Skip to Content Accessibility Information

Maryland Department of the Environment

Maryland Green Registry Sustainability Leadership Awards Features Climate Trailblazers

Members Save $83 Million Through Green Practices in 15th Year of Program

BALTIMORE (June 21, 2024) – Maryland Department of the Environment Secretary Serena McIlwain last night presented awards to Maryland Green Registry members that are making Maryland greener and helping the state meet its climate goals. 

Now in its 15th year, the Maryland Green Registry Sustainability Leadership Awards is the only statewide award program recognizing the successes achieved by Maryland businesses and organizations on their path to sustainability. More than 600 businesses have joined the network and made the commitment to go green. The awards were announced at the One Montgomery Green Gala in Wheaton.

“We are honoring outstanding leaders in environmental sustainability who are showing that going green and being profitable go hand in hand,” said Secretary of the Environment Serena McIlwain. “These businesses are advancing solutions to some of the top environmental priorities of the Moore-Miller Administration: Fighting climate change, improving the health of our waterways, and building a green economy that supports healthier communities.”

This year’s award winners are: 

  • Backyard Bounty has installed hundreds of rain gardens and conservation landscapes, preventing more than 22 million gallons of stormwater from flowing in the Potomac River each year. The landscaping company also migrated all maintenance equipment from gas to battery-powered and uses electric vehicles for staff travel.
  • Blink Charging manufactures electric vehicle charging equipment in its energy efficient LEED Gold certified production facility in Bowie. In 2023, its deployment of more than 89,000 charging stations helped reduce 5.8 million gallons of gasoline usage and the associated harmful air emissions produced by burning fossil fuels.
  • ORLO is upgrading energy efficiency and advancing decarbonization at affordable housing communities by converting the HVAC system from gas to electric at an apartment building in Takoma Park, installing solar systems and electric vehicle chargers, and establishing a Resilience Hub to provide solar power during outages. The changes are reducing more than 2,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually and saving money through reduced energy and maintenance expenses. 
  • Pompeian, Inc. has achieved carbon footprint certification by the Carbon Trust of its extra virgin olive oil and is continuing to make further reductions as part of the company’s goal to achieve Net Zero climate emissions by 2030. It has also achieved significant waste reduction and increased composting as part of its drive toward Zero Waste Certification by 2025. 
  • Saft America, Inc. produces long-lasting, energy-efficient batteries for a variety of commercial applications and has reduced the carbon emissions in its battery production by 21% over the last year. It  continues to pursue energy upgrades to heating, cooling, and lighting and is dedicated to advancing research to provide industry with energy efficient battery solutions.
  • Volvo Group Trucks, which was named to the Maryland Green Registry Leadership Circle for its outstanding commitment to continual improvement, achieved the Platinum level for the Superior Energy Performance standard for the fourth consecutive time, with a total energy reduction of 62.2%. They are continuing to work toward their goal of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2040, and they switched their operations to renewable diesel derived from vegetable oil from waste oils, such as used cooking oil. The Hagerstown plant is also developing and testing battery-electric and hydrogen-based fuel cell solutions for Volvo trucks and coach buses and producing key components for Volvo’s new zero-emission battery-electric trucks.

View photos of the Maryland Green Registry awards on Flickr.