy & Infrastructure. Our winning projects are highlighted below:

TECHNOLOGY MERIT: SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

Weston Solutions, Inc., for achieving a major milestone in 2007 by installing the one-millionth square foot of its GreenGrid^® modular green roof system. In 2001, the company installed its first GreenGrid^®green roof, a 10,000-square-foot installation on the headquarters building of ABC Supply, Inc. in Beloit, Wisconsin. The pace has been ramping up since then, with approximately 750,000 square feet installed nationwide during 2007. A typical GreenGrid^® green roof system can retain from 50% to 90% of the rainfall in a typical rain event, making it an effective stormwater management tool and reducing the strain on a city’s sewer system, and thus potentially reducing the amount of pollutants that enter watersheds. Temperatures on a GreenGrid^® green roof can be 40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than a similar roof with a traditional black rooftop, resulting in major reductions in energy consumption and costs, as well as reducing the urban “heat island” effect. Green roofs also significantly extend the longevity of a building’s water-proofing system. GreenGrid^® systems also provide the added benefits of lighter-weight, easier-to-install, movable modules, constructed from recycled plastic to increase the overall sustainability profile of the building.

PROJECT MERIT: ENERGY & INFRASTRUCTURE

Weston Solutions, Inc., for the completion of a $110-million design/build project for the Army Corps of Engineers’ Hurricane Protection Office to increase the capacity of critical pumping stations on the 17th Street and London Avenue canals in New Orleans. This fast-tracked project was completed in eight months, by the height of hurricane season. The temporary outfall canal pumps— an integral part of the New Orleans Storm Damage Reduction System— will move water into Lake Pontchartrain in the event a major storm surge requires closure of the canal flood gates. Weston aligned an integrated team of designers, suppliers, and construction subcontractors around a clearly defined project goal— to provide the citizens of New Orleans the needed operational capacity and protection from future storm events. The firm installed, started up, and commissioned 33 new pumping systems. Constant focus was on safety during this 24/7 project; over 460,000 hours of work were completed without a lost-time accident. The new systems can pump approximately 54,000 gallons per second of water from both canals, the equivalent of filling an Olympic-sized swimming pool in less than five seconds.

The 2007 EBJ Business Achievement Awards will be presented in a special ceremony and awards banquet at EBJ's Environmental Industry Summit in Coronado, near San Diego, California, on the evening of February 20, 2008. EBJ is also publishing the award winners in the Executive Review issue to be released the end of January.

For more about the awards and winners, visit the Web site: http://ebiusa.com/EBJAwards.html.