Ferdinand wins Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence | Environment

The Town of Ferdinand was honored on Tuesday in Plainfield as a recipient the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence.  Ferdinand was one of only eight recipients of the award, and one of two to earn the distinction for its efforts in “Greening the Government”.

The Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence is meant to honor exemplary projects that demonstrate significant, measurable results.  The projects must be a front-runner in innovation and comprehensive in nature.  The award is sponsored by the Governor’s Office, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, the Lieutenant Governor’s Office of Energy Development, the Indiana Department of Administration, and the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

Ferdinand was honored in the “Greening the Government” category for its recent green initiatives that included, but are not limited to:  the implementation of a recycling program within Town-government offices and buildings; implementing a recycling program in both Town parks; applying for and receiving a grant from the Office of Energy Development to install LED street lighting in different areas of Town; applying for and receiving a grant to plant approximately 125 trees in the Town’s 18th Street Park; applying for and receiving a grant from IDEM to use a mixture of recycled tires and asphalt to resurface 1.1 miles of walking trails in the 18th Street Park; and the creation of the environmentally-friendly and educational Ferdinand Folk Festival.

The crown-jewel of the Town’s green initiatives is the 5th Street Park’s use of nonpottable water to irrigate its baseball, softball, soccer, and football fields.  Town officials say it not only saved the Town’s Park Board a significant amount of money this summer, it also allowed for them to maintain suitable and even lush grass fields during the tremendous drought of 2012.  The project has been up and running for approximately two summers now and was touted at the award ceremony for its innovation and creativity.

“This is honor isn’t only a credit to the Park Board, but to our employees, as well,” said Ferdinand’s Town Council President Ken Sicard.  “They are the ones that are implementing these policies and these programs—they take these ideas, expand on them, and then make them real.  This is a credit to every single employee we have, our Park Board, and all of our planning committees.  I thank them for buying into what we’re doing and making it a reality.”

The Governor’s Awards are open to all Indiana facilities, state and local units of government, individuals, and technical assistance organizations that operate or support environmental protection efforts of outstanding quality. Eligible technical assistance organizations include, but are not limited to: public entities, educational groups, trade associations, individuals, public interest, community and labor groups.

For additional information about the Governor’s Award for Environmental Excellence, please visit http://www.in.gov/idem/5147.htm.

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