At BSU Earthweek activities COTE announced the receipients of its sixth annual awards program.  The awards fall into two main catagories:

COTE Exemplar Awards recognize individuals or groups with significant accomplishments promoting the sustainable use of natural resources or the protection of ecological systems.

Individuals who have a record of continual significant achivements are further recognized by the awarding of a "COTE Exemplar Lifetime Achievement Award".

COTE Green Initiative Awards recognize everyday activites, decisions or contributions that help to move Ball State University toward sustainability.  Their purpose is to reward discrete contributions rather than a history of multiple accomplishments.

Click here to download the awards ceremony brochure in PDF format:
2008-09 COTE Awards Ceremony Program

Exemplar Lifetime Achievement Award
Recipients have a record of continual significant accomplishments throughout their lifetime promoting the sustainable use of natural resources or the protection of ecological systems.

Thomas J. Kinghorn

Tom Kinghorn has had a substantial positive impact on campus environmental initiatives through campus planning, building design, budgeting, project funding and strategic planning in response to environmental challenges. More specifically, in his many years of service as Vice President for Business Affairs and Treasurer he has:

  • Provided the master-plan and funding-plan leadership on the recently-approved geothermal replacement of our coal-fired boilers –– which is expected to eliminate all coal burning on campus within 10 years, to cut by 50% our campus carbon footprint and to do so while accommodating projected campus building growth;
  • Managed operational budgets to lessen the impacts of energy price fluctuations;
  • Overseen building improvements that have reduced energy consumption; these have included selected replacement of windows and doors, increased insulation in roofs, and careful expenditure of R&R funds allocated by the state;
  • Supported energy management and smart building operation with the installation of individual building electrical use metering to facilitate measurement, analysis and control of building systems performance and education of user behavior;
  • Expanded campus wildlife habitat with native plantings by which wildlife are observed now in all areas of campus;
  • Instituted the McKinley/Riverside Pedestrian Safety Improvement Project which included design elements to control storm water runoff quantity and quality;
  • Required that structures to remove sediment and oils be included in the design for new site developments including the McKinley avenue project;
  • Improved the water quality in the duck ponds to the point that wildlife is now thriving –– including over 200 Channel Catfish stocked for research purposes;
  • Installed native plantings around the duck ponds with aeration elements included to improve water quality;
  • Supported the COTE Resolution for LEED Silver Certification of campus buildings – required for all new buildings and encouraged for major renovations;
  • Enacted the COTE Resolution to acquire Hybrid Electric vehicles for the Rental Fleet which have been made available now for 8 years;
  • Introduced the use of B20 bio-fuels in the service fleet vehicles and acquired E85 ethanol blend gasoline vehicles which now comprise over half of the Rental Flee;
  • Secured Hybrid Electric Shuttle Buses with low particulate emissions and noise, and regenerative braking for storage of braking energy in on-board batteries;
  • Approved a Campus Bicycle Transportation Plan – with locking racks near entrances to buildings which have resulted in continuously increasing bicycle use by students, faculty and staff;
  • Converted the campus from a vehicle-centric to a pedestrian-centric emphasis by implementing a Campus Transportation Plan to move parking to the perimeters of campus and utilize a human-scaled mass-transport shuttle bus system;
  • Supported a Campus Reforestation Plan which has resulted in over 10,000 new trees being planted and significant trees on campus development sites being preserved – both of which diffuse heat island effect and provide wildlife habitat;
  • Implemented campus-wide recycling by which the amount of material diversion from landfills continues to grow as systems and promotions are improved.

Exemplar Award
Recipients have a record of significant accomplishments promoting the sustainable use of natural resources or the protection of ecological systems.

Cassie Banning
For her continuing efforts as the Horticulture Manager for Minnetrista Cultural Center and her work with the Urban Forestry Board, the Annual Living Lightly Fair, and the Green Roof Research project at Minnetrista Cultural Center.

Muncie Sanitation District
For the continuing work with the White River Water Shed Project, the White River Cleanup Program, the Rain Barrel Program and the Community Blue Bag Program.

Green Initiative Award
Recipients have made discrete contributions to help move Ball State University toward sustainability.

Freshmen Connections Program
For incorporating Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert and her subsequent campus visit to engage the freshmen class in the challenges of climate change. The subsequent use of the reader in course assignments presented a unique opportunity to educate incoming students about many emerging national developments and the green-campus history of Ball State University.

Students for a Sustainable Campus
For hosting a day-long Focus the Nation campus gathering as part of a national network of Focus the Nation events. Faculty and community presenters interacted with attending students in discussion of their respective roles in the social, economic and environmental transformations emerging throughout the world as a response to climate change.