The nearly 100 Westchester firms who participated in the fourth annual Westchester Green Business Challenge (WGBC), led by County Executive Robert P. Astorino and The Business Council of Westchester, are living proof that green business practices can make sound business sense.
“Companies of all sizes and industries are realizing that implementing sustainable business practices is a win-win for the environment and for the bottom line,” said Astorino at the event recognizing the winners on Thursday, June 5, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in White Plains.
Founded in 2009 as a private-public partnership between Westchester County and The Business Council, the WGBC aims to educate and inspire all Westchester businesses to move down the path toward environmental sustainability while improving performance and saving money. To date over 275 local businesses have joined the WGBC.
For 2014, six Westchester-based firms were singled out for outstanding green business leadership in the following categories:
· Outreach & Organizational Commitment: Hendrick Hudson Free Library (Montrose)
· Energy: The Colonial Needle Company (White Plains)
· Waste Management & Green Products: Diamond Properties (Mount Kisco)
· Transportation: New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division (White Plains)
· Land Use: Friends of Hilltop Hanover Farm (Yorktown Heights)
· Water Resources: Doubletree Tarrytown (Tarrytown)
In addition, Reckson, a division of SL Green Realty Corp., one of the largest commercial property managers in Westchester County and a leading proponent of sustainable tenant spaces, was awarded the Charles W. Brown, Jr. Sustainability Award, in recognition of its market-leading sustainability program. The prestigious award was established two years ago in memory of the founder and owner of C.W. Brown, the Armonk-based firm that became the first existing facility in Westchester to receive LEED Platinum Certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Reckson’s Director of Sustainability Jay Black is hoping the challenge will spur other Westchester businesses to embrace green sensibilities. “Reckson is honored to receive this environmental award in recognition of our market leading sustainability program. We hope that this achievement, combined with our efforts now and in the future, will inspire others here in Westchester,” Black said.
