Nov. 17, 2006 — U.S. Steel’s Gary Works was among a select group of companies honored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 5 and Chicago Wilderness as part of their annual Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards.

The Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards recognize outstanding efforts by park districts, local governments and corporations to use native plants and implement conservation measures. Eleven winners announced during the ceremony were:

• Beecher School District (Beecher, Ill.)
• Chicago Park District, Canal Origins Park (Chicago)
• Eco-Smart Building, the Sullivan Residence (Chicago)
• Inverness Park District, Wetlands Demonstration Garden at South Park (Inverness, Ill.)
• Meadows of Birch Lake Homeowners Association (Lincolnshire, Ill.)
• Pizzo & Associates Corporate Campus (Leland, Ill.)
• Riverbank Neighbors (North Branch of the Chicago River, Chicago)
• South Milwaukee School District, (South Milwaukee, Wis.)
• Tellabs Corporate Campus (Naperville, Ill.)
• Village of Lincolnshire, North Park (Lincolnshire, Ill.)
• Wildwood Nature Center (Park Ridge, Ill.)

In addition to U.S. Steel’s Gary Works, five other projects were recognized with Certificates of Merit as part of the 2006 Conservation and Native Landscaping Awards program. They are:

• BP Campus (Naperville, Ill.)
• Dow Chemical Facility (Joliet, Ill.)
• Flint Hills Resources, LP (Joliet, Ill.)
• The Sanctuary of Lake Bluff (Lake Bluff, Ill.)
• Town Square Condominium Association (Schaumburg, Ill.)

"Native plants provide a beautiful, hardy, low-maintenance landscape while benefiting the environment," said Danielle Green, EPA's native landscaping coordinator. "Once established, native plants save time and money by eliminating or reducing the need for fertilizers, pesticides, water and lawn maintenance equipment. Natural landscaping also creates habitat for birds, butterflies and other wildlife."

The award ceremonies were held during the Chicago Wilderness Congress at Northwestern University.

Chicago Wilderness is a consortium of more than 190 public and private organizations that work together to protect, restore, study and manage the natural ecosystems of the Chicago region. The Chicago Wilderness region is the crescent of land extending from southeastern Wisconsin through northeastern Illinois into northwest Indiana.