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Washington, DC - Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser, alongside the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE), recently honored Goodwill of Greater Washington (Goodwill) and four other organizations as winners of the 2023 District Sustainability Awards for their outstanding environmental leadership. The winners were announced by Richard Jackson, Interim Director of the Department of Energy & Environment, marking the 14th annual commemoration of the event.
The awardees support Mayor Bowser’s Sustainable DC plan in the areas of healthy food access, clean energy, stormwater retention, green building construction and management, environmental education, and sustainable waste management. The judges consider not only the creativity and sustainability of the awardees’ practices but also how their efforts reduce inequity in the District.
“Sustainability is about balancing the environmental, economic, and social needs of the District of Columbia today as well as the needs of the next generation, and the one after that.” said Mayor Bowser. “These leaders in sustainability are the perfect examples of what that balance looks like at the community level. With their continued commitment they have made Washington, DC a leader in preparing for a greener and more resilient future. We thank them for their invaluable contributions and congratulate all our awardees.”
This is the second time in the past three years that Goodwill of Greater Washington has been recognized as a District Sustainability Award Winner. In 2021, Goodwill won the People’s Choice Award for its sustainability efforts.
Goodwill of Greater Washington transforms lives and communities through the power of education and employment by providing free job training, education, and employment services to people with disabilities and disadvantages. Goodwill practices economic sustainability by providing free job training and education opportunities to thousands of people in need in the community. Additionally, hundreds of students have graduated from the Goodwill Excel Center adult charter high school, a tuition-free school that offers DC residents the opportunity to earn a high school diploma. In 2022, Goodwill kept 49 million pounds of material out of area landfills through the collection and resale of donated goods at its regional retail locations and began recycling plastic material through a partnership with Trex. In just the past 12 months Goodwill has collected 6.7 million plastic bags which equates to 67,231 lbs. of soft plastics that Trex is transforming into composite decking.
On behalf of the entire Goodwill of Greater Washington team, we are honored to receive the District Sustainability Award because that’s what we do”, said Catherine Meloy, President & CEO of Goodwill of Greater Washington. “We are an organization that transforms lives and communities through the power of our sustainability operations, and we are grateful for this recognition.
The District Sustainability Awards highlight businesses, individuals, and organizations that are working towards a more sustainable DC. Awardees’ projects and programs support the Mayor’s Sustainable DC Plan, which aims to make the District the nation’s greenest, healthiest, most sustainable city; it encompasses equity, governance, education, built environment, climate, economy, energy, food, nature, transportation, waste, and water.
Other 2023 District Sustainability Award Winners are:
- Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy
- Farmers Restaurant Group
- Sycamore & Oak
- Metlife Investment Management