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Following the awards, representatives of the winning communities participated in a panel discussion with a diverse group of national business leaders and public officials including representatives of the U.S. Senate and House, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC), Chambers for Innovation and Clean Energy (CICE), and the Climate Prosperity Project (CPP). The group discussed how innovation at the local level could improve Federal policy through civil discussion between the nation’s two major political parties as well as agencies including the Department of Commerce and the Environmental Protection Agency.

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“The 2011 Green Plus™ Award winners show how economic development that integrates good environmental practices and respect for communities is also smart business,” said Chris Carmody, Executive Director for the Institute for Sustainable Development. “National leaders from both sides of the aisle can learn from the non-partisan, public-private partnerships going on all over the country when it comes to building a more competitive economy,” Carmody concluded.

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About the Award Winners

Cleveland, Ohio, received the Green Plus Award in the large community category for

• Sustainable Cleveland 2019, a ten-year, community-wide sustainable development planning process
• The Northeast Ohio Advanced Energy District, a 16-municipality property assessed clean energy (PACE) program aimed at helping commercial and industrial properties invest in clean energy
• The City of Cleveland’s Buy Local & Sustainable Procurement Law, which rewards bidders for municipal contracts for sustainability efforts
• The Cleveland Foundation’s Evergreen Cooperatives initiative, a Foundation financed, employee-owned group of green businesses
• The Lake Erie Energy Development Corporation (LEEDCO), a public/private/philanthropic partnership to position northeast Ohio as the leading wind turbine manufacturer on the Great Lakes

Savannah, Georgia, received the Green Plus™ Award in the medium-sized community category for Thrive, an effort to engage both municipal employees and the broader community in reducing its green house gas emissions and creating a cleaner community.

North Myrtle Beach, S.C., received the Green Plus™ Award in the smaller community category for its public-private initiative, the North Strand Coastal Wind Team and related efforts designed to make the city an energy independent showcase for green jobs.

The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce received the 2011 Green Plus™ Chamber of the Year Award for Leadership in Sustainable Economic Development for its attraction of over $1 billion in investment from Volkswagen (resulting in over 2,000 new jobs) through a campaign that connected the sustainability efforts of the community and the company.

The Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce received the 2011 Green Plus™ Chamber of the Year Award for Leadership in Member Sustainability for its Gatlinburg Goes Green! program which provides educational opportunities which arm its members with the knowledge they require to reduce their environmental impacts.

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About the Green Plus Awards

Green Plus is an initiative based in the North Carolina Research Triangle to help smaller enterprises and their communities with become healthier and more prosperous. The program partners nationally with the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, an umbrella network of over 1,400 U.S. and Canadian local chambers of commerce.

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GlaxoSmithKline is the Presenting Sponsor of the Green Plus Awards. The Institute and Partners for Livable Communities are also grateful to Co-Presenters the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, the Chapel Hill – Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, and to PNC Bank for making these awards possible.

The 2010 Green Plus Chamber of Commerce winners included

• The Greater Cleveland Partnership / Council of Smaller Enterprises for Leadership in Member Sustainability
• The Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce for Leadership in Sustainable Economic Development
• The St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association for Innovation in Sustainable Development

For more information about the Institute for Sustainable Development and the Green Plus Awards, please see www.gogreenplus.org.

The Institute for Sustainable Development / Green Plus

Winners of the Green Plus Community Awards include

Cleveland, Ohio

Savannah, Georgia

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Winners of the Green Plus Chamber of Commerce Awards include

• The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce for Leadership in Sustainable Economic Development

• The Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce for Leadership in Member Sustainability

The Green Plus Awards will be presented at a luncheon Thursday, June 16th, at the Gold LEED Certified PNC Bank regional headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Awards ceremony will be followed by a panel discussion of the winners. The audience will include representatives of the White House, U.S. mayors, legislators, and legislative staffers, chamber of commerce executives and other business leaders.

GlaxoSmithKline is Presenting Sponsor of the Green Plus Awards. The Institute and Partners for Livable Communities are also grateful to Co-Presenters the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, the Chapel Hill – Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, and to PNC Bank for making these awards possible. (For photos and footage of the Green Plus Awards for Sustainable Enterprises, held in February at North Carolina Research Triangle Park headquarters, please click here).

Partners for Livable Communities has documented chamber leadership in sustainability extensively in its study, “The Dollars & Sense of Green Business,” made possible by support from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund.

