Green Business Partnership Certifies Strauss Paper and Sustainable Westchester

Two Business Council members hosted ceremonies this week to celebrate their certification through the Green Business Partnership (GBP), a joint initiative of the BCW and Westchester County Government. Strauss Paper Co. and Sustainable Westchester completed a rigorous and rewarding process to become certified green businesses, making impactful changes in the way they use energy, land and water, and handle waste, purchasing and transportation. Con Edison has sponsored the program since its inception.

At Strauss Paper, BCW President and CEO Marsha Gordon recognized President and CEO Stu Strauss’s longstanding commitment to sustainable business practices, as well as his leadership role within the BCW as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Small Business Council. Stu and his team shared with attendees that they don’t just sell green products, but are a true green business – netting almost zero on energy use thanks to solar panels, using motion-activated lights throughout their buildings, offering employees a financial incentive to buy hybrid vehicles, and much more.

Sustainable Westchester also went above and beyond the requirements for the certification. Every member of the staff was on the “green team,” they got their landlord engaged in the process, and reached out to their landscaping company about lessening their environmental impact. Their own programs for local municipalities, including solarization, waste reduction, and use of electric vehicles and renewable energy sources, dovetail with the mission of the GBP.

To learn more about the Green Business Partnership, visit www.greenbusinesspartnership.org.