SUNY Orange, Greenopia partner with Chamber on unique program
July 25, 2011
Taylor Biomass Energy, L.L.C., became the first member of the Orange County Chamber of Commerce to become certified as sustainable under a unique new partnership among the Chamber, SUNY Orange and Greenopia — an industry leader in green-rated brands and services.
In a special ceremony today, Taylor Biomass CEO Jim Taylor accepted the certification and “green” sticker that declare the waste-to-energy facility as sustainable based on Greenopia’s stringent rating system that substantiates the level of eco-commitment by business and industry.
Greenopia publishes directories in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco of eco-friendly retailers, service providers and organizations based on extensive research that determines the validity of the products and services they offer.
”This program establishes a credible system to substantiate the levels of eco-commitment by Orange County businesses and will revolutionize the way we do business in Orange County,” said Chamber President Dr. John D’Ambrosio of the new partnership.
“The sustainability movement has generated great momentum across the country and I believe this program will help Orange County begin to make considerable gains in this important area,” he said. “The business community is generally viewed as not being committed to being green or sustainable and this kind of initiative will help dispel that notion.”
How the Sustainability Certification program works
Businesses interested in certification should visit www.orangeny.com and complete a preliminary application. The Chamber will forward completed applications to Greenopia, which will review them. An invoice for the certification fee will be sent to the applicant, who will then be contacted by a student intern from SUNY Orange for further review of the business’ suitability for certification. The intern will submit a report to Greenopia. When Greenopia approves the application, the business will receive a sustainability sticker and promotion by the Chamber as having achieved certification. The program is open to Chamber members only.
