Get Green with the OC Innovations Awards

Laguna Beach resident Charles Michael Murray is among a panel of Orange County’s brightest “green” minds brought together by Toshiba to judge its second-annual Toshiba Green Innovations Awards on Oct. 1, 2008.

The deadline date for entry has now been extended until Sept. 19, 2008. Winners will be announced in conjunction with the https://ocinnovation2008.com/” href=”https://ocinnovation2008.com/”>Innovation and Globalization in Green conference on Oct. 1, 2008.

The annual contest awards prizes for the best “green” products, services, technologies, processes, programs or activities from Orange County, Calif., businesses, educators, institutions and organizations. Judges will decide which submissions for the Toshiba Green Innovation Award will become finalists by ranking them in two categories: environmental value and degree of innovation.

The judges were chosen based on their range of backgrounds, which includes business, art, academia and the environment. One such judge is Steven Ryan, program manager for https://www.energystar.gov/” href=”https://www.energystar.gov/”>Energy Star, https://www.epa.gov/” href=”https://www.epa.gov/”>U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

“It is a pleasure to be part of the judging panel on the Toshiba Green Innovation Award,” Ryan said. “The award is a shining example of how larger companies can encourage and reward environmental activity within their own communities.”

The 2008 Toshiba Green Innovation Award judges are:

Reuben Franco, Chairman, Orange County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

Craig Hershberg, Director of Environmental Affairs, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc.

Michael McCarthy, President and CEO, Roger C. Hobbs Institute for Real Estate, Law and Environmental Studies, Chapman University

Charles Michael Murray, Founder, Endangered Planet Foundation

Daryl Pelc, Vice President, Engineering and Technology - Advanced Systems, IDS, The Boeing Company

Walter Schindler, Managing Partner, SAIL Venture Partners, LLC

Michael Siersema, Technical Director, CSC Consulting

Steve Ryan, Energy Star, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

Ardelle St. George, Attorney, St. George Carnegie, and Chairwoman of Orange County Innovation

R.M. Unnikrishnan, Dean, College of Engineering and Computer Science California State University, Fullerton

“The contest is a great opportunity for ‘green’ innovators within Orange County to receive recognition for their environmental efforts,” said Chris Harrington, vice president of strategy, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc. “Toshiba and the panel of judges would like to encourage all types of submissions - not just technology.”

The award will be presented on Oct. 1, 2008, the first day of the https://ocinnovation2008.com/” href=”https://ocinnovation2008.com/”>Innovation and Globalization in Green conference at the https://irvine.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp” href=”https://irvine.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp”>Hyatt Regency Irvine. The winner will receive $5,000 and a Toshiba laptop PC. Second- and third-prize winners will receive $3,000 and $1,000, respectively, as well as a Toshiba laptop PC. There will also be a live audience vote at the conference that will award another Toshiba laptop PC to the “people’s choice” winner.

All entries that offer any activity with environmental value, big or small, are welcome up to the new deadline date of Sept. 19, 2008; the award submission form is available at https://ocinnovation2008.com/” href=”https://ocinnovation2008.com/”>www.ocinnovation2008.com. Selected applicants will be invited to present before a panel of judges on Sept. 25, 2008, at Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., headquarters in Irvine.