MELROSE PARK, Ill. (December 3, 2009) -- Navistar’s Melrose Park engine plant was recently honored with the prestigious Illinois Governor’s Sustainability Award. This is the 14th time Navistar’s Melrose Park engine plant has received the award for its efforts to safeguard the environment and promote sustainability initiatives in Illinois.

This year, the award recognizes the plant for its significant efforts at reducing energy and water consumption. Since 2007, the plant has reduced the amount of energy it consumes during production and non-production hours by 14 million kilowatt hours (kWh). In addition, this year the plant reduced its water consumption by 20 million gallons or more than 37 percent, which not only saved millions of gallons of water but also prevented unnecessary water usage and disposal.

"Navistar’s accomplishments in the Melrose Park engine plant are part of our broader initiative to protect the environment through sustainable business practices across our global operations," said Melrose Park engine plant manager Ron Poland. "As part of this comprehensive approach, we are looking at how we manufacture our products, manage our facilities, and engage employees and other stakeholders in environmental efforts. For example, our all-electric commercial truck recently unveiled on Capitol Hill offers real potential to usher in a new wave of U.S.-led clean vehicle technologies. We're leveraging best practices from across our company and the industry to minimize our impact on the environment and strengthen our businesses over the long term."

Since 1990, Navistar’s Melrose Park engine plant has exceeded environmental compliance and implemented pollution prevention projects that have long-lasting impacts on the environment. As part of its commitment to continuous improvement and being a leader in global citizenship, Navistar has chosen to follow the stringent requirements of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 certification and has set measurable goals to track progress on its environmental priorities. These priorities include increasing environmental awareness; reducing energy, water, and natural gas usage; and maintaining strong partnerships with governmental and locally-based environmental agencies.

Since 1987, Illinois Sustainable Technology Center (ISTC), a division of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability at the University of Illinois, has presented Governors awards to Illinois organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to environmental excellence through outstanding and innovative sustainability practices. "The efforts of these businesses and organizations demonstrate that it is possible to meet social and economic needs while minimizing impacts on the environment. Present and future generations will appreciate their foresight," said ISTC acting director John Marlin.

The award, previously known as the Illinois Governor’s Pollution Prevention Award, was presented to Navistar and 37 other companies at a ceremony in Champaign, Ill.