March 2009

SOMO wins top award from Arnie

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger announced that SOMO (Sonoma Mountain Village) has won the 2008 Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award (GEELA) for its plans as the first One Planet Community in North America.

GEELA is the California's highest and most prestigious environmental honour. The award program recognises individuals, organizations and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional leadership for voluntary achievements in conserving California's resources, protecting and enhancing the environment, and building public-private partnerships.

SOMO won the sole award for Comprehensive Land Use Planning and is one of only 21 other recipients.

"I'm proud to honor this year's award recipients for their sustained commitment, innovative solutions and strategic investment to protect our environment and boost our economy," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "Tonight's honorees have shown extraordinary leadership in modeling environmental stewardship with longterm goals in mind. California's long history of environmental leadership is due in large part to the companies and organizations that demonstrate a strong commitment to preserving our natural resources."

"We just returned from the Governors' Global Climate Summit where international leaders discussed what can be done in various sectors, so I'm pleased that we have so many people on a local level in a variety of fields showcasing their sustainable initiatives. These are true leaders in today's world of balancing our most precious resources and our growing economy," said Linda Adams, Secretary for Environmental Protection.

Codding Enterprises, the developer of SOMO, plans the mixed-use development to be restorative to both nature and cities. SOMO is its flagship community and is planned as a replicable community in support of restorative redevelopment.

For more information on GEELA and this year's award recipients, visit the Cal/EPA Web site.