Boston—Eight Boston companies were certified as “Sustainable Business Leaders” at a Boston City Hall ceremony today, having completed the Sustainable Business Leader Program (SBLP)—a comprehensive certification program of the Sustainable Business Network (SBN) that supports local businesses in improving their environmental practices and reducing their carbon footprint.
Galen Nelson, Green Tech Business Manager, Boston Re-Development Authority, President of SBN and Director of the SBLP, Laury Hammel, and James Hunt, Boston Chief of Environmental and Energy Services all shared comments about the significance of the SBLP and offered congratulations to the “Sustainable Business Leaders”. The eight graduating companies that were partly funded by the Air Pollution Control Commission, received their official “Sustainable Business Leader’ certification from James Hunt.
“The Sustainable Business Network is thrilled to have worked with the Air Pollution Control Commission to bring this program to a diverse range of Boston businesses,” said Laury Hammel, Director of the SBLP. “With forty-four companies now certified as Sustainable Business Leaders, this program continues to raise the bar for sustainable business practices in Massachusetts.”
SBLP-APCC Boston Graduates Beacon Hill Athletic Club, City Feed and Supply, Economy Hardware, Fornax Bakery, Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates, Inc., New Boston Fund, Inc., State Room and Tarlow, Breed, Hart & Rodgers, P.C. earned the SBLP certification by completing the rigorous six-step SBLP process and reducing their collective carbon footprint. Measurable and significant changes were identified and implemented in areas including Energy Efficiency, Water Conservation, Waste Reduction, Transportation Management, Pollution Prevention, and Sustainability Management.
“Through the SBLP we have had great success with getting employees involved in our green initiatives”, said Carolina Pabon, Marketing Manager, Economy Hardware. “Our participation in the SBLP has deepened our commitment to sustainability as a company.”
Participating companies saw both tangible and intangible benefits of the program. Many companies saw financial savings as a result of lowering consumption of energy and water and diverting their waste stream into recycling and compost.
“The SBLP does a great job of addressing the triple bottom line,” said James Hunt, “and has expanded the network of small business leaders working to become sustainable“
With over sixty participating companies, the SBLP continues to grow and assist small to medium sized businesses “green” their operations, collectively reducing their carbon footprint in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville.
The Sustainable Business Network of Greater Boston (SBN) launched the Sustainable Business Leader Program (SBLP) in 2008 through a partnership with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). The objective of the SBLP is to provide guidance, support, and technical assistance to facilitate the ‘greening’ of small and medium‐sized locally owned businesses in Massachusetts. Through a six-step process the SBLP identifies and helps implement affordable and actionable changes in six areas including Energy Efficiency, Water Conservation, Recycling and Waste Reduction, Transportation, Pollution Prevention, and Sustainability Management.
Visit http://www.sustainablebusinessleader.org/
For more information, please contact:
Adritha Subbiah at adritha@sustainablebusinessleader.org
or visit http://www.facebook.com/sustainablebusinessleader
