Four businesses, Steelcase Inc., Shaw Industries Group Inc., SimplexGrinnell and Play Mart Inc., have won U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Evergreen Awards.

The annual Evergreen Award Program was introduced in 1998 by GSA's Integrated Workplace Acquisition Center to recognize the efforts of partners who do business in an environmentally friendly way.

Twenty-five companies were considered for the 2010 Evergreen Award. The award was presented to one business in each of the following categories: furniture, furnishings and floor coverings, technologies and electronics, and sports and recreation.

"These companies have done an outstanding job of making environmentally friendly options available to our federal customers and are committed to helping us reduce waste and save taxpayer dollars," said GSA regional administrator David Ehrenwerth. "We are honored to partner with companies that help us to green the government's supply chain while creating a more sustainable environment and building a greener future."

Somerset, Ky.-based Play Mart Inc., a maker of recycled plastic commercial playground equipment, received the Evergreen Award in the Sports and Recreation category. A woman-owned small business providing jobs in rural Kentucky, Play Mart manufactures 100-percent recycled plastic playground equipment and site amenities, diverting millions of jugs and bottles from landfills annually. Almost all of the company's manufacturing waste and more than 75 percent of the company's operation waste is recycled. The company's Take Back program ensures that the company's products are re-used and recycled.

Dalton, Ga.-based Shaw Industries Group Inc., a full-service flooring company received the 2010 Evergreen Award under the furnishings and floor coverings category. Shaw has made industry-leading strides toward sustainability, including delivering the 1 billionth square foot of EcoWorx, a PVC-free carpet backing, and saving 150,000 barrels of oil by recycling 250 million pounds of carpet back into the company's Evergreen facility.

"The GSA's commitment to green building and LEED-certified facilities is radically changing the commercial building industry," said Paul Murray, Shaw's vice president of sustainability and environmental affairs. "As the federal government takes the lead, setting the procurement bar very high for sustainable products, Shaw is pleased to be considered a company that mirrors GSA's high standard."

SimplexGrinnell, a fire- and life-safety company based in Boca Raton, Fla., received the 2010 Evergreen Award in the technologies and electronics category. Steelcase Inc., a furniture manufacturer in Grand Rapids, Mich., received the award in the furniture category.

The Evergreen Award itself closes the recycling loop in that it is made from recycled glass, Ehrenwerth said. He said the award sets a high standard for other business partners to follow and is an example of how the federal government and businesses can work together.

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