Environmental Achievement Recognition Award

Call for Entries

Is your business or organization a sustainability leader? The city of Scottsdale wants to honor your exemplary achievements.

The Environmental Quality Advisory Board is accepting nominations for its next Environmental Achievement Recognition Award. The award honors environmental excellence in areas such as green building, resource conservation and waste reduction. Eligible candidates include businesses, associations and organizations located in Scottsdale. Learn more about the award program and nominate a worthy candidate.

Past Award Recipient - Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Gainey Ranch

The Board's inaugural award recognized Hyatt Regency Scottsdale for the resort's many and diverse accomplishments that were "designed, engineered, cost analyzed and then approved by business executives because the return on investment made sense." The Hyatt was originally designed and constructed in the late 1980's. It was not until 2009 that a concerted effort was made towards energy efficiency and other green improvements starting with the installation of  a cool roof and solar thermal (hot water) system. The cool roof showed immediate results by reducing interior temperatures by 8-10 degrees, while the solar thermal panels supplied 100 percent of the domestic hot water used in the resort, providing for significant energy savings.

The green transformation continued with renovation of the guest rooms and other interior spaces, including installation of LED lighting, thermostats linked to occupancy/vacancy sensors, high efficiency plumbing fixtures, and textiles made with recycled materials. Seventy percent of the removed fixtures, textiles and building materials were recycled or donated to local organizations for reuse. Recycling containers were strategically placed throughout the resort, including every guest room.

The resort's Canyon Market began selling refillable beverage containers in lieu of plastic bottled water and water stations were installed  throughout the property. 28,000 square feet of turf grass was replaced with artificial turf resulting in 3.8 million gallons of water saved annually. The turf conversion also  increased the marketability of these areas as event spaces, thereby increasing revenue opportunities. The parking area was retrofitted with LED lighting and equipped with free electrical vehicle charging stations for guests and associates.

As a result of these and other improvements over a seven-year period, the Hyatt team reduced consumption of electricity by 20 percent, natural gas by 30 percent and water by 25 percent; and increased recycling by 15 percent.

Congratulations again to the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort at Gainey Ranch!

Contact: Anthony Floyd, green building program manager, city of Scottsdale, afloyd@ScottsdaleAZ.gov, 480-312-4202.