Governor Names SE Corporation Winner of 2007 Top Environmental Leadership Award

Ali Sahabi, founder and CEO of SE Corporation, will receive the Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Award tonight for his role in developing Dos Lagos, an award-winning, sustainable mixed-use community in Corona, Calif.

GEELA is California's highest and most prestigious environmental honor. The award recognizes individuals, organizations and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional leadership for voluntary achievements in conserving California's resources, protecting and enhancing the environment, and building public-private partnerships. SE Corporation's award was presented in the category of Sustainable Communities.

"This honor recognizes our commitment to developing communities that are socially responsible, environmentally sensitive and economically viable," said Sahabi. "It is humbling, as a corporation, to be rewarded for doing something so intrinsic to our values."

Sahabi's dedication to sustainable development prompted him in 2003 to endow UC Riverside's Edward J. Blakely Center for Sustainable Suburban Development, and in 2006 to establish GIVE (the Green Institute for Village Empowerment), a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding sustainable communities through education, information, research and initiatives. GIVE is the sponsor of the Inland Empire's Green Valley Initiative, www.greenvalleynow.org, an economic development plan designed to bring green jobs, green technology, green lifestyles and a higher quality of life to the region.

Dos Lagos is a model of brownfield development. The 534-acre development involved the reclamation of an abandoned mining pit, the restoration of the Temescal Creek and preservation of 134 acres of native habitat. The project incorporated local history into its design, protected many century-old California Live Oaks and included an innovative filtration system to preserve the pristine water aquifer beneath the project. The mixed-use component of Dos Lagos enhances its sustainability by providing a walkable community of residential, commercial, entertainment, Class A office and other uses designed for various lifestyle and lifecycle needs. These and other amenities surround the "heart" of the development: the project's signature bamboo-covered bridge spanning two lakes - "Dos Lagos" - the namesakes of the community.

For more information on the community, visit www.DosLagos.net.

Sahabi is one of 18 other recipients to receive an award at a formal recognition ceremony to be held Tuesday night in Sacramento.

The Governor's Environmental and Economic Leadership Awards program was established in 1993, and is administered by the California Environmental Protection Agency and the Resource Agency in collaboration with the State and Consumer Services Agency, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and the Business, Transportation and Housing Agency. For more information, visit www.calepa.ca.gov/Awards/GEELA/.