In December 2004 BIO-WEST employees pooled funds to market the company rather than presenting company principals with a tangible holiday gift. To support the local economy and encourage environmental awareness, BIO-WEST concluded that the right marketing “fit” would be underwriting the environmental news program “Living on Earth,” produced and hosted by Steve Curwood of northern New Hampshire.
The recipient of numerous honors, Curwood shares a Pulitzer Prize for his work at the Boston Globe, and he received a 1992 New England Environmental Leadership Award for promoting environmental awareness. Since its creation in 1990, “Living on Earth” has been awarded the Edward R. Murrow Award, the New York Festivals Award, a CINDY award, and the National Federation of Community Broadcasters Community Program Award. In 2003 Curwood also received the Global Greens Award and the David Brower Award, which was given by the Sierra Club for his creation of “Living on Earth.”
During a visit to Utah sponsored by Utah State University’s College of Natural Resources, the Stokes Nature Center, BIO-WEST, and hosted by Utah Public Radio, Curwood joined BIO-WEST employees for a company meeting held at the Logan Soccer Sports Complex, which was designed by BIO-WEST’s senior planner and landscape architect Christopher Sands. At the meeting Curwood discussed various environmental issues, including chemicals in the environment, our warming planet, and the so-called “green movement.” At the end of his address, Curwood encouraged BIO-WEST personnel to employ what he called the “10/10 Strategy,” which, according to Curwood, means reducing personal emissions and waste by 10 percent and taking care of 10 trees. While in Utah he also addressed audiences at Utah State University and the Stokes Nature Center. Accompanying Curwood were Cathy Ives, general manger of Utah Public Radio, and Bryan Earl and Friend Weller, also of Utah Public Radio.