I can’t help but be a little confused by these awards though. On the one hand, they showcase some truly inspiring projects from around the world. On the other, it seems a little suspicious that at least two of the winners are projects with high-level involvement from companies represented on the awards panel. There is also a heavy emphasis on large-scale American projects, with at least seven of the nine winners coming from the U.S. Is this simply an indication of where the main centre’s of sustainability excellence really are, or did the panel gloss over worthy candidates from elsewhere?

Here’s the full list of winners:

The Cascade Land Conservancy for the ‘Cascade Agenda,’ a 100 year visioning exercise aimed at preserving more than 1.3 million acres of forest and farmland by using market-based tools to encourage sustainable growth across the Puget Sound region of Washington State.

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What do Tom Szaky, CEO and Co-Founder of TerraCycle, and Priya Haji, CEO and Co-Founder of World of Good, have in common?

No, not just that they have been featured on our site, they are both past recipients of the Social Venture Networks’ Innovation Award.

Now it’s that time again.

Social Venture Network (SVN), the country’s leading network of socially responsible entrepreneurs, announced today that it is now accepting applications for the 2nd Annual SVN Innovation Awards. The Innovation Awards program supports the “next generation” of socially responsible business and nonprofit leaders by providing them access to the people and resources to help develop their ideas into successful enterprises.

The Social Venture Network is a highly selective network of over 500 leaders in socially responsible business. Founded in 1987, its members share “a commitment to building a just and sustainable world through business”. The groups focus is on networking; working together, creating business and professional partnerships and new socially responsible organizations.

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But while I’m excited by some of the design presented in this year’s lineup, there are some troubling aspects of the roster as a whole that struck me almost immediately.

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Mercedes is billing the E320 BLUETEC as the “cleanest diesel vehicle in the world.” Engineers incorporated a modular design concept which uses a series of components, such as an oxidation catalytic converter and a maintenance-free particulate filter, to “wash” emissions from the engine before anything leaves the tailpipe. Those features, combined with an advanced new approach to reducing nitrogen oxide emissions, make the BLUETEC’s emissions cleaner than even a standard gasoline automobile.

The BLUETEC also offers a combined 36 mpg (700 miles per tank), all the luxury Mercedes is known for, and a 208 horsepower V-6 engine that goes 0-60 in 6.6 seconds. Not bad. The last diesel vehicle I owned went 0-60 in about 6.6 minutes when the turbo still worked and with wind pushing it down a steep hill.

Though the BLUETEC’s new diesel engine technology greatly reduces emissions, Mercedes still only approves the use of B5 (5% biodiesel/95% dino-diesel) in its diesel vehicles. Unfortunately, this effectively means that Mercedes doesn’t approve of the use of biodiesel. By the time next year’s World Green Car contest rolls around, it would be a thrill to see Mercedes and other car manufacturers embrace existing and available renewable fuels along with their commitment to reducing tailpipe emissions. (If you missed Clayton’s excellent “Green Myth Busting” post on biodiesel, be sure to check it out.)

To be eligible for the World Green Car prize, vehicles must:

• Be available to the public now or in the near future, and

• Meet or exceed the requirements of California’s SULEV (Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicle) regulations or the US EPA’s Tier 2 standards, or

• Get at least 47.6 mpg, or

• Use advanced technology aimed at increasing the vehicle’s environmental responsibility.

The E320 beat out two other finalists, the BMW Hydrogen 7 and the 60+ mpg diesel Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion, to claim the award.

Speaking of which, from my view here in the peanut gallery, it looks to like the World Green Car jurors may have chosen the wrong car! At least, they may have chosen the wrong diesel car. The E320 BLUETEC is a fantastic automobile, and a few dozen people in the U.S. might even be able to afford one ($52,000 for the base model). The VW Polo BlueMotion diesel, on the other hand, get 25 more miles per gallon than the E320 BLUETEC and has a very reasonable MSRP of under $20,000. Of course, the downside is that VW has yet to announce when the car will be available to US consumers, if ever.

Oh Lord, maybe you can buy me a Mercedes-Benz after all…

SustainLane has ranked the top 50 sustainable cities of 2006, and also has named the top 5 Cleantech cities in the US.

Green architect firm and think-tank, organicARCHITECT has picked 16 leaders for the organicAWARDS in the design industry who have adopted green innovation in their businesses or products.

Plenty Magazine recently featured the Plenty 20, twenty companies ranging in size from small start-up to Fortune 500 who are "pushing the ecological envelope." There's also the UK based Green Awards, an entry based award featuring a series of "best of" green marketing categories, which are all sponsored by various eco-friendly companies.

The US Environmental Protection Agency has awards for green power purchasers, the Green Power Leadership Awards, presented in conjunction with the National Renewable Energy Marketing Conference.

Awards give prestige and a sense of accomplishment and recognition within industries. They also instill a sense of pride and can provide added value for a company's clients. Awards, especially in the green sphere, can also serve to drive competitors to try a little harder the next year in furthering green innovation in the marketplace.

For this year there are five categories with four nominees each. For "Best Performance by a State or Local Official" you might be tempted to select Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger or Mayor Greg Nickels of Seattle. In the category of "Best Performance in the Corporate World", Yahoo Auto is being recognized for their 'green rating' for vehicles while GE's Ecomagination campaign has the green world all starry-eyed.

Of course, these awards aren't just about the good that happened this year, but also the mind-numbingly stupid. For instance, in the "Worst Performance by a Corporation or Corporate Official" category, we have DaimlerChrysler's fleet racking an obscene average mileage 22.7 miles per gallon against ExxonMobil's efforts to undermine global warming research. For "Most Egregious Contribution to Public Ignorance and Denial", Michael Crichton's comparison of belief in global warming to belief in aliens (as spelled out in the book State of Fear) has him pitted against Senator James Inhof (R, OK) and his claim that "global warming is the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on mankind."

I'm obviously skipping a few of the matchups here, but you get the idea. The results will be announced this February 23rd; probably the only awards show not on Al Gore's radar! Hit the site for more and be sure to vote for this year's globies!

Image credit: Environmental Defense