Glacier Guides and Montana Raft Company will be recognized at the state capital with an Eco Star Award on April 24 by Montana State University and the Montana Governor’s office for their 2012 pollution prevention efforts. Eco-Star Awards are given to small businesses in Montana that have shown great effort over the past year in pollution prevention.

Glacier Guides and Montana Raft was founded in 1983. More than a year ago, they joined a two-year program started by the Yellowstone Business Partnerships called UnCommon Sense that helps businesses work towards becoming environmentally responsible.

The company’s efforts include replacing disposable items with reusable items, composting, recycling, not selling bottled water, teaching and practicing “Leave No Trace” ethics on all of their trips, refusing to use billboards, buying local and organic food when possible, and selling more “Made in the USA” and eco-sensitive retail items.

“We are a company that relies on a healthy environment and we are committed to becoming a more environmentally responsible company,” marketing director Corrie Holloway said. “We hope that other companies will see that they too can implement small changes that can make a huge difference.”