Since 1999, SSMC with our partners, has recognized pioneers in sustainability. Awards have been given to 188 individuals and organizations that have applied their passions and skills to making our communities, county and world more sustainable. 2026 marks our 27th anniversary, and we are thrilled to recognize the 2026 awardees who have demonstrated how local action creates the ripples necessary for broad, lasting impact!

Our awardees will be recognized at our 27th Annual Sustainability Awards Celebration on March 25 at the South San Francisco Conference Center. Click here to learn more about the event.

Thank you to our Green Building Award sponsor, American Institute of Architects’ San Mateo County Chapter. We are also grateful to Peninsula Clean Energy who is a Champion Sponsor and will be giving special recognition to a local city that is leading the way toward clean energy with electrification.

Sustainability Awards: JobTrain, Peninsula Precious Plastics, Elaine Salinger

Youth Sustainability Award: Chiara Luey

Green Building Award: Global Security Operations Center at Genentech

Green Building Honorable Mention: Millbrae Recreation Center

Green Cities Award: City of Menlo Park

Read our press release

Sustainability Awards

JobTrain will receive a 2026 Sustainability Award for its transformative impact on the three Es (the Environment, Economic Vitality and Social Equity) in San Mateo County. Serving a 90% BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) population, JobTrain transforms lives and communities in San Mateo County by preparing those most in need for successful, sustainable careers in high-demand and emerging fields, including building electrification. In their 2024-2025 fiscal year, JobTrain served 5,500 individuals. Their accredited Career Training program enrolled 680 students, achieving an 87% completion rate and a $27.20 average starting wage for graduates. JobTrain’s six Economic Advancement Centers provided rapid employment services to 1,966 clients and assisted 580 job placements. By fostering an inclusive economy and preparing a workforce for a sustainable future, JobTrain’s 60-year legacy continues to ensure that every resident—regardless of background—has the freedom to succeed and the resources to build a stable, meaningful life. Watch JobTrain’s award video and read more about their impact.

Peninsula Precious Plastics (PPP) is being awarded a 2026 Sustainability Award for its exceptional leadership in environmental education and circular-economy innovation. Led by CEO Nicholas Schick, PPP has transformed from a student-led initiative into a premier regional STEAM hub. They have trained students from 12 Bay Area schools and major universities, including Stanford and UC Berkeley, in the use of open-source machinery to repurpose “unrecyclable” plastic. Their “maker space” provides partners free access to expensive equipment that repurposes items that can’t be recycled through municipal recycling programs into furniture, clipboards, sunglasses, art installations and more, preventing literally tons of plastic from entering landfills and ecosystems, and significantly reducing the carbon footprint associated with plastic production. Schick and his team empower the next generation to view plastic waste as a valuable resource, while supporting local businesses and nonprofits and diverting tons of waste into functional items. PPP is proving that hands-on learning and action are the key to localizing global environmental solutions. Watch PPP’s award video and read more about them!

SSMC is proud to award Elaine Salinger a 2026 Sustainability Award for her tireless work as San Mateo County Chapter Leader and Youth Mentor for Citizens’ Climate Lobby. By delivering 50+ annual school presentations and utilizing the En-ROADS climate simulator, Elaine transforms climate anxiety into political agency for thousands of students. She mentors the CCL Youth Group, leading them from local marches in San Mateo to the halls of Congress in Washington D.C., where they advocate directly to federal legislators. Her leadership has generated over 3,000 constituent contacts annually, influencing leaders like Senators Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, Representative Kevin Mullin and California Senator Josh Becker. By modeling a low-carbon lifestyle and scaling her youth-engagement model to chapters nationwide, Elaine is cultivating the next generation of climate champions and building long-term systemic change. Watch Elaine in action and read more about Elaine.