The 2010 Green Plus Chamber of Commerce winners included

• The Greater Cleveland Partnership / Council of Smaller Enterprises for Leadership in Member Sustainability
• The Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce (now Center State Corporation for Economic Opportunity) for Leadership in Sustainable Economic Development
• The St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association for Innovation in Sustainable Development

About the Winners: The 2011 Green Plus Community Awards

Cleveland, Ohio

Always an innovator in public-private partnerships, Cleveland, Ohio has outdone itself in creating a community-wide effort to spur sustainable economic development. Under the leadership of Mayor Frank Jackson, Cleveland city government has led to Sustainable Cleveland: 2019 — a ten-year sustainability planning process involving thousands of area residents. Cleveland has also created one of the most ambitions PACE districts in the U.S. – the Northeast Ohio Advanced Energy District - and implemented a first-of-its kind policy rewarding bidders on city contracts for their sustainability efforts. The Cleveland Foundation - the oldest community foundation in the United States – is driving Evergreen Cooperatives‘ Foundation financed, employee-owned, green enterprises in some of the city’s most economically challenged neighborhoods. Last year, Cleveland’s chamber of commerce (the Greater Cleveland Partnership / Council of the Smaller Enterprises) was recognized for its partnership with the Ohio Department of Energy to help small businesses save and make money through energy efficiency.

Savannah, Georgia

Mayor Otis Johnson and members of Savannah’s City Council have led an aggressive effort to make Savannah a more environmentally sustainable community with programs like Thrive. Thrive is a process City Government began in late 2007, when staff started collecting data from throughout the City to establish the size of Savannah’s carbon footprint. The City conducted employee commuter surveys and analyzed electricity consumption, fuel usage, and gas emissions. By plugging all of this data into a formula created by the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, a measurement of the city’s carbon footprint was established and reduction goals were set.

In recent years Savannah has been pro-active in converting all of its traffic lights to more energy-efficient LED’s. It has expanded its use of treated wastewater for irrigation, and has been a leader in adopting Georgia’s first graywater re-used ordinance. All 2,500 City employees have been tasked with coming up with ideas to create a healthier environment for Savannah residents. The City is looking at the way it operates its vehicles – from idling policies to the routes employees take. City government is also installing energy-efficient bulbs, and motion detectors to turn them off when no one’s around. The City is looking at everything from the kinds of computers and printers it buys to the kinds of materials it builds with to the latest technology that converts waste into energy.

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The North Strand Coastal Wind Team was formed with the goal of turning North Myrtle Beach into a demonstration city for energy independence and success in the green economy. The public-private partnership comprises the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, city government, the Savannah River National Laboratory, Coastal Carolina University’s Center for Marine and Wetland Studies, the Myrtle Beach Regional Economic Development Authority, and the South Carolina Energy Office. Together, these organizations took the first step in bringing wind energy to North Myrtle Beach.

2011 Green Plus Chamber of Commerce Winners

Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce (TN): Clean Air, Clean Industries

In 1969, Chattanooga was noted for having the worst air quality in the United States. Chattanooga’s exceptional success in cleaning up its air quality led it to attract new companies that shared the city’s environmental values – notably the first U.S. home of Volkswagen AG’s manufacturing operations. Volkswagen is investing about one billion US dollars in the development of the facility at Chattanooga, which will be among the world’s most advanced and environmentally compatible automobile plants. 1,700 people are already employed directly by Volkswagen in Chattanooga. 10,000 additional jobs will be created in the U.S. component supply industry.

Gatlinburg (TN) Chamber of Commerce

In 2008, the Gatlinburg Chamber launched the Gatlinburg Goes Green program with the goal of educating and recognizing its members for taking steps to minimize their environmental impact.  One of the first of its kind across the country, the program goes hand in hand with the city’s efforts to keep Gatlinburg, the gateway to Smoky Mountain National Park, healthy and thriving. Over 75% of the Gatlinburg Chambers members have participated in the program to date.

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Background

The Institute for Sustainable Development is a non-profit university-business partnership to help smaller employers and their communities benefit from triple bottom line sustainability, and to help foster a new generation of sustainability leaders. For more information about the Institute for Sustainable Development, please see www.gogreenplus.org.

Partners for Livable Communities (PLC), is a national, nonprofit leadership organization working to improve the livability of communities by promoting quality of life, economic development, and social equity. For more information about Partners for Livable Communities, please visit www.livable.org.

The American Chamber of Commerce Executives’ (ACCE) mission is to support and develop chamber professionals to lead businesses and their communities. For more information about the ACCE, please visit http://www.acce.org/main/about-acce/.

The Institute for Sustainable Development / Green Plus

www.gogreenplus.org

Seven Organizations in Three States Earn Green Plus Certification

Seven more enterprises complete the first stage of the Green Plus program

The Institute for Sustainable Development announced seven new organizations in three states have achieved Green Plus Certification.   Created by the NC Research Triangle-based Institute for Sustainable Development, Green Plus is modern business improvement program for smaller enterprises that focuses on triple bottom line sustainability.  This new group includes the first life science company to be Green Plus Certified as well as the first creative reuse center and the first chamber of commerce in Ohio.  Seven more businesses earned Green Plus Mover status, the first big step in the program.

“This newest Green Plus Certified class provides inspirational examples to other smaller enterprises,” said Chris Carmody, Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development.  ”Sustainability is about changing attitudes and making smart business decisions that in turn strengthen the local economy, environment, and community,” Carmody concluded.

New Certified Green Plus organizations include:

• Communication Matters (Hillsborough, NC)
• The Greater Cleveland Partnership / Council of Smaller Enterprises (Cleveland, OH)
• High Hotels (Lancaster, PA)
• HRW, Inc. (Raleigh, NC)
• MindWorks Multimedia (Durham, NC)
• Pharmaceutical Calibration and Instrumentation (Raleigh, NC)
• The Scrap Exchange (Durham, NC)

Including these organizations, a total of forty-three enterprises in five states have earned Green Plus Certification.

“Sustainability is a ‘hot topic’ in the business world,” said Joe Roman, President and CEO of the Greater Cleveland Partnership. “A growing number of businesses of all sizes are incorporating internal sustainability practices. For some, it also includes exploring emerging opportunities in the development of sustainability products and systems. As a business organization, we’re ramping up our internal efforts that signal to our members that we’re engaged in this emerging business trend.”

Seven other organizations achieved Green Plus Mover status — the first major stage toward Green Plus Certification.  These organizations include:

• Controlling Barrier Insects (Lumberton, NC)
• DesignHammer Media Group (Durham, NC) — http://www.designhammer.com/
• Earth Stone Products (Greensboro, NC) — http://www.earthstoneproducts.net/
• Elliott Davis LLC (Greenville, SC) — http://www.elliottdavis.com/
• NRC (Willoughby, OH) — http://www.floralinedisplay.com/
• Tremont Electric (Cleveland, OH) — http://www.npowerpeg.com/about-us
• Waddler & Associates (Elizabeth City, NC) — http://waddlerandassociates.com/

New Green Plus Certified Organizations

HRW Inc. (http://www.hrw.net)

A community and associations management company, HRW Inc. (an Associa company) has been serving the Raleigh area since 1982.  HRW has shown its commitment to being a leader in its industry and has invested much time and effort into its sustainability practices since it achieved Green Plus Mover status in September 2010.

“The Green Plus certification process helped us immensely by providing tools, support and guidance that helped us to learn how to organize our resources better, and taught us to pay attention to details that collectively make a big difference in our organization’s environmental impact,” said HRW President, Cathy Wade.  ”The balanced approach (people, planet, performance) makes this a win-win process, not only for our company and staff, but for the greater community and our clients too.”

Communication Matters (http://www.cmatters.org)

A strategic marketing firm in Hillsborough, NC, Communications Matters has thoroughly embraced the Green Plus program and is setting an example for home based businesses across the country.  Libbie Hough, principle of Communication Matters, proves that even the sole proprietors exercise the triple bottom line. Hough has taken steps to reduce water consumption, energy consumption, travel (for herself and her contractors) and purchases renewable energy credits to offset her usage even more.  Hough is also heavily involved in the local community and volunteers on multiple boards as well as speaking at events for the American Heart Association.

“I’m honored to be among those businesses and organizations that have earned full certification,” said Libbie Hough. “And I see this as is another step in an ongoing process – determining how to better serve my clients, better serve my community, and building a successful business.”

Greater Cleveland Partnership/Council of Smaller Enterprises (http://www.cose.org)

The Greater Cleveland (GCP) and the Council of Smaller Enterrpises (COSE) is the first chamber of commerce in Ohio to become Green Plus Certified.  Through COSE, the GCP is taking an active leadership role in encouraging small business sustainability in the Cleveland area.  Most recently, in October 2010, COSE launched an Energy Efficiency Guide with easy tips for improving energy efficiency and case studies from eight small businesses that successfully incorporated energy efficient practices into their companies.

“Helping small businesses understand how sustainable practices can have a positive impact on their businesses is an area of focus for us,” said Steve Millard, president and executive director of COSE.  ”Earning the Green Plus certification encourages us to continue to ensure we are walking the walk on sustainability.”

GCP/COSE is actively working to minimize the organization’s collective impact on the environment and reduce expenses. Staff-related activities, led by the GCP/COSE “Green Team,” include setting organizational metrics and goals, educating employees company-wide with green tips, increasing recycling, and incentivizing the use of public transportation through discounted rail and bus passes.

High Hotels Ltd (http://www.highhotels.com)

High Hotels are the first group of hotels to receive Green Plus Certification in Pennsylvania.

“High Hotels Ltd. has continued its progress along its sustainability journey by formalizing and championing our approach,” said Frank McCabe, President of High Hotels. “Going through the Green Plus Certification process was extremely valuable and helped us to expand our triple-bottom-line approach to sustainability.”

High Hotels has long been a sustainability advocate, and going through Green Plus has given the company a new way to organize their sustainability efforts and goals.  High Hotels has set goals to reduce energy and water consumption as well as formalizing their employee wellness and mentorship programs.

“Since the High companies’ inception 80 years ago, our organization has embraced a number of the guiding business principles related to sustainability including fostering a positive work environment for our employees and partners, being responsible stewards of the environment, and investing profits responsibly to secure our future in ways that are also good for our community,” said McCabe.

MindWorks Multimedia (http://www.mwmm.com/)

Based in Durham, NC, MindWorks Multimedia is an audio/visual production company that specializes in educational learning products and videos.  A community leader in terms of triple bottom line sustainability, MindWorks is newly located in a LEED certified building and provides a number of health and wellness programs to keep its employees engaged and productive.

“Going through the certification process allowed us to examine every area of our business and find additional ways our values and goals were in synch with those of the Institute for Sustainable Development,” said MindWorks Multimedia’s CEO Greg Rowland.  ”The Institute’s staff was a tremendous resource and the valuable information we learned through this process will help us reach future goals of becoming a leader in sustainability as well as supporting other businesses with a similar corporate culture and outlook.”

Pharmaceutical Calibration and Instrumentation (http://www.pci-llc.com)

The first organization in the life science industry to become Green Plus Certified, Pharmaceutical Calibration and Instrumentation (PCI) is located in Raleigh, NC.  PCI is an inspiring example for organizations looking to educate and engage their employees around triple bottom line issues.  Among other things, the company-wide newsletter shares not only green tips, but also opportunities for employees to become involved in the community and ways to get and stay healthy.

“The Green Plus diagnostic tool asked thought-provoking [and] the team at the Institute for Sustainable Development worked with me through the whole process, from my first question prior to taking the diagnostic tool, all the way through the verification process for certification,” said Kelly Hill, PCI representative.  ”PCI learned a great deal about how we can positively affect our triple bottom line and now we have a plan and a time-line for specific improvements.”

The Scrap Exchange (www.scrapexchange.org)

The Scrap Exchange is a creative reuse center in Durham, NC and the first of its kind to achieve Green Plus Certification.  Inherently green, the Scrap Exchange sells and recycles donated goods at its retails location and engages the local schools and community through workshops, parties, and other events meant to educate about reuse and creating art from recycled objects.

“Receiving the Green Plus Certification in our 20th year is a significant achievement; from vermicomposting to utilizing reusables as our office supplies, to promoting workplace sustainability, [we] endeavor to adhere to the standards set by the program, and looks forward to the next 20 years!” says Ann May Woodward, Executive Director of the Scrap Exchange.

The Institute for Sustainable Development has announced its finalists for the 2011 Green Plus North American Sustainable Enterprise Awards. The Green Plus Awards recognize organizations not only for their environmental efforts, but for their success in balancing strong business, community and environmental practices. Paying attention to business performance and community involvement as well as to minimizing environmental impact is often referred to as triple bottom line sustainability.

The winners will be revealed at the awards ceremony, presented by GlaxoSmithKline, on Friday, February 25 at North Carolina Research Triangle Park Foundation headquarters.

Click here to purchase a ticket to the Green Plus North American Sustainable Enterprise Awards.

In addition to competing in its category, each organization is eligible to win the Green Plus People’s Choice Award.

Click here to vote for one organization to receive the Green Plus People’s Choice Award.

