Sustainable San Mateo County has honored 174 awardees since our Awards Program began in 1999.
Every year SSMC receives dozens of deserving nominations that remind us of the myriad of people working to make our region more sustainable. These winners truly represent the best of the best!
Previous Award Winners
2022: (click here to read more) RUTH PETERSON AWARD: Robert Whitehair • SUSTAINABILITY: Each Green Corner, Kalimah Salahuddin, Seamless Bay Area • GREEN BUILDING: Marshall Medical Offices on Kaiser Permanente’s Redwood City campus
2021: (click here to read more) RUTH PETERSON AWARD: Bryan Chen • SUSTAINABILITY: Rick Bonilla, The HEAL Project, Service by Medallion • GREEN BUILDING: William V. Campbell Academic and Arts Center on the Sacred Heart Schools campus, Atherton
2020: (click here to read more) RUTH PETERSON AWARD: Afsoon Shahrdar • SUSTAINABILITY: Campaign for Fossil Free Buildings in Silicon Valley (FFBSV), County Supervisor Dave Pine, County Office of Education’s Environmental Literacy and Sustainability Initiative • GREEN BUILDING: Genentech Child Care Center, Hillsdale Shopping Center North Block (Honorable Mention) • REACH CODE: Brisbane (Innovation), Menlo Park (Regional Impact), Pacifica (Fast Track), City of San Mateo (Trailblazer), County of San Mateo (Leadership)
2019: RUTH PETERSON AWARD: Bill Schulte, SSMC Chair Emeritus • SUSTAINABILITY: TransForm, Lime, Citizens Environmental Council of Burlingame (CEC) • GREEN BUILDING: Half Moon Bay Library
2018: RUTH PETERSON AWARD: California State Senator Jerry Hill • SUSTAINABILITY: Joe Fullerton, Peninsula Clean Energy, Proterra, Youth United for Community Action • GREEN BUILDING: Design Tech High School
2017: RUTH PETERSON AWARD: Beth Bhatnagar • SUSTAINABILITY: Pacifica Beach Coalition, San Mateo County Parks Department, SunWork Renewable Energy Projects • Honorable Mention: San Bruno Park School District • GREEN BUILDING: Gilead 309 Velocity
2016: RUTH PETERSON AWARD: David and Nancy Crabbe • SUSTAINABILITY: Julia Bott, San Mateo County Resource Conservation District, Kepler’s Books • GREEN BUILDING: Woodside Priory School Benedictine Classrooms, Half Moon Village
2015: RUTH PETERSON AWARD: Tom Rounds • SUSTAINABILITY: Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company, GreenCitizen, Inc., Puente de la Costa Sur • GREEN BUILDING: Nueva School at Bay Meadows • Honorable Mention: Johnston’s Salt Box, Kaiser Permanente Redwood City Replacement Hospital
2014: RUTH PETERSON AWARD: Ricki McGlashan • SUSTAINABILITY: Grand Boulevard Initiative, North Shoreview Montessori School, Reach and Teach • GREEN BUILDING: 5th Avenue Alternative School • Honorable Mention: 7555 Mission St, Daly City
2013: RUTH PETERSON AWARD: Rosalyn Koo • SUSTAINABILITY: Recology San Mateo County, Sonrisas Community Dental Center, Bruce Greenstein, RAFT (Resource Area for Teaching) • GREEN BUILDING: 636 El Camino, South San Francisco; Shoreway Environmental Center; Lower and Middle Schools Project, Sacred Heart Schools
2012: SUSTAINABILITY: Pie Ranch, St. Francis Center, Solar City, Alane O’Rielly Weber • GREEN BUILDING: TAH.MAH.LAH., Holland-Yates Residence • Honorable Mention: The Bill and Jean Lane Educational Center at Edgewood Park and Natural Preserve; Kaiser Permanente, San Mateo Medical Offices
2011: SUSTAINABILITY: Earthbeam Natural Foods, Lyngso Garden Materials, SSF Scavengers, Bridge Housing’s Trestle Glen Affordable Housing Development • GREEN BUILDING: CSM Health & Wellness Center, Peninsula Station, Shamrock Shack, 206 & 208 Miriam Street, Daly City
2010: SUSTAINABILITY: Goodwill Industries of SF, SM and Marin; La Honda/Pescadero Unified School District, Jason Bade, Housing Endowment and Regional Trust of SM County (HEART), SM County Board of Supervisors Shared Vision Process • GREEN BUILDING: Rubenstein Residence, Schena-Ricke Residence, Michael J. Homer Center
2009: SUSTAINABILITY: The Peninsula Traffic Congestion Relief Alliance, The City Of Redwood City’s Civic Engagement Efforts, Webcor Builders, Yerba Buena California Native Plant Nursery • Honorable Mention: Reece Computer Systems • GREEN BUILDING: Skillman Residence, Portola Valley Town Center • Honorable Mention: Reyering/Walker Residence, Joseph A. Fernekes Recreation Building
2008: SUSTAINABILITY: Harley Farms Goat Dairy, Care2.com, Inc., Community Gatepath, Catalino Tapia and Bay Area Gardeners Foundation • Honorable Mention: Solar Our Schools program at Hillsdale High School in partnership with Owens Electric & Solar • GREEN BUILDING: TAIJI House, Nueva School Hillside Learning Complex • Honorable Mention: Bier Residence, Villa Montgomery, San Mateo County Youth Services Center
2007: SUSTAINABILITY: Eleanor Williams-Curry, Rotary Floritas/San Mateo Rotary, Samaritan House, City of Millbrae’s Cogeneration/Grease Receiving Facility and Recycling/Waste Prevention Program • Honorable Mention: Hatch School’s HEAL Program, Laurel School’s Zero Waste Lunch Program • GREEN BUILDING: San Mateo Public Library • Honorable Mention: Edminster-Bohner Home Renovation
2006: SUSTAINABILITY: Applied Biosystems, Sue Lempert, Peninsula Conflict Resolution Center, Amy Wright • Honorable Mention: Elena and Arthur Court and Arthur Court Designs, Marine Science Institute • GREEN BUILDING: Sugen Laboratory • Honorable Mention: Green Sanctuary Straw Bale Yoga Studio
2005: SUSTAINABILITY: Cargill Salt, Inc., Salt Pond Restoration Project, Central Elementary School, Belmont; Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo, Inc.; Pietro Parravano; Surfrider Foundation San Mateo County • Honorable Mention: Elkus Youth Ranch • GREEN BUILDING: d’Souza/de la Torre Residence • Honorable Mention: Hogg Residence
2004: SUSTAINABILITY: City Trees (Redwood City), Genentech, OICW Project Build Brownfields Job Training Program, Michael Scanlon, Shelter Network • Honorable Mention: Child Care Coordinating Council, Jefferson Union High School District Environmental Education Program, Jefferson Elementary School District Environmental Committee • GREEN BUILDING: San Mateo County Sheriff’s Forensic Laboratory & Coroner’s Office • Honorable Mention: Alan & Catherine Palter Residence Remodel
2002-03: SUSTAINABILITY: The Bread Project; Emma’s Eco-Clean; JZ Cool Eatery and Catering Company; San Mateo County RecycleWorks • Honorable Mention: Lunardi’s Burlingame; Menlo Park Vacuum & Fix It; San Mateo Parks and Recreation Foundation • GREEN BUILDING: Leslie Shao-ming Sun Field Station at Jasper Ridge Biological Preserve; Strijland and Joustra Residence
2001: SUSTAINABILITY: Coyote Point Museum for Environmental Education; Friends of Edgewood Natural Preserve and Susan Sommers; Peninsula Habitat for Humanity; Evelyn Taylor, Educator; Mid-Peninsula Boys and Girls Club • Honorable Mention: Opportunities Industrialization Center West (OICW)
2000: SUSTAINABILITY: The Calera Creek Water Recycling Plant, Pacifica; City Center Plaza, Redwood City; Jim Johnson, Streamkeeper of San Francisquito Creek; Peninsula Open Space Trust and Audrey Rust; The Westin San Francisco Airport Hotel • Honorable Mention: Patrick Burt & Acteron Corporation
1999: SUSTAINABILITY: City of San Mateo’s North Central Goal Directed Action Team, Paul Gardner and Whole House Building Supply, New Start Furniture Fund; San Mateo County Office of Education’s Outdoor Education Program, David Schooley, “Mr. San Bruno Mountain” • Honorable Mention: BFI, Committee for Green Foothills, Human Investment Project