Basalt's Micro-Hydroelectric Plant

Basalt, Colorado received the award for the Basalt Micro-Hydroelectric Plant. Basalt’s Green Team (community volunteers) began brainstorming ways to reduce the town’s carbon footprint in 2009, and in 2010 came up with a project that fit the town’s vision for a renewable energy source: a micro-hydroelectric plant on the hillside above the town. The project would take advantage of a resource already being used for town water--spring water--and give it another purpose: producing power. The town was creative with the funding for the project and found a partner that not only loaned them the money for the project but agreed to buy back the energy that was produced into its grid. Since going online, the plant has produced roughly 150,000 kilowatts annually--enough electricity to power 15-20 houses and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by about 250,000 pounds each year.  It has also brought the town more than $60,000 in revenue.

Solar Panels on home in Eco Village

Providing high-quality, sustainable housing for low income residents is a challenge facing many communities. The Eco Village in River Falls, Wisconsin, addresses this issue and is a demonstration project that Habitat for Humanity will eventually implement in other Wisconsin communities. Successfully providing affordable housing for low-income residents while empowering them to become self-sufficient and stewards of the local environment, it will be a model for community sustainability for years to come. 

Sorting line at landfill recycling facility

Onslow County, North Carolina, received the award for their Solid Waste Management Department’s Multi-Sector Collaboration for Alternative Revenue Stream Development and Long-Term Waste Disposal Capacity program. Recognizing that a growing population means a growing waste disposal problem, county leaders embarked on multi-sectoral collaboration to ensure long-term waste disposal capacity and alternative revenue stream development. Ten years ago, Onslow averaged nearly 7.5 pounds of solid waste per person per day. Now, this is reduced to 4.7 pounds per person per day (in line with the national average) after public education efforts, school recycling programs, and raising citizen awareness concerning waste stream infrastructure impacts and the role of green programs. In less than 10 years, Onslow County’s Solid Waste Department has been transformed from a county expense to a revenue producer.

More information is available on all of these award-receiving programs in the ICMA 2015 Awards Booklet. 

about the awards program

ICMA’s Local Government Excellence Awards (formerly known as ICMA Annual Awards) honor creative contributions to professional local government management and increase public awareness of the value of professional management to the quality of life in our communities. The Community Sustainability Awards are one of four program excellence categories awarded each year. Community Sustainability awards recognize innovative programs or processes that creatively balance a community’s social, economic, environmental and cultural needs.

Each year, ICMA confers awards in four program and five professional excellence categories. Nominations will be accepted through March 9 for the 2016 program, and awards will be conferred during ICMA’s 102nd annual conference in Kansas City, September 25-28, 2016. Direct questions to Felicia Littky, awards program manager at flittky@icma.org) or 202/962-3656.