Celebrating Southwest Michigan’s Sustainability Leaders

On April 30, 2025, at the Great Green Gala held at The Livery in Benton Harbor, the Michigan Sustainable Business Forum honored outstanding contributions to sustainability in Southwest Michigan. Two organizations were named 2025 Sustainable Businesses of the Year, and three individuals received 2025 Sustainability Leadership Awards.

The honorees have made important progress for the region in climate leadership, circular economy and materials management, and water protection. Presented by sponsors Inovateus Solar, Abonmarche, and Wightman, these awards recognize these leaders’ contributions to a safer, cleaner, more just future for Michigan:

United Container has been a circular economy pioneer for 90 years in Michigan. Recovering used corrugated boxes from businesses and warehouses for repeat use in the supply chain, United Container is poised to put 12,000 tons of recyclable goods back into the economy this year alone. 

“We see a lot more companies understanding the circular economy now,” said Jeff Doroh, Director of Business Operations at United Container, noting that this growth in demand for recycled materials also presents them with the challenge to find new suppliers who may be unaware of the value their used boxes can create. “We explain to them that, ‘We can buy that from you. We’re paying you instead of you paying the dumpster removal fee or landfill fee.’ It excites them.” 

United Container looks forward to another year of growth, recovering more boxes for reuse and further developing their made-to-order business by partnering with sustainable packaging suppliers to fulfill the demand for new boxes while maintaining circular economy principles.

The City of South Bend, Indiana, while not technically in Southwest Michigan, has pioneered important sustainability initiatives that have had a positive impact on the lives of many Michiganders. These efforts included a Climate Action Ambassadors program that hosted over 1,000 interactions with the community to update the city’s Climate Action Plan. The city is also taking on the modernization of energy infrastructure through their EASSI program, with four solar projects, nine energy efficiency projects, and 10 energy audits in the last year alone. In September of 2024, South Bend became the first city in the state of Indiana to become a LEED Gold Community.

“Collaborating with the community is key,” said Alexandro Bazán, Director of South Bend’s Office of Sustainability, “If we don’t have that collaboration piece, we might create programs that sound interesting on paper, but maybe in practice, aren’t as effective.”

Learn more about the city of South Bend’s Office of Sustainability here.

Ben Baker, Project Manager at DLZ Corporation, was recognized for his contribution to water quality improvements for the Ox Creek watershed, particularly for the project that installed rain gardens at the Benton Harbor Meijer parking lot. His collaboration with the Southwest Michigan Planning Commission and the County Drain Office has focused on bringing together engineers, architects, funders, and property owners to retrofit commercial areas and install rain gardens and detention systems to clean storm water before it enters the creek. 

“A lot of the things that I learned in college that were at the cutting edge on sustainability have become standard practice in the last 20 years,” said Ben, commenting that he looks forward to contributing to similar projects in the future and continuing to educate his clients on the importance of stormwater management on their properties.

Joey Andrews, Michigan State Representative, 38th District is serving a second term representing the district covering parts of Allegan, Berrien, and Van Buren counties. Focusing on water issues resulting from erosion, flooding, lead contamination, and aging infrastructure, Rep. Andrews represents many of the most important concerns of lakeshore communities across the state. Andrews is most proud of the efforts to implement the MI Healthy Climate plan passed at the end of 2023, positioning Michigan as a leader on climate change and the energy transition.

“Without collaboration from industry leaders, activists, local leaders, and government officials, it would be impossible to meet the moment,” Joey said, highlighting the role of cross-sector coordination in efforts to protect the environment and fight climate change. This year, he looks forward to seeing more progress on circular economy initiatives in Benton Harbor and the Small Modular Reactor project at Palisades, as well as expanding the conversation about mass transit in Southwest Michigan.

Kalli Marshall, Recycling and Materials Management Coordinator at the Van Buren Conservation District, was recognized for her leadership in developing Van Buren County’s recycling infrastructure. Securing a grant from EGLE, Kalli has been working to coordinate 10 communities’ recycling efforts, overcoming barriers, including the lack of curbside options, funding, and dedicated personnel in municipalities in the county. As a result of Kalli’s work, there will be almost 15,000 households gaining new access to services and many more getting access to recycling for new materials. Kalli sees improving recycling as “low-hanging fruit”, an in-road to broader sustainability initiatives in the future. 

Offering advice to others seeking to improve recycling infrastructure in rural communities, Kalli said, “Start getting local support. The driving force was municipalities hearing from their constituents. ‘Yeah, I want to be able to recycle. Where can I take my recycling?’…Just start those conversations.”

Learn more about Kalli’s work on the Van Buren Conservation District website.

We’d like to thank our generous sponsors for supporting this event: Inovateus Solar, Abonmarche, and Wightman.