Hollywood and World Leaders Honor Los Angeles Community College District at 2004 Green Cross Millennium Awards
Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles-based design, technology, and project and construction management firm DMJM, was honored at the 2004 Green Cross Millennium Awards as part of the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) “greening” project team. Presented by actor-activist Leonardo Di Caprio, the LACCD received the Millennium Award for California/Local Environmental Leadership during an awards ceremony on March 24, 2004 at the St. Regis Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. The evening’s luminaries included: honorees Mikhail S. Gorbachev, former Soviet president and founder of Green Cross International; Zac Goldsmith, editor of The Ecologist; T.V. and film producer Gale Anne Hurd; Clif Bar Inc. founder and owner Gary Erickson; as well as actors Charlize Theron (Academy Award for Monster) and Pierce Brosnan (the latest James Bond), both of whom presented awards. The Green Cross Millennium Awards embody the environmental spirit and vision of President Mikhail S. Gorbachev. Created in 1994, the Green Cross Millennium Awards celebrate the success and courage of extraordinary individuals, companies and organizations that recognize the connection between humankind and nature.
“It was very encouraging to receive this prestigious award from one of most influential leaders of our time, Mikhail Gorbachev,” said DMJM principal Bharat Patel, who leads the firm’s Sustainability team in the U.S. and oversees the LACCD project. “This recognition places the LACCD as a global leader in Sustainable Development and sets an example for others to follow.”
Los Angeles Community College District
Educating over 130,000 students at nine campuses annually, the LACCD is the largest U.S. Green Building Council Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) project in the United States, and the first to integrate LEED standards campus-wide. As program manager of the $1.245 billion modernization, DMJM Management (in joint venture), is developing sustainable design and green building requirements for the campus facilities. This is a first-of-a-kind undertaking.
On March 6, 2002, the LACCD Board unanimously accepted the recommendations prepared by DMJM. The importance of this decision is well-summarized by a quote in the Daily News: “In an action as nationally significant, the LACCD committed itself to use environmental sensitive materials and energy efficient technology as it makes a $1.25 billion improvements over the next six years...This really is a historic moment for the greening of colleges in the United States.”
Projects often generate interesting side stories. In this case, during the community forums held with students, faculty and neighbors, several students in attendance were also Greenpeace members. They alerted Greenpeace to the project, leading to the non-profit’s involvement and support of DMJM’s recommendations. It is important to note that Greenpeace support, particularly for large companies, is unusual and indicates the thoughtful, thorough and effective work that DMJM’s LACCD and Sustainability team has done and continues to do.
