2010 Sustainability Champion Awards.

• Position: PLANET-PROFIT REPORT - Shahnaz Jaffari from Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute - Mariner Kemper from UMB FINANCIAL CORP. - Ann Livingston of BOULDER COUNTY

SHAHNAZ JAFFARI, ROCKY MOUNTAIN MASONRY INSTITUTE

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The Rocky Mountain Masonry Institute is a nonprofit trade association of more than 110 companies throughout Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and Idaho. Jaffari, RMMI's sustainability director, has worked for five years to change how architects look at construction practices. A native of Iran, Jaffari has studied structures in the Middle East that are 2,500 years old. Stretching the lifespan of buildings to a century doesn't sound unusual to her.

"We need to build buildings that will be our cultural heritage for the next generation just like the previous generation built their buildings for us," she said.

Environment: Jaffari chaired a group helping to develop the first International Green Construction Code. I he average age of nonresidential buildings in the U.S. is 2.5 years. Jaffari's team developed a draft that calls for buildings to last a minimum of 60 years and awards extra credits for those designed to last 100 and 200 years. New construction and demolition account for 40 percent of raw materials and 30 percent of waste in the U.S. annually.

Economy: The initiatives would reduce the operating costs of buildings as well as demand for fossil fuels and clean water.

Society: Jaffari has worked with the Environmental Protection Agency on draft language that calls for buildings to be within walking distance to schools, offices, banks, cultural centers and shopping.

Innovation: Jaffari directed a regional task force of the U.S. Green Building Council on revisions to the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design standards. New credits would award points for water conservation, passive design and other sustainability measures.

Education: Jaffari teaches seminars on LEED and green building.

MARINER KEMPER, CEO, UMB FINANCIAL CORP.

UMB CEO Mariner Kemper says one of the best things about winning this award is that it gives him another platform to talk about sustainability.

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"For me, it's very equally split between being good for business and being good for the planet," Kemper says. "The planet doesn't get any bigger, and we add more people to it every year. People are living longer lives. If we don't ultimately start caring more, you can't argue that it has a negative impact on the lives of our kids and our grandkids."

Environment: Kemper has led UMB's efforts to ensure new branches and upgrades are completed using green practices. In 2007, UMB opened...