SEF Blog

ALLENTOWN, PA., August 6, 2018 – Sustainable Energy Fund honored Craig Onori with the Epstein Lifetime Achievement Award at Energypath 2018 on Thursday, July 26 at DeSales University in Center Valley, PA. The Epstein Award is presented to a deserving individual each year for a lifetime of work in moving society towards a sustainable energy future.  

“We are thrilled to award Craig Onori with the Epstein Award” said John Costlow, president and CEO of Sustainable Energy Fund. “He has greatly impacted the sustainable energy community throughout his career and directly influenced the future of sustainable energy.”

Craig Onori is Vice President of Operations for Lehigh Valley Health Network in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Onori oversees support services that provide all facilities management and regulatory compliance activities to the four-hospital, four-million gross square feet, 988-bed health network.

In this role, two of his responsibilities has been leading energy management and efforts to improve the sustainability in hospital operations. Onori has led the effort to install 1,350 solar photovoltaic panels that generate over 300,000 kWh/yr of electricity on the roofs of two hospitals in the Network. 

He also:

• installed solar thermal panels that generate all of the hot water needed for the 20 guest room Hackerman-Patz House family lodging center at Lehigh Valley Hospital – Cedar Crest. 
• put in place numerous energy efficiency projects
• purchased the first three vehicles in the Lehigh Valley that operate on compressed natural gas for use by the hospital
• partnered with US DOT, Ford, and Air Products to beta test the operation of a hydrogen powered shuttle bus at the LVH-Cedar Crest campus
• put in place a comprehensive recycling program at the hospital that recycles 998 tons/yr of waste (21% of total waste)
• has their food service provider grow fresh vegetables at garden plots at two hospitals
• purchases locally grown produce for meals served in their retail cafeterias and to patients

Onori is a member of the Board of Directors of Green Connexions, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of Sustainable Energy Systems.  

Onori has received numerous awards for his work in energy efficiency and sustainability.  He has received the Pennsylvania Governor’s Environmental Excellence Award for energy efficiency activities in private industry and two awards from US EPA and multiple awards from Practice Greenhealth for improving sustainability in healthcare.