GRAND RAPIDS — The West Michigan Sustainable Business Forum presented its 2005 Leading Edge Awards to Peter Wege and the Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturers Association (BIFMA) during last week’s Sustainable Business Conference & Expo in Grand Rapids.

Wege was cited for his efforts to promote sustainability in West Michigan, including leading Steelcase Inc. and Aquinas College’s sustainability initiatives. BIFMA was acknowledged for being the first manufacturers trade association in the United States to develop formal industry-wide sustainability guidelines for its membership.

Wege has devoted several decades of his life to improving the environment and protecting the Great Lakes region. He created the Wege Foundation in 1967 to provide for the future needs of the community and was recently recognized by Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell for funding the development of sustainability plans to help the city and area schools operate with economic efficiency, environmental responsibility and social sensitivity.

Established in 1973 and headquartered in Grand Rapids, BIFMA International is the trade association of the commercial furniture industry. The organization recently released a set of guidelines to serve as a roadmap for office furniture manufacturers and suppliers of all sizes seeking to establish or expand their environmental management systems.