Pawlenty Honors Arboretum for Pollution Prevention

St. Paul, Minn. (April 2009) - The 2009 Governor’s Awards for Excellence in Waste and Pollution Prevention were presented recently to 18 organizations. Carver County and project partners the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum,  RW Farms and Waste Management  were selected for the honor for their innovative approach to collecting and composting organics at a composting site on the Arboretum grounds. 

“These organizations have found innovative and resourceful ways to reduce waste and pollution, often increasing efficiency and lowering costs at the same time,” Gov. Tim Pawlenty said.

“We are very proud to play a leadership role in this state-of-the-art composting program,” said Mary Meyer, interim director of the Arboretum.

The Arboretum and Carver County also are recipients of a 2008-09 Local Government Innovations Award from the Public and Nonprofit Leadership Center at the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota. The award again honored the residential organics and yard waste composting program at the Arboretum.

Other recent awards:  The Society of the American Institute of Architects presented an honor award to SALA Architects Inc. for their installation “PINE/Cone” at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.  “PINE/Cone” was part of the Treeology art walk in 2008 and remains a permanent exhibit at the Arboretum.

The Minnesota Nursery & Landscape Association presented a 2009 Grand Honor award to Jim Hagstrom and Savanna Designs for their design of the Capen Prairie Garden landscaping at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.

The Minnesota Landscape Arboretum, the largest public garden in the Upper Midwest and a premier northern arboretum, is part of the University of Minnesota College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences.

 It is a community and national resource for horticultural and environmental information, research, and public education, located 9  miles west of I-494 on Highway 5 in Chanhassen. The University of Minnesota is an equal opportunity employer and educator.  Arboretum is disability accessible; the building s& terraces are smoke free.

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Media contact: Barb DeGroot, 952-443-1459