Youth Sustainability Award

Chiara Luey is receiving the 2026 Youth Sustainability Award for her exceptional leadership across local policy, clean energy innovation and global education. Through a county clean-energy agency’s youth program, Chiara co-led a countywide campaign to pass “Electric-First” resolutions across four high schools, mobilizing 9,000 students to cut an estimated 2 million kilograms of CO2 emissions annually. Her technical expertise helped Shields Mobility map 300+ statewide EV-charging sites, linking environmental goals to economic growth. Beyond policy, Chiara founded Energizing Youth, a global initiative reaching 500+ students with branches in Zambia and Brazil, making sustainability education accessible to under-resourced communities. Whether auditing school waste or researching hydrogen production, Chiara’s data-driven approach and community focus prove that youth leadership can spark permanent, systemic change in our regional and global climate landscape. Watch Chiara’s award video and read more about her work.

Green Building Award

The 2026 Green Building Award, cosponsored by Sustainable San Mateo County and the American Institute of Architects’ San Mateo County Chapter, will be presented to the Global Security Operations Center at Genentech.

The jury recognized the Global Security Operations Center as an exceptional example of how a mission-critical facility can advance climate leadership, resilience and human-centered design simultaneously. The project redefines the emergency operations building typology through its achievement of net-zero energy, deep whole-life carbon reduction and exemplary indoor environmental quality.

Judges highlighted the innovative use of mass timber for its substantial embodied carbon savings, construction efficiency and contribution to a warm, healthy interior environment. The team’s rigorous approach to materials transparency, low-carbon specifications, and zero-GWP (Global Warming Potential) mechanical systems—including a first-in-North-America CO₂-based heat pump—was viewed as best-in-class.

Despite operating 24/7, the building achieves outstanding energy performance through passive design strategies, a high-performance envelope and on-site renewable energy. Equally compelling is the project’s focus on occupant well-being, using daylight, views and biophilic materials to support psychological health. The jury praised the project as a holistic, sustainable benchmark for future low-carbon emergency and security facilities.

Owner: Genentech, South San Francisco. Architect: Perkins&Will, San Francisco. Builder: Swinerton, Santa Clara.

Watch GSOC’s video and learn more about this spectacular green building.

The jury awarded an Honorable Mention to the Millbrae Recreation Center for its successful integration of community-driven design and high-performance sustainability. Rebuilt after the loss of the original facility, the project serves as an inclusive, multi-generational civic hub shaped through extensive public engagement. Judges commended the all-electric, net-zero-energy building for achieving exceptional performance despite an expanded program. Early design decisions enabled full rooftop solar, allowing the facility to consistently generate more energy than it consumes and export excess power to the grid. The use of a cross-laminated timber hybrid structure, abundant daylighting and efficient systems positions the project as a practical, replicable model for zero-energy public facilities.

Owner: City of Millbrae. Architect: ELS Architecture + Urban Design, Berkeley. Builder: Blach Construction, San Jose.

Read more and see more pictures of this innovative development.

Green Cities Award

The 2026 Green Cities Award, sponsored by Peninsula Clean Energy, will be presented to the City of Menlo Park.

Menlo Park is recognized for its bold leadership in passing innovative 2025 building codes, the first in Northern California to tackle emissions from gas-burning appliances in existing buildings, not just new construction. “When state law changed the landscape, the City moved quickly to protect what we’d worked toward,” Menlo Park Sustainability Manager Rachael Londer said. “The code was written to be flexible in meeting residents where they are, while still driving us forward. Now we’re focused on making sure everyone has the access and support to electrify—including permit fee waivers and no-cost upgrades and rebates through the Home Upgrade Services program.”

Menlo Park is also leading by example through on-the-ground implementation, replacing gas appliances in the Belle Haven Child Development Center and other municipal facilities with clean electric appliances. Menlo Park has also developed services to help make electric appliances more affordable, including a program that builds on Peninsula Clean Energy’s Home Upgrade program to help additional Menlo Park residents install major electric appliances at no cost.

Read Peninsula Clean Energy’s Press Release to learn more about Menlo Park’s innovative actions.