Green Business Program ready for Launch We are pleased to announce our new Sustainable Sandhills Green Business Program (GBP). The goal of the GBP is to expand the adoption of sustainable practices in our communities by encouraging local businesses to “green” their operations. Read More >>

We are pleased to announce our new Sustainable Sandhills Green Business Program (GBP). The goal of the GBP is to expand the adoption of sustainable practices in our communities by encouraging local businesses to “green” their operations, to reward these leaders, and to track the combined program results in dollars saved and resources conserved.

We are also excited to announce partnerships between Sustainable Sandhills and Docks at the Capital, the Public Works Commission (PWC) of Fayetteville, the Cumberland County Library System, the Cumberland Community Foundation, The Apple Crate, the CAMEO Art House Theatre, McKim and Creed, and Olde Fayetteville Insurance. Each of these businesses has agreed to be a “pilot participant,” assisting with program design and evaluation during the first quarter of 2008, in preparation for an April 10, 2008, rollout.

The program will be open to businesses across our eight county region, but will initially focus on Cumberland County, where the program is being supported in part by a grant from the Cumberland Community Foundation. We hope to have participants and support from across the entire region by the end of 2008.

This innovative program will help to reduce waste, promote recycling, encourage energy and water efficiency, encourage the use of green products, limit transportation emissions and educate employees, customers and other businesses regarding these issues. These are but a few examples of the ways businesses and our communities will benefit from the Green Business Program.

The GBP will initially be offered to businesses in two sectors: office/retail and restaurants/grocers. We plan to add a hotel/motel sector program in the near future. Each sector will have four checklists focused on the following areas:

• General Awareness
• Solid Waste
• Water Efficiency
• Energy Efficiency

Each checklist includes several required measures and a number of optional measures. The optional measures allow businesses flexibility on their path to certification. The business may already satisfy a number of the measures and YES, would receive credit for those existing practices! There may also be green practices that have already been implemented—maybe some that we have not thought to include on our Checklists—so we want businesses to share those with us! We expect to learn as much (or more) from our program participants as they do from being part of the program. The procedure for periodic reporting from participants will also allow us to track the results of the program as the pool of participants grows.

All participants that gain certification will receive a window decal, an electronic logo for use in their own marketing efforts, and will be recognized in the local media, as well as in our newsletters and on our website. We’ll also host an annual awards program to reward the leaders in each sector for innovation and effort.

Jodi Hajosy is our Green Business Program Coordinator, and is currently working with our pilot participants to put the finishing touches on the program before its April 1 rollout date. She is originally from Pittsburgh, PA, but has lived all over the country and world. She has years of experience with Industrial Occupational and Environmental programs, and we are fortunate to have her on staff to develop and administer the GBP. Jodi holds a BS in Environmental Health with minors in Biology and Safety Science and an MS in Occupational and Environmental Health. She is also fluent in Spanish. She and her husband are the proud parents of three children; Yuri (8), Max (4), and Elizabeth (2).

For more information on the Sustainable Sandhills Green Business Program, check the Green Business Program information on our website (under programs), or email Jodi at jodiph@sustainablesandhills.org or call her at 9104849098.