• Ad Spice Promotional Marketing (Durham, NC)
• AlphaGraphics Cary (Cary, NC)
• Counter Culture Coffee (Durham, NC)
• High Associates (Lancaster, PA)
• North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce (North Myrtle Beach, SC)
• Tremont Electric (Cleveland, OH)
• William H Bunch CPA (Chapel Hill, NC)

“Green Plus™ is about making smart business decisions with an eye toward supporting your community, employees, and local environment,” said Chris Carmody, Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development.

Created by the NC Research Triangle-based Institute for Sustainable Development, Green Plus is business improvement program that provides a roadmap on triple bottom line sustainability issues for smaller enterprises across the United States. Businesses in North Carolina, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, as well as the first chamber of commerce in South Carolina all underwent the rigorous Green Plus Certification process and attained the highest level of recognition within the Green Plus program. To date, 50 smaller enterprises out of a field of 250 participants have achieved full Certified Green Plus status.

New Green Plus Certified Organizations

Ad Spice

Ad Spice Promotional Marketing is based in Durham, NC and provides a full range of promotional products as well as screen printing and embroidery. Locally-minded and committed to sustainability, Suzanne Robinson started Ad Spice with these values in mind. Making their processes transparent to their customers, Ad Spice helps educate their clients about responsible options that they might not be aware of, like giving clients a quick tour of their organic cotton garden. Seeing the difference between how organic and traditional cotton are grown are one way their customers can choose from the best products to increase the value of their marketing efforts. Sourcing locally and using water-based inks are other ways Ad Spice shows its commitment to minimizing its impact and supporting the local community.

“Ad Spice Promotional Marketing is joining forces with other purpose-driven companies to demonstrate how businesses can positively impact our communities and our environment,” said Suzanne Robinson. “In an industry where most of our competitors are trying to sell more, more, more – we steer our clients in the direction of buying less and buying better,” said Robinson. “At the end of the day, our clients find that this approach brings their brand real value,” concluded Robinson.

Robinson said, “Our numbers this year speak for themselves: 1st Q 2010 to 2011 our sales for organic and sustainable product purchases are up over 900% because we’re teaching our clients about the value of these products and how to use them.” “Our Green Plus and B Corporation certifications let our clients know that we tell the truth and practice what we preach. In a world of green-washing, our highly credible certifications tell our clients they can trust us,” Robinson concluded.

For more information go to www.adspicepromo.com.

AlphaGraphics Cary

AlphaGraphics Cary is a locally owned and operated printing and marketing services company in Cary, NC. Recognized as one of the leading locations worldwide, AlphaGraphics Cary also received local recognition their efforts to help fight hunger in Wake County. As a Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certified printer, AlphaGraphics Cary is able to meet their customers where they are and provides them with the sustainable services they require.

“The Green Plus program focused our ad hoc efforts into a strategic, cohesive plan,” said John White, Manager of AlphaGraphics Cary. “The resources, the practical support and potential networking opportunities will yield a tremendous return on our initial investment and efforts,” White continued. “In our role as a service provider to other area business, not only does the Green Plus Certification process compliment our current financial planning and sustainability initiatives, but it also provides a framework to help our customers with these same challenges,” said White.

For more information go to www.cary398.alphagraphics.com.

Counter Culture Coffee

Counter Culture Coffee is a Durham, NC institution. Counter Culture’s dedication to creating a sustainable, fair trade coffee supply chain is readily apparent to anyone involved with the company. By creating and maintaining personal relationships with coffee farmers across the world, Counter Culture is able to multiply its impact and make sustainable livelihoods possible in places where opportunities can be hard to come by.

Counter Culture also created their own Sustainability Scorecard and sustainability goals (in the CUPS initiative – Coffee as an Unrelenting Pursuit of Sustainability), which allows it to holds itself to a higher standard and, in the spirit of transparency, invites their customers and clients to follow along on their journey of achieving carbon neutrality by 2015.

“A core value of our business, the drive toward real environmental, social, and fiscal sustainability, informs every decision we make,” said Brett Smith, President of Counter Culture Coffee. “We’re excited about the network, feedback channels, and other opportunities to improve the sustainability of our business afforded by our Green Plus certification,” Smith concluded.

For more information go to www.counterculturecoffee.com.

High Associates

High Associates, headquartered in Lancaster, PA, is a developer, broker, and manager of commercial, industrial, and multi-family residential properties. Striving to be a responsible steward of the environment and a leader in the community, High Associate’s team of LEED-accredited and Green Space program-certified professionals are setting a new standard for responsible environmental management and were recognized by PPL Electric Utilities on the Energy-Smart Business Honor Roll for significantly reducing energy usage in its facilities.

