Maplewood honors green businesses

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MAPLEWOOD, NJ — Maplewood Mayor Vic DeLuca and Township Committeeman Frank McGehee honored the local businesses that participate in the Maplewood Green Business Program on Saturday, July 29, with a green ribbon cutting and a certificate presentation.

The Maplewood Green Business Program recognizes businesses that are striving to use sustainable practices in their business operations and to lower their environmental impact. The program was developed with the help from the Maplewood Chamber of Commerce, the Maplewood Village Alliance and the Springfield Avenue Partnership.

The program offers local businesses the chance to work with sustainability experts to lower their costs, increase their efficiencies and improve their bottom line.

The four businesses recognized on July 29 were Nuestra Tierra, Roman Gourmet, Maplewood Grille and ConsciousFork.

The Green Business Program is free of charge, easy to sign up for and offers businesses the following benefits: one-on-one free ongoing consultations with sustainability experts; free publicity as a leader in the business community through the program’s online marketing program, websites and window displays; discounts to Maplewood Green Day; green business workshops; goal-setting and measurement systems to track results; baseline assessments of current business operations, including energy, water and materials usage; lowered costs by increasing efficiencies in a business; reductions in environmental impacts, such as carbon footprint, and other sustainability risks and concerns; networking and information-sharing with sustainable business experts and the Maplewood business community; and assistance in joining the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry to gain support and aid in developing a competitive business strategy for sustainability.

For more information, visit http://www.maplewoodisgreen.org/greenbiz.

Photos Courtesy of Sheila Baker Gujral