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2011 North American Sustainable Enterprise Awards Finalists

Research Triangle Park Foundation Sustainable Enterprise of the Year

• Counter Culture Coffee
• Irregardless Cafe and Catering
• The Taylor Companies
• TS Designs
• Wenger Feeds

Green Plus Sustainable Enterprise of the Year (50 Or More Employees)

• iContact
• High Construction
• Hughes Pittman & Gupton LLC
• Lube Stop
• The Umstead Hotel & Spa

Wells Fargo/Wachovia Small Business of the Year (3 to 50 employees)

• EcoLogic Solutions
• Environmental Solutions Group
• Laser Plus
• Pantek
• Pharamaceutical Calibration Services (PCI)
• Wingswept
• Yes! Solar Solutions

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Green Plus Sole Proprietor / Home Based Business of the Year

• Abigail Seymour Photography
• Conestoga dpi
• Communication Matters
• jke Marketing & Communications
• Yurich Creative

The Redwoods Group Non-Profit or Social Enterprise of the Year

• Builders of Hope
• Bull City Forward
• Cosmic Bobbins
• Entrepreneurs for Sustainability
• Urban Tree Connection
• The Scrap Exchange

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Purchase Your Ticket to the Awards

The awards ceremony will be on Friday, February 25 from 7:30-9:30am at Research Triangle Park Headquarters in the North Carolina Triangle Region.

About the Institute for Sustainable Development and Green Plus
The Institute for Sustainable Development partners nationwide with the American Chamber of Commerce Executives to bring Green Plus, its business improvement program, to smaller enterprises in the U.S. and Canada. The non-profit was founded in the North Carolina Research Triangle in 2007 by a unique partnership of academic, business and philanthropic leaders. Early partners included Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Greater Durham Chambers of Commerce, and the Fenwick Foundation.

Institute founders recognized that while many large companies were integrating sustainability into their operations, saving money and improving their reputations, most Americans were employed by businesses with 50 or fewer people, and these smaller employers had neither the time nor the financial resources to pursue sustainability. In the fall of 2007, the Institute engaged the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC’s Kenan Flagler School of Business to develop a business plan to address this problem. This plan led to the development of Green Plus, a program to educate, network and recognize smaller employers in their efforts to achieve triple bottom line sustainability.

The Institute for Sustainable Development

www.gogreenplus.org

Communication Matters, a strategic marketing company in Hillsborough, North Carolina, is the newest addition to the Green Plus Certified community. Awarded by the Institute for Sustainable Development, full certification is given to only to those businesses and organizations that make exceptional and meaningful efforts in the three areas of sustainability: performance, planet, and people.

“I’m honored to be among those businesses and organizations that have earned full certification,” declared Libbie Hough, principal of Communication Matters. “And I see this as is another step in an ongoing process – determining how to better serve my clients, better serve my community, and building a successful business.”

“We’re excited to welcome Communication Matters to the Certified Green Plus community,” said Chris Carmody, executive director of the Institute for Sustainable Development.  ”Libbie Hough is an excellent example for sole proprietors and other small businesses who want to embrace the triple bottom line. Hough is heavily involved in her community and took detailed steps to make her work environment efficient and environmentally streamlined,” Carmody concluded.

Hough’s actions proves that even the sole proprietors can live out the triple bottom line. Hough has taken steps to reduce water consumption, such as collecting rain water in cisterns, using drip irrigation, and growing drought tolerant plants.  She has reduced energy use by relying on natural light, carefully managing her thermostat, and purchasing EnergyStar appliances.  In addition, she supports renewable energy by purchasing renewable energy credits from NC Green Power.  In order to reduce her transportation impact, Hough purchased a fuel efficient vehicle and telecommutes with contractors as much as possible.  She carefully recycles and has opted in to online bill pay systems that eliminate the need for printing.

Hough is also heavily involved in the local community and serves on two boards – the Mental Health America of the Triangle and the Hillsborough/Orange County Chamber of Commerce.  She sponsors local nonprofit events and volunteers with community organizations.  She is also a speaker for the American Heart Association and speaks to student groups in the Orange County School district in Orange County, NC.  Finally, Hough communicates all her efforts via her website in order to help educate and inspire others to do the same.  If you’d like to read more about her triple bottom line practices, visit cmatters.org/community-matters/.

By Elizabeth Friend for 1360, WCHL

“Three local businesses have earned national recognition for their efforts to promote sustainability (please click here for the audio version and full text of the story)

Kirsten Hausman, of the Institute for Sustainable Development, says the Green Plus certification helps small businesses to meet a triple bottom line of sustainability, performance and social responsibility.

Piedmont Electric, Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center, and the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce are among nearly thirty organizations nationwide to earn the Green Plus certification.

Hausman says the folks at Chapel Hill Tire in particular are taking sustainability to the next level.

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce is one of the first in the nation to be awarded the certification. Hausman says the Chamber accomplished this goal by partnering with another local agency dedicated to promoting renewable resources.

In another first, Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation is the only electric utility to qualify for the certification to date. The not-for-profit, consumer owned cooperative is based in Hillsborough and serves more than 30 thousand customers.”

For the full list of Certified Green Plus Organizations, visit http://www.gogreenplus.org/

The Institute for Sustainable Development

North Carolina Research Triangle – Twenty-nine organizations were recognized for their dedication to triple bottom line sustainability through the Green Plus™ program by the Institute for Sustainable Development.  Eleven organizations in North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Ohio obtained Green Plus™certification, while eighteen others from the Southeast, Northeast, and Midwest took the first step toward certification by becoming Green Plus™ Movers.  Organizations earning full Green Plus™ certification include Aramark at the R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center, Cargas Systems, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center, the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, Hughes Pittman & Gupton LLC, jennifer k. engle marketing & communications, Lube Stop, Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation, the Triangle Community Foundation, the Umstead Hotel & Spa, and Wenger Feeds.

“We’re seeing an uptick in formal sustainability efforts and leadership from traditional businesses and nonprofits,”said Chris Carmody, the Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development.  ”We’re pleased to welcome the first Certified Green Plus™chambers of commerce (Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Durham), first accounting firm (Hughes Pittman & Gupton), first auto care companies (Chapel Tire Car Care Center and Lube Stop), and first electric utility (Piedmont EMC).”  Also included in the newly certified organizations are enterprises as diverse as a dining facility, a software company, a marketing firm, a grant making nonprofit, a luxury hotel, and an agricultural feed business.  ”These organizations prove that any business or nonprofit can transform its operations and culture to serve the triple bottom line,” Carmody said. ”Many of the newly certified organizations have been working diligently for several quarters to launch new initiatives and practices.  It can take time to achieve certification, but it’s within reach for those organizations with high levels of commitment and internal support,” Carmody concluded.

The Green Plus™ program helps educate and certify small businesses and nonprofit organizations in the areas of triple bottom line sustainability (People, Planet, and Performance).  A program of the Institute for Sustainable Development, Green Plus™focuses on an organization’s policies and procedures and therefore applies to businesses across sectors and industries.  The first step in the program is completing the 86 question diagnostic survey, after which an organization is acknowledged as a Green Plus™ Mover.

New Certified Green Plus™ Organizations

Aramark at the R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center – Durham, NC – www.acc-rdthomasconferencecenter.com

Aramark provides the dining services at the R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center.  Located on the West Campus of Duke University in Durham, NC, the R. David Thomas Center is a full-service residential facility affiliated with Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business.

From monitoring its environmental impacts through an Environmental Management System conforming to ISO 140001 to changing all the lighting to LED, purchasing Energy Star appliances, installing aerators and automatic faucets, offering water dispensers instead of bottled water, installing an herb garden and vegetable garden, and using all Green Seal certified cleaning products, to offering a program called Pathway to Leadership (PTC), which provides internship experiences for college students, Aramark at the R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center sets a standard for sustainability in dining services.

Cargas Systems – Lancaster, PA – www.cargas.com

Cargas is an employee-owned software and consulting firm voted one of the Best Places to Work in Pennsylvania 2009.

In August of 2010, Cargas is moving its office to help revitalize downtown Lancaster and to be more conveniently situated for employees, moving to a location enabling 80% of employees to bike to work.  The new building will include showers to further encourage biking and other forms of self transportation.  In addition, the new facility will be LEED Silver and include solar panels, passive solar, trombe walls, water source heat pumps and water-saving plumbing fixtures.  Offering flex time, telecommuting, employee training and development, and a four-week paid sabbatical, Cargas has a unique culture which cultivates individual development.  Cargas was awarded the North American Sustainable Enterprise of the Year award in 2010 by Green Plus.

Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce – Chapel Hill, NC – www.carolinachamber.org

The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber serves and advances the business interests of its members and supports the mission of its partner, the Foundation for a Sustainable Community.  The Chamber strives to build its members’ professional networks and to help its members market their businesses, save money, sharpen their skills, and represent their interests on a local, state, and national level while engaging in successful economic development activities.

With regard to People, the Chamber engages its employees and the community by offering a mentoring program to its employees, donating conference room space,  providing scholarships to Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools, offering internships to UNC students and participating in blanket and food drives.  On the Planet side, the Chamber uses an energy efficient copy machine, coffee machine, and HVAC; purchases renewable energy credits from NC GreenPower; retrofitted its bathrooms with low flow toilets; recycles cardboard, paper, plastics and cans; reuses paper when possible, and prints on post-consumer recycled paper.

Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center – Chapel Hill, NC – www.chapelhilltire.com

Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center is Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Chatham county’s oldest family-owned tire and auto repair facility. Founded in 1953, Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center has woven itself into the fabric of the surrounding community.

Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center uses a balanced scorecard to think comprehensively about its business and supports its community by providing employer-sponsored healthcare, purchasing products locally, and contributing regularly to community organizations.  The car care center is leading in its environmental practices, having retrofitted one location with low-e windows, energy-efficient LED lighting, dual-flush toilets, interior finishes such as low-VOC paints, and reduced impervious surface landscaping with a rainwater collection cistern.  It also mitigates environmental impacts by offering EFO (Environmentally Friendly Oil) for oil changes and NitroFill tire inflation system to boost tire efficiency and life and reduce tire waste.  Notably, the car care center also installed a 16.4 kW solar voltaic array at one of its locations, providing 80% peak power on sunny day.

Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce – Durham, NC – www.durhamchamber.org

The Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce is a member-driven organization that serves its members by helping to create and sustain a healthy economic climate.

Among its sustainable initiatives, the Durham Chamber made improvements to its office space in a recent renovation, including knocking down walls to bring in more natural lighting for employees, installing energy efficient lighting with motion sensors, and using environmentally-friendly materials, such as cork, recycled wood doors, and low VOC paints.  It also invested in an energy efficient copier and dishwasher and converted its kitchen products to paperless or recycled products as much as possible.  It reduced paper use by discontinuing the mailing of bulky relocation packets and switching to electronic resources.  It also offsets energy use by purchasing renewable energy credits.  It is committed to equal opportunity employment policies, employer-sponsored healthcare, wellness programs, and paid leave for the birth or adoption of a child.  Finally, it donates in-kind services as well as food and furniture, and its employees volunteer in the community.

Hughes Pittman & Gupton LLC – Raleigh, NC – www.hpg.com

Hughes Pittman & Gupton (HPG) is a certified public accounting (CPA) firm based in the Research Triangle Park region of NC that works with investor-backed technology, medical device, life-science and biotechnology companies and owner-managed operating companies and their owners, executives and founders.

HPG has launched multiple initiatives to integrate sustainability into its culture, including a staff-led recycling program, signage about conservation around the office, an Earth Day awareness event, sustainability-topic lunch and learns, a Green Initiative board, monthly green emails, and a weekly Green Monster award for staff members.  It has reduced resource use by purchasing an energy efficient dishwasher and fridge, switching to reusable kitchenware, eliminating unnecessary lighting, measuring and monitoring its energy and water use, and setting future goals for energy and water use reduction.  HPG contributes to its community by providing incentive time for employee work with community organizations, internships to local university students, and is active in the clean tech and sustainable economic development community through participation in conferences and groups such as the SJF Summit on the Green Economy and REBN.

jennifer k. engle marketing & communications – Lancaster, PA – www.jkecommunications.com

jke marketing & communications assists clients in creating an exciting and sustainable future for their small to mid-sized business or non-profit organization.

jke’s certification reaffirms that sole proprietors and home office businesses can manage the triple bottom line. Ms. Engle works out of her home and uses an energy efficient water heater, refrigerator, washer/dryer, TV, and LED lights, and unplugs appliances when not in use.  She has planted native plants with minimal grass and a riparian buffer to protect local streams from pollution and sedimentation, recycles, and uses FSC paper.  She donates to and volunteers with community organizations and provides internship opportunities to college students.

Lube Stop – Berea, OH – www.lubestop.com

Lube Stop, Ohio’s largest independently owned quick oil change company, was founded in 1985 and currently employs 260 people in the company’s 37 stores across Ohio. Over the past five years, Lube Stop has made a concerted effort to adopt sustainable business practices, promote the business case for sustainability to regional companies and the industry, and works to protect the environment as well as customers’ cars.

Lube Stop drives sustainability initiatives to both internal and external audiences.  Internally, it has formally included sustainability it in its mission statement and business strategy, publishes an annual sustainability report, and offers employee sustainability training.  It actively promotes sustainability externally by providing resources on its website, educating the public about the proper disposal of oil through public service announcements, and educating its customers about ways to improve gas mileage.  In addition to recycling practices and formal energy and water use reduction goals, Lube Stop finds inspiration from companies like 3M and Dow Chemical in waste reduction by encouraging innovations within its company and supply chain.  Lube Stop supports its community by purchasing from local sources, engaging local university students, and providing significant donations to community organizations.  Lube Stop was also a finalist for the Green Plus North American Sustainable Enterprise of the Year award.

Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation – Hillsborough, NC – www.pemc.org

Piedmont Electric Membership Corporation (EMC) is a not-for-profit, consumer-owned electric distribution cooperative which provides electricity to more than 30,000 consumers. An innovative electric utility, Piedmont EMC focuses on providing its member-consumers with a blend of high technology and progressive customer service.

Piedmont EMC has a Green Team, recycles, encourages the use of reusable plates and silverware, and uses energy efficient lighting.  It empowers its customers and community to be more sustainable by providing Smart Meters and detailed energy use information, offering booklets and brochures with tips on reducing energy use, and giving presentations at local schools about sustainability.  It also co-sponsors North Carolina’s Bright Ideas Grant Program, providing college scholsarhips for students whose families are members.  Piedmont EMC was also a finalist for the Green Plus North American Sustainable Enterprise of the Year award.

Triangle Community Foundation – Durham, NC – www.trianglecf.org

Triangle Community Foundation (TCF) is a nonprofit organization that manages $135 million in funds established by individuals, businesses and families. From these funds, it gives grants to nonprofit organizations and administers a variety of programs for the community’s benefit.

Located in a recently renovated historic tobacco warehouse, TCF participates in the sustainability committee for its office complex, uses CFLs and Energy Star appliances, and subsidizes employee public transportation.  To reduce paper use, TCF encourages the use of projectors and smart boards and uses FSC paper and prints double-sided when printing is necessary.  Beyond its ongoing grantmaking, TCF contributes to its employees and community by offering internships to local university students, sponsoring community events, offering employee wellness activities and providing paid time off for employee volunteering.  TCF was also a 2010 Green Plus Nonprofit of the Year finalist.

Umstead Hotel & Spa – Cary, NC – www.theumstead.com

Wenger Feeds – Rheems, PA – www.wengerfeeds.com

Wenger Feeds is a comprehensive Agricultural Feed, Ingredients, and Service company on the East Coast. Wenger’s customers provide eggs, poultry, dairy, and pork food products to the Mid-Atlantic region, an area that comprises more than 25% of the U.S. population.

Wenger Feeds displays environmental stewardship through bulk purchasing, reviewing monthly utility bills, undergoing energy audits, installing energy efficient lighting and low flow toilets, allowing employees to telecommute, and actively calculating its return on investment for sustainability projects.  It improves the lives of its employees and the community by offering wellness incentives such as gym membership subsidies and other healthy lifestyle incentives, providing internships for high school and college students, and donating furniture to community organizations.

New Green Plus™ Movers

• Assembled Products Corporation – Rogers, AR – www.assembledproducts.com
• Benjamin Environment Sustainability Team – West Palm Beach, FL – www.benjaminvisuals.com
• Counter Culture Coffee – Durham, NC – www.counterculturecoffee.com
• Excel Moving & Storage, Inc. – Raleigh, NC – www.excelms.com
• Global Electric Electronic Processing – Research Triangle Park, NC – www.geepglobal.com
• Greater Des Moines Partnership – Des Moines, IA – www.desmoinesmetro.com
• Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce – Raleigh, NC – www.raleighchamber.org
• Irregardless Cafe & Catering – Raleigh, NC – www.irregardless.com
• Integrated Laboratory Solutions, Inc. – Research Triangle Park, NC – www.ils-inc.com
• Maryland Association of CPAs – Towson, MD – www.macpa.org
• Museum of Life + Science – Durham, NC – www.ncmls.org
• National Bank of South Carolina – North Myrtle Beach, SC – www.banknbsc.com
• Pantek, Inc. – Independence, OH – www.pantek.com
• Raleigh Radon – Raleigh, NC – www.raleighradon.com
• Swiger Coil Systems LLC – Cleveland, OH – www.swigercoil.com
• Virginia Society of CPAs – Glen Allen, VA – www.vscpa.com
• Zag Interactive – Glastonbury, CT – www.zaginteractive.com

Breakfast Briefing attendees will learn more about Green Plus, a green and sustainable certification and education program that is designed specifically for small- and medium- sized businesses and non-profits. Green Plus gives employers affordable, practical support in succeeding financially while being good to their environment, employees and community.

Aqueduct Conference Center will host and sponsor the Briefing, and the event is co-sponsored by AT&T Advertising Solutions. Aqueduct Conference Center is located at 1700 Mt. Carmel Road in Chapel Hill. Registration is $10 and includes a full breakfast. To register online, visitwww.carolinachamber.org/events or contact Laura Morrison at 357.9989 or lmorrison@carolinachamber.org.