Sage Award nominations due by Sept. 5

New program will recognize environmental leadership

Staff Staff -- Furniture Today, August 25, 2008

HIGH POINT - Nominees are being sought for the Sage Awards, which will recognize companies employing sustainability practices in the home furnishings industry.

The awards, developed by the American Home Furnishings Alliance and sponsored by Cargill's BiOH polyols, will be given to a manufacturer, retailer or designer of finished home furnishings or bedding. According to a press release, the nominees must show leadership in reducing their company's environmental footprint and expanding its positive social impact while running a profitable business.

The deadline to enter is 5 p.m. EST Friday, Sept. 5. Click here for an online entry form and instructions. 

The entries will be judged by a cross-section of journalists and industry representatives. They are: Ray Allegrezza, editor-in-chief of Furniture/Today; Seth Bauer, vice president, editorial director of National Geographic's Green Guide; Derick Belden, executive editor of Southern Living Magazine; Steve DeHaan, executive vice president of the National Home Furnishings Assn.; Richard Doyle, president of the International Sleep Products Assn.; Daphne Hewitt, project manager for the Rainforest Alliance TREES Program; Susan Inglis, executive director of the Sustainable Furnishings Council; Bill Perdue, vice president of Environment, Health and Safety for the American Home Furnishings Alliance; Leanne Powell, manager of National Corporate Leadership for United Way of America; and Powell Slaughter, senior editor for Home Furnishings Business.

Company names will be removed from the applications and will not be shared with judges during the process.

Up to three finalists will be named at a 7:30 a.m. breakfast on Oct. 21 during the High Point Market. The winner will be announced at a reception on Nov. 13 during the AHFA's Sustainability Summit. That event is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Proximity Hotel in Greensboro, N.C.