Tompkins County, N.Y., was honored nationally for its green initiative. The county won the first ever "Go Green" County of the year award during the 2008 International Green Summit in Syracuse.

More than half of the schools in Tompkins County have adopted a recycling initiative program with the help of Waste Management.

Members of the initiative say it's taken a lot of time and effort to get everyone on board, but the national recognition is a nice reward.

"It's kind of an award for a lot of hard work. I didn't do it all by myself. It's been a collaboration of several people on staff and a manager who had a belief that if she could reduce, reuse and recycle something at a cost less or equal to what it would be to throw it away why not try it,” said Linnett Short, Tompkins County Administrative Coordinator.

This is the first time the Go Green Earth Summit has been held in Syracuse. It was moved here from California because of the city's dedication to the green initiative