California boasts three climate leadership award winners

Three California organizations — the California Department of Water Resources in Sacramento, San Jose’s Cisco Systems and the Government Authorities for the Home Energy Renovation Opportunity (HERO) Program in San Diego — were among the 17 Climate Leadership Award winners.

The awards, which were presented at the 2016 Climate Leadership Conference in Seattle, are organized by the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Center for Corporate Climate Leadership, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions and the Climate Registry. They honor organizations across the country that are working to integrate climate resilience in their operations and working to manage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, both in their own work and throughout their supply chains.

“This year’s Climate Leadership Award winners are setting a high bar for organizations across the country,” EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “They are proving that climate action isn’t just the right thing to do; it’s also the profitable thing to do.”

The California Department of Water Resources won the Organizational Leadership Award for its work to protect the state’s water supply. The EPA recognized Cisco Systems for encouraging its suppliers to have sustainability programs, giving the company the Supply Chain Leadership Award. Finally, the Government Authorities for the HERO Program won the Innovative Partnerships Certificate for their work to promote home energy and water efficiency measures throughout the state.