Fayetteville chamber launches “GreeNWAy” initiative for member businesses to show environmental commitