08/04/2026
We're proud to have been part of the team behind a project recognized with the 2026 Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award for Building Green in Tennessee.
Congratulations to our project partners on this outstanding achievement. It's an honor to help build projects that make a lasting impact on our communities and the environment.
Read more below! 👇
TDEC NAMES IFIXIT AS A GOVERNOR’S ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP AWARD RECEPIENT:
2026 Marks the 40th year for program that recognizes a commitment to preserving Tennessee’s natural resources
CHATTANOOGA – The Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation has named iFixit as the recipient of the 2026 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award for Building Green. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Awards which honors individuals, businesses, and other organizations for their commitment to preserving the state’s natural resources.
The award for Building Green recognizes excellence in sustainable building design, construction, and land use.
iFixit, a global leader in electronics repair resources and advocacy, officially launched its East Coast operations in 2024 after investing $24.2 million in a newly redeveloped Chattanooga site. The facility achieved true net-zero energy operations for the full 2025 calendar year. By choosing adaptive reuse rather than new construction, the company dramatically reduced embodied carbon while reinvigorating an underserved area of Chattanooga.
Located in the historic Onion Bottom Station area, the project transformed a long‑vacant, deteriorating 70,000‑square‑foot warehouse into a modern distribution hub powered by solar energy and geothermal systems. The extensive rehabilitation effort included replacing a failing roof, installing high‑efficiency LED lighting, upgrading insulation, and drilling 16 geothermal wells reaching 400 feet deep to support a highly efficient heating and cooling system. Solar production at the site saved enough energy to roughly equal removing 66 gas-powered cars from the road for an entire year.
iFixit regularly opens its doors to the Chattanooga community for sustainability meetings, events, and education sessions, sharing its net-zero model as a replicable blueprint for organizations seeking to reduce environmental impact through facility design, operations, and mission alignment.