“High Associates has always maintained a high level of sensitivity to the environments in which we operate and been guided by a smart-growth-driven approach to real estate development,” said Mark Fitzgerald, president and chief operating officer of High Associates. “Going through the Green Plus Certification process was invaluable as it helped us to expand our triple-bottom-line approach to sustainability that includes fostering a positive work environment, being responsible environmental stewards, and bettering our community for the generations to follow,” Fitzgerald said.

For more information go to www.highassociates.com.

North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce

The North Myrtle Beach Chamber is a leader around sustainability in the South Carolina business community. The first South Carolina chamber to offer the Green Plus program to its members, the North Myrtle Beach Chamber is also the first chamber in South Carolina to achieve Green Plus Certification itself. The chamber will be moving to a new location in the fall and in the process of updating the new location based on recommendations from a recent energy audit.

Leading the charge in renewable energy, particularly wind energy, the chamber spearheaded the creation of the North Strand Coastal Wind Team, not only to lead the community towards energy independence but with the long term goal of establishing North Myrtle Beach as an example to other cities. Other members of the team include the 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.

“In January 2010, when we announced that our Chamber was the first business association in SC to offer the Green Plus certification program to our members, I stated that the focus of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce was on a sustainable economy for our city and region,” said Marc Jordan, President and CEO of the North Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce. Jordan continued, “At that time, we saw Green Plus as a visionary and valuable tool to assist our members in creating a sustainability plan for their business.” “Nothing has changed to lesson our commitment to this vision today, and by becoming Green Plus certified, we are holding ourselves up to our members as an example of how valuable this tool is in remaining focused on sustainable development,”Jordan concluded.

For more information go to www.northmyrtlebeachchamber.com.

Tremont Electric

Tremont Electric, a rapidly growing company in Cleveland, OH, is changing the way we generate renewable energy through an innovative technology called nPower™. Named “One of America’s Most Promising Start-ups” by Bloomberg Business week in 2009, Tremont Electric has since received numerous accolades for ingenuity as well as its leadership in sustainability.

“Sustainable business practices are becoming a new benchmark for early stage companies,” said Aaron LeMieux, foundation and CEO of Tremont Electric. “Attaining Green Plus Certification clearly demonstrates that Tremont Electric Inc. has mastered and committed itself to continuous improvement of sustainable business practices,” LeMieux continued. “We are very proud to have attained Green Plus Certification this early in our life cycle,” LeMieux concluded.

For more information go to www.npowerpeg.com.

William H Bunch, CPA

William H Bunch, CPA is the second CPA firm to be Green Plus Certified. A small but growing CPA firm in Chapel Hill, NC, William H Bunch is a great example of a business working to make their local community stronger and helps educate other businesses about what is achievable with regards to triple bottom line sustainability. A renovation in 2006 brought more in natural light, allowing employees to keep lights off unless needed and a new employee wellness plan has been implemented in the last 6 months allowing employees to access a National database of wellness programs, among other benefits.

For more information go to www.williamhbunchcpa.com.

Thirteen Businesses in Three States Receive Green Plus Recognition

Four North Carolina Businesses Become Green Plus Certified; Companies in Pennsylvania and Connecticut Complete First Stage of Certification

Thirteen businesses in the Green Plus program were recognized by the Institute for Sustainable Development for their exceptional efforts toward triple bottom line sustainability. Four businesses received full Green Plus certification, and nine were recognized as Green Plus Movers – businesses that have completed the first major step in the Institute’s sustainable small business certification process. Businesses receiving full Green Plus certification included The Redwoods Group, Riley Life Industries, Inc., Bland Landscaping and Zemo Trevathan & Associates.

Laser Plus, a printer and remanufactured toner company, became the first Pennsylvania business to be recognized by the Institute’s Green Plus program. One Minute Green, a sustainability consulting service, became the first Connecticut business to complete phase one of Green Plus certification. Other Green Plus Movers include the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Business Class, Inc., Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center, Homewood Suites by Hilton, MG Capital Maintenance, One Minute Green, Quality Staffing Specialists, and Springleaf Strategies. (Please see below for a full description of each business or see www.gogreenplus.org).

“Green Plus is a triple bottom line sustainability business certification – Planet plus People plus Performance,” said Chris Carmody, Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development. “One of the most exciting things about this new class of Green Plus certified businesses is that they are exceptional in the People part of the triple bottom line.”

