“Having Environmental Leader choose our facility as one of the Top Projects in the country really puts us in impressive company,” says Aries CEO Greg Bafalis. “The list of current and former winners reads like a who’s who of American industry, and we are very proud our patented technology and design work has been included.” Other 2017 winners of Top Project awards include such companies as General Motors, 3M, Lockheed-Martin, and Ingersoll Rand.
The Environmental Leader Product & Project Awards recognize excellence in products and services that provide companies with energy and environmental benefits, or in corporate projects that improved environmental, sustainability or energy management and increased the bottom line. It is a five-point rating system designed to offer companies feedback and recognition. Third-party judges came from national and international companies including: AT&T, Kellogg, LNS Research, Marriott, Panasonic, Safeway, Sears Holdings Corp., Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., and Tyco Global Products.
Judges considered the clean-tech waste-to-energy plant located in Lebanon, Tennessee, an exemplary project. “This is such a great example of sustainability and could be a wonderful model for the rest of the world,” one judge said of the public/private gasification project. “They are using systems thinking to reduce waste, produce renewable energy, capture heat that normally would be wasted, and are also producing biochar which has great agricultural benefits.”
Another judge adds, “A great example of how to increase government's productivity while also reducing their environmental impact.”
Last month, Aries Clean Energy's biomass gasification plant was recognized as the driving force behind the city of Lebanon's receipt of a 2017 Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award, the most prestigious conservation award in Tennessee. Now in its 31st year, the awards annually showcase exceptional voluntary actions that improve or protect the environment.
Aries Clean Energy deployed its patented gasification technology in design and construction of the plant that was commissioned in late 2016. It is the world’s largest downdraft gasification facility, and it utilizes a blend of wood waste from local industries, scrap tires from Wilson County and biosolids from the city’s wastewater treatment plant to produce green electricity.
Since 2006, Environmental Leader's website and daily email newsletter have provided the definitive and objective voice in reporting on business-related energy, environmental, and sustainability issues, while Energy Manager Today is the leading daily trade publication keeping corporate executives informed about energy management news. For a complete list of 2017 winners, visit www.environmentalleader.com/environmental-leader-product-project-awards-2017/