(Source: Business Wire)Seattle Business magazine honored 20 Washington companies at the second annual Green Washington Awards held September 23, 2009, at Bell Harbor International Conference Center in Seattle. "The deep commitment the people of Washington have to their natural surroundings gives the state a unique opportunity to develop a new model for sustainable growth," said keynote speaker Jay Manning, Director of the Washington State Department of Ecology.

The winners in each category: Academic & Health Care: Seattle Community Colleges, runners-up: Seattle Children's Hospital and Washington State University West; Building: McKinstry; runner-up: GGLO; Nonprofit: Climate Solutions; runner-up; Greater Spokane Inc. Natural Resources: Healing Hooves, runner-up: Booshoot Gardens; Manufacturing: Kenworth Truck Co., runner-up: Spencer; Retail: PCC Markets, runner-up: Pagliacci Pizza; Services: Gordon Trucking, runner-up: Hotel Monaco; Technology: Talyst, runner-up: Optimum Energy; Utilities: Puget Sound Energy, runner-up: Snohomish Public Utility District; and Special Mention: Woodland Park Zoo.

The 147 entries represented nearly every industry sector, including private companies, nonprofits and government agencies, large, small and midsize organizations, from Puget Sound Energy, with over one million customers, to Healing Hooves, a company with two employees that uses goats to contain vegetation. A full list of the winners of the 2009 Green Washington Award winner will be printed in the October issue of Seattle Business and on seattlebusinessmag.com. Photos from the events are available at teamphotogenic.com/12191.

"What impressed me was how much tougher the competition is each year to be recognized as a green leader," said Leslie Helm, editor of Seattle Business. "It's no longer enough to have a great vanpool or recycling program. The judges want to see evidence that those efforts are part of a comprehensive program that touches every aspect of the organization. They wanted to see ˜cutting edge environmental features integrated into cost-effective goods and services.'"

The sold-out event attracted over 275 business, nonprofit and government leaders from across the state. Prior to the awards dinner 60 company executives attended an executive roundtable to discuss "Accelerating the Adoption of Green," which was moderated by Marc Daudon, principal and co-founder of Cascadia Consulting Group. Mary Armstrong of Boeing, Ernesta Ballard of Weyerhaeuser and Steve Lippman of Microsoft served as panelists.

A panel of judges chose the winning companies.