Bland Landscaping, for example, requires monthly community service by of all of its senior management and has noteworthy programs to engage all of its employees in the success of its business. “The future of any business will impend on its ability to be a responsible corporate citizen that makes a positive impact on society while earning a profit,” said co-owner Kurt Bland. “Using the Green Plus tools and pursuing the certification, business owners are empowered to better guide their organizations along the path of long term success. We are proud to be part of the most recent Green Plus graduating class,” Bland concluded.

The Redwoods Group, the largest insurer of YMCAs in the country, was one of only fifteen businesses in the country to receive The Wall Street Journal’s Top Small Workplaces award in 2008. Kevin Trapani, President and CEO of The Redwoods Group, said, “We strongly believe that business can and should be a powerful force for positive social change. What I love about Green Plus is that we have to assess the efficacy of our products as well as the robust nature of our profits.”

The Institute for Sustainable Development is a public-private partnership between centers at Duke University, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Greater Durham Chambers of Commerce, the Fenwick Foundation and the Foundation for a Sustainable Community. Major corporate supporters include GlaxoSmithKline and Lenovo. The Institute’s overall business plan for Green Plus was commissioned in 2007 by Tony Waldrop, Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC’s Kenan-Flagler School of Business developed the plan, and a partnership of centers at UNC, Duke University, chambers of commerce and philanthropic foundations built and tested the program with small businesses in North Carolina and Ohio in 2008. The program was formally launched in North Carolina in February and in Pennsylvania in June.

Green Plus is designed to provide small and medium sized employers with affordable educational tools and university assistance in becoming sustainable, access to a network of peers, and brand support in the form of certification for those organizations with exceptional sustainability performance.  “It has been a wonderful learning and networking process, becoming part of the Green Plus program,” said Zemo Trevathan of Zemo Trevathan & Associates.  “I have been very impressed with the track record the Institute for Sustainable Development has with providing concrete help to companies in fulfilling triple bottom line objectives.”

New Certified Green Plus Businesses

Bland Landscaping

Since 2005, Bland Landscaping has implemented a variety of environmental and social initiatives to reduce costs to the company, improve the lives of its employees, clients, vendors and reduce waste to the environment. Among other environmental initiatives, Bland Landscaping uses hybridized 4-mix engines instead of traditional 2 cycle engines when purchasing handheld tools, has an extensive recycling program, uses vehicles powered by B20 biodiesel, and uses environmentally friendly pesticides.  Bland Landscaping also prides themselves on social initiatives such as mandatory paid community service days each month, cultivation of elementary school gardens, and Habitat for Humanity landscaping projects.  Bland Landscaping is committed to a triple bottom line approach where people, profit, and planet are all equally emphasized.

Riley Life Industries, Inc.

Riley Life’s corporate values are passion, integrity, innovation, and sustainability. Riley Life, located in Durham, NC, provides outsourced service support including order fulfillment, kitting and packaging, product distribution and warehousing to sustainability-minded companies. Riley Life’s business philosophy relies heavily on the triple bottom line of sustainability: social, economic and environmental.

In their own words: “The namesake of Riley Life Industries – Riley Bingham – is a vivacious 2-year-old with her whole life ahead of her. With that in mind, we seek to understand the future implications of our actions by focusing on the economic, social, and environmental impacts of our business. We use 100% recyclable packaging materials, pay for gas for employees who carpool, and partner with sustainability-minded vendors. As a company, we participate in monthly community philanthropic activities and make the schedule available on our website.” While “going green” is generally associated with drinking lattes, wearing sandals with socks and smelling of patchouli oil, we like to think of it as making the world a better place for the cutest little girl on Earth.”

The Redwoods Group

The Redwoods Group, based in Morrisville, North Carolina, is the largest insurer of YMCAs in the country. The Redwoods Group’s motto is Serve Others, and it is dedicated to improving and protecting the communities that it serves.  In the company’s focus statement, President and CEO Kevin Trapani declares, “We strongly believe that business can and should be a powerful force for positive social change.”

The Wall Street Journal and the nonprofit organization Winning Workplaces named The Redwoods Group one of 15 winners of the 2008 Top Small Workplaces award. Redwoods, the first North Carolina company to win this prestigious award, competed against 800 businesses across the nation. The Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce selected Redwoods to receive its Smith Seal of North Carolina Sustainable Business Award, part of its 2009 Pinnacle Business Award competition. The company was recognized in April 2009 as a Green Plus Mover, having successfully completed the first phase of certification for Green Plus. The Triangle Business Journal recognized Redwoods as one of the 2008 50 fastest growing private companies in the Triangle and ranked the company sixth in its list of Top Corporate Philanthropists (first in size). The United Way of North Carolina selected the firm for its 2008 and 2007 Spirit of North Carolina award for Redwoods’ overall commitment to United Way and the community. Redwoods won the 2008 Best Model Campaign Award from the Triangle United Way. The Raleigh News & Observer touted Redwoods as the third “greenest” company in the Triangle for its 2007 environmental efforts. Sustainable North Carolina honored Redwoods with its 2007 Corporate Social Responsibility award.

Zemo Trevathan & Associates

Zemo Trevathan & Associates specializes in sustainability consulting, business value analytics and leadership coaching. Trevathan is known for his ability to create training environments that foster deep trust, collaboration, and effective communication in which team members and individuals uncover new skills and enhance existing ones.  In Zemo’s executive coaching as well as in trainings and team interventions, the focus is on aligning individuals and groups with their own intrinsic values and motivations so they can contribute fully and excel in the endeavors that matter most to them.

New Green Plus Movers

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants

The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants is the national professional association of CPAs. It has more than 350,000 members, including CPAs in business and industry, public practice, government, and education; student affiliates; and international associates. The AICPA sets ethical standards for the profession and U.S. auditing standards for audits of private companies; federal, state and local governments; and non-profit organizations; and develops and grades the Uniform CPA Examination.

The AICPA is one of 16 global accounting bodies holding membership in the Prince of Wales’ Accounting for Sustainability Forum.  Barry Melancon, AICPA president and CEO, and Bob Laux, member of the board of directors, represented the Institute at the Forum’s first event in December 2008 in the United Kingdom.

Business Class

Based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Business Class provides resources for managers and business owners who want to boost productivity and morale. “We have a passion for business and making it fun, satisfying and productive for all involved,” says Founder, Jan Bolick. Bolick has combined her experiences as a CEO, general manager, salesperson, leader, follower, organizer, volunteer, fundraiser, teacher, student and parent, to develop customized training and coaching programs to suit the needs of each client.

Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center

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. Over the years, Chapel Hill Tire Car Care Center has become the place to go for auto service and tires, and has come to symbolize excellence in tires and auto service.

Homewood Suites by Hilton Durham-Chapel Hill

Homewood Suites in Durham is an extended stay hotel that is committed to providing excellent service and accommodations to customers as well as setting an example to the industry about outstanding employee and environmental treatment.  Homewood Suites in Durham has recently retrofitted their facilities with energy efficient light bulbs and made a shift to a more environmentally friendly laundry detergent.  Homewood Suites hopes that its triple bottom line approach will serve as both a competitive edge in the hospitality industry as well as an example for other hotel chains to follow.

MG Capital Maintenance

MG Capital Maintenance is a minority owned and operated commercial janitorial company located in Morrisville, NC, that adheres to environmentally responsible cleaning practices by providing chemicals, equipment, paper and other supplies that are certified by the Green Seal and the CRI Green Label Testing Program. MG Capital Maintenance is also a member of the U.S. Green Building Council. MG Capital Maintenance recognizes that diversity contributes to the bottom line by increasing employee retention, lowering costs by developing skills in-house, and developing a reputation that helps attract new employees. 

Laser Plus

Laser Plus has offered quality recycled toner cartridges for 25 years. Over time Laser Plus has created a unique solid waste savings report, which customers can use internally and externally as proof of efforts they are making to reduce their carbon footprint. For example, last year one of Laser Plus’ insurance companies kept 1,724 pounds of solid waste out of our local landfills at a financial savings of $21,000. Laser Plus is committed to performing well in the profit margins, while treating employees well and doing their part to maintain environmental integrity.

One Minute Green

One Minute Green, based in Connecticut, provides a community web site with information about new green products, businesses, jobs, local green initiatives and projects. One Minute Green also works directly with consumers, small-to-medium sized businesses and organizations to identify cost-effective ways to save money, products and resources by going green.

Quality Staffing Specialists

Quality Staffing Specialists is a full-service staffing agency serving the needs of companies all over the Triangle area of North Carolina. Quality Staffing has grown to become the largest woman owned business in the Triangle. Quality Staffing Specialists began providing temporary help to the Triangle area of North Carolina in 1995. Their Triangle staff has over 122 years cumulative staffing and human resources experience. This, as well as their commitment to service, has led them to become one of the largest independently owned personnel services in the Triangle.

Springleaf Strategies

Springleaf Strategies helps companies to create a sustainability vision and marketing plan. By incorporating sustainability-focused decisions into daily operations, Springleaf Strategies is committed to making a positive impact on the business community. Sustainability is integrated into their mission.  Springleaf Strategies is always asking, “Is this the best alternative for the environment, the community, and the business?”