It appears that green initiatives in the printing industry are taking hold; sustainability is no longer for the elite, it's going mainstream. Printers are now being recognized as environmentally responsible businesses! The State of Colorado has presented a group of Colorado printers with gold, silver, and bronze level awards for environmental leadership. The Colorado Environmental Leadership Awards recognized nine members of the Printing and Imaging Association Mountain States (PIAMS) for their green initiatives and presented the prestigeous "Gold Leader" award to Unique Litho of Englewood CO.

(Left to right: Bill Klopfenstein, Renee Eichens, and  Jay Hartway of Unique Litho with Lynette Myers of the Colorado Environmental Leadership Awards Program)

Created in 1998, the Colorado Environmental Leadership program encourages environmental responsibility in businesses, municipalities, and organizations across the state. Annually awards are given to businesses and organizations that are committed to environmental stewardship and the creation of healthy, livable communities. PIAMS members who won awards are: Gold Leader: Unique Litho Silver Partners: BC Printing, eagle:xm, Egan Printing Company, Henry Wurst Incorporated, Johnson Printing, Leanin’ Tree, and Metech Recycling (formerly GRX) Bronze Achiever: Sprint Denver

(Representatives from BC Printing, eagle:xm, Egan Printing Company, Henry Wurst Incorporated, Leanin’ Tree and Unique Litho with Lynette Myers. Missing from photo: Johnson Printing, Metech, and Sprint Denver.)

The honorees are all PIAMS Green Members, and you can find out more about the criteria for being a Green Member on the PIAMS website. Also available from PIAMS is a detailed "self-certification" form from the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. Excellent questionnaire whether you live in Colorado or not!