Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday named three recipients of the Governor's Innovation Awards.

Lingle's office said the three were honored for their commitment to creative thinking and new ideas which result in better products, services and processes, while also improving Hawai'i's future.

"Through 'disruptive ideas,' as one of our award winners refers to innovation, this latest group of innovators is helping us all realize the importance of looking beyond what's always been done, and striving for how we can do things better," Lingle said in a statement. "As these award winners demonstrate, innovation can be something as simple as using native plants to landscape our roadways, to more leading-edge development of new technologies that can restore people's sight or generate valuable products from marine algae."

The recipients of the award for February are:

— Innovation by an Individual: Hank Wuh

In 2003, Wuh founded Cellular Bioengineering Inc., a Hawai'i-based developer of technologies with biomedical and biodefense applications. CBI searches for what Wuh calls "disruptive ideas" and "disruptive technologies" that will eventually overturn the status quo and change the future. Wuh's company has the worldwide license for the development of a "bio-integrating polymer corneal" substitute called the EYEGENIXTM Artificial Cornea, which aims to return the gift of sight to millions of people. Other products are a paint-and-peel gel that can enhance biohazard cleanup and a nanochip that can track pills to thwart counterfeited drugs.

— Innovation by an Organization: HR BioPetroleum Inc.

HRBP is a Hawai'i-based renewable energy technology company focused on utilizing marine microalgae to produce biofuel feedstocks and other valuable products. The company developed a proprietary process called ALDUO technology that leverages the photosynthetic power and rapid growth characteristics of microalgae to convert sunlight, CO2 and other nutrients into inexpensive vegetable oils and biomass. HRBP's algae cultivation technology has been demonstrated through a pilot facility on the Kona Coast of the Big Island.

— Innovation in Government: Department of Transportation Highways Division

The state Department of Transportation has been working with plant specialists at the University of Hawai'i-Manoa to address cost-efficient and environmentally friendly ways to landscape Hawai'i's roadways. Through this partnership, the Highways Division has been successful in planting native groundcover along bare areas of state roadways instead of nonnative Bermuda grass that has been predominately used in the past. The use of certain native varieties saves on irrigation, eliminates the need for harmful herbicides and requires minimal maintenance. One example is the pili grass, which tolerates low-rainfall conditions, and does not need to be mowed. Another native grass, the akaaki, is salt-tolerant and is being used to landscape roads adjacent to sandy beach areas where saltier, nonpotable water can be used for irrigation.