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The results from the survey and 2008 Contest demonstrated that nonprofits of all sizes and missions are doing their part to protect and conserve our environmental resources. The Judges had a challenging time choosing the winners from so many worthy applicants. Special thanks to the Quantum Foundation and the Environmental Endowment Fund of the Community Foundation for matching our original commitment of $2,000 in unrestricted grant award dollars to increase the total dollars awarded to $6,000. Total prizes were valued at over $8,000! The 2008 winners included:
The category: A $2,000 unrestricted grant was award to an organization with an annual budget of $500,000 or less for greatest increase in energy savings accomplished through the most cost-efficient means.
2008 winner: Through redesign and retrofitting of its building to use passive solar and wind technologies and other conservation measures, Klein Dance reduced the electric bill by 50% and reduced water usage by 70%.
The Category: A $1,500 unrestricted grant award to an organization with a budget of $500,000 or greater for systemically integrating green practices into every day business operations.
2008 Winner: Not only has Legal Aid made a strategic and concerted effort to incorporate green practices into its daily operations, the organization also serves as an advocate and educator seeking to encourage law firms to make their offices and operations greener.
The Category: A $1,000 unrestricted grant award to an organization that has demonstrated innovative methods for reducing, reusing and recycling.
2008 Winner: The organization recycles material such as sheep shearings and animal manure and has also created a market to sell its gourmet fertilizers to other users. The Good Earth Farm also uses shredded pine shavings for its horses used from trees that fell during the recent hurricanes.
The Category: Two $750 unrestricted grant awards awarded to organizations that the Judges' feel deserve recognition for their dedication and commitment to going green.
2008 winners:
Paint Your Heart Out — Based on its efforts to incorporate conservation and recycling in its day to day practices and for encourage the population it serves to do the same.
The Treasure Coast Children’s Museum — The commitment to green practices that this relatively new organization evinced, and the example it will provide to the children that will visit by developing plans to build a LEED certified building to house the new museum.
The following runners up received a scholarship to the Grantmanship Center training program:
Chocolate Chip Animal Rescue Foundation, Inc. dba The Good Earth Farm — For combining economic savings through energy and water conservation along with those realized from selling recycled farm waste.
Neighborhood Renaissance — While full LEED certification is time consuming and expensive, this nonprofit affordable housing developer, is committed to pursuing LEED certification for its housing construction efforts.
The following runners up will receive a scholarship to attend “The Nuts and Bolts of Going Green” workshop:
The Milagro Center and Habitat for Humanity of South Palm Beach County — Both of these organizations have benefited economically through energy and water conservation and recycling and have made it part of their mission to educate their communities about the importance of these issues also.
Family Tree Ministries — For implementing green practices into daily business operations and conducting outreach to families that includes the importance of conserving resources.
Resource Depot and Paint Your Heart Out — Both of these organizations were noted because they made recycling a major part of their mission and used recycled materials in creative and artistic ways.
The Arthur Marshall Foundation — For planting over 88,000 trees in Palm Beach County, an effort that has real potential for reducing the carbon footprint of the county’s urbanized areas.
The ARC of Martin County and The ARC of the Glades — For reducing, reusing, recycling and conserving to stretch their modest budgets and for making their constituents and the community at large aware of the importance of these issues. | 
