In recognition of its efforts at becoming more eco-friendly, Fairway Outdoor Advertising's plant in Athens, GA, has been named Business Recycler of the Year by the Athens-Clarke County government.

''We were all just sort of walking around smiling saying 'This is cool,''' said General Manager Steve Guild. ''You don't hear this every day.'' The plant was recognized for a two-pronged strategy, encompassing efforts within the office and with the inventory.

''I started a recycling program here because we didn't have one,'' said Marketing Coordinator Crystal Covington. ''We put out desk bins and the tall 'slim jims' in the copy room É on top of that we recycle all the boxes which come in.''

GM Guild says the local initiatives ''dovetailed off the national initiatives'' OAAA is encouraging its members to pursue, namely the conversion to single-sheet posters and eco-friendly vinyl. The company also installed timers on its billboard lights to turn them off between midnight and 6:00 am, even though there was no cost savings associated with the move.

''We knew it would be good from a conservation standpoint,'' Guild said. ''But also from a dark skies standpoint it neutralized the outspoken critics of the industry on that issue.''

Fairway had to file an application to be considered eligible for the award. The company had previously sent a letter to city lawmakers detailing the green initiatives the company was pursuing, which Guild credits with ''getting us on their radar screen.''

''It really just comes down to a philosophical approach. We have to provide value back to our communities,'' said Guild. ''We hope we do it through the products we sell, the advertising tools we provide to our business communities ... but it's not a right to operate in any given market. We have to show each market we truly care about it and recycling is part of it.''

Headquartered in Augusta, Fairway Outdoor Advertising has branch offices in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. Fairway also provides services to clients in Virginia and Alabama.

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