On October 24, KCIC and Bridging the Gap hosted the 14th annual Sustainability Awards. The Sustainability Awards recognize and promote sustainable practices implemented by businesses across the metro area — particularly those located in Kansas City’s industrial areas — but also those nominated by KCIC member businesses. We’re thrilled to recognize businesses who are embracing sustainable thinking and helping to create a more resilient Kansas City.

This year, we recognized six businesses for their exceptional efforts in implementing sustainable practices.

CONGRATULATIONS to our 2024 Sustainability Award winners:

Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium
The Sobela Aquarium is a LEED Silver-certified building that houses 650,000 gallons of water, 34 different habitats, and more than 8,000 animals. Their system saves energy by relying on gravity for the pumping system to the aquariums themselves with variable frequency drives to all pumps and fans. The zoo even installed fish-friendly LED lighting that is placed on controls to mimic the sun's path across the sky for the health of the animals. They’ve received over $130,000 in incentives and by utilizing Evergy’s Business Energy Savings Program it’s estimated they are saving more than 1 Megawatt of energy each year through the building’s design.

KC Water
The Middle Blue River Area 13 Inflow and Infiltration Reduction project is a $6.5 million investment to restore the aging separate sewer system infrastructure in the area of 73rd to 87th streets and State Line to Wornall roads. To complete this project on time and on budget, KC Water was assisted by its program manager, Burns & McDonnell; its design professional, Jacobs Engineering Group; and its construction contractor, Infrastructure Solutions.

This project rehabilitated approximately 33,830 linear feet of sewer main and 308 manholes in the Waldo neighborhood to like-new conditions. Now complete, the project has improved the capacity of the wastewater collection system and reduced the volume of sewer overflows into local creeks, streams, and rivers. Learn more about MBR13.

Financial Holding Corporation and Burns & McDonnell
1400KC is a state-of-the art, 18-story, 263,000-square-foot office building in downtown Kansas City with LEED Gold certification. Proposed and designed prior to the pandemic, 1400KC was scheduled to break ground right as the rest of the country was shutting down. Undeterred, Edward Merriman and his team, alongside Burns & McDonnell, JE Dunn and CB Richard Ellis, pushed on with a commitment to the environment and quality, producing what they describe as one of the most sustainable buildings in downtown KC. The building demonstrates 12% energy cost savings reduction from a baseline building, and has enough generation to create power to back up the entire structure. In addition to LEED Gold, the building achieved FitWel V2. 1-3 Star tenant improvement design certification.

The City of Kansas City, Missouri Public Works and KC Water
The newly constructed 75th Street bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad solves a longtime access issue into the Swope Park Industrial Area while also helping with flood control. Innovative thinking brought multiple funding sources together to accomplish this project: Design was partially funded by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was leveraged with City funds. Construction was funded through general obligation bond revenue, and Union Pacific Railroad funded 5% of the bridge construction cost as the project also met their goal of increasing safety. The new bridge replaces the previous at-grade railroad crossing and it, along with the realigned roadway, also serves as part of the new flood control system that protects the industrial park from flooding of the nearby Blue River.

Kansas City Chiefs
Each year, the Kansas City Chiefs work to expand their commitment to sustainability, their newest addition is on-site composting. The purchase of two biodigesters was made possible through a grant from Mid-America Regional Council’s Solid Waste Management District and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources. Housed in two kitchens – one at Arrowhead Stadium and one at their practice facility – the biodigesters can process up to 450 pounds of food waste per day. Instead of being landfilled, the excess food is turned into nutrient-rich compost that can be used in landscaping around the stadium, in the Chiefs own garden and orchard (yes, the Chiefs have an orchard!) or donated to other community gardens.

By processing this organic waste on-site, the Chiefs are reducing the amount of waste they send to the landfill, thereby lowering the amount of methane released into the atmosphere and supporting a circular economy model. With these two biodigesters, the Chiefs are setting a powerful example for other sports venues to implement sustainable practices in a high-impact industry.

Kansas City Current and CPKC Stadium

Along with being the world’s first purpose-built women’s professional sports stadium, the KC Current’s CPKC Stadium boasts some significant sustainability achievements. Because sustainability was a key consideration during the construction process, 75% of the total construction and demolition material was able to be diverted from the local landfills.

Today, the stadium features natural ventilation and daylighting, supplemented by high quality filtration systems as well as HVAC, and lighting systems designed to promote occupant comfort. Fans are encouraged to engage in the stadium’s sustainability efforts through signage and infrastructure to maximize waste diversion, including strategies such as reuse and composting. Beyond waste reduction, the stadium includes numerous features to efficiently manage energy and water use, including on-site renewable energy, native plants and sensor-based irrigation systems. The stadium site was selected for its access to public transportation and the Riverfront Heritage Trail to vastly reduce the number of single-user car transportation to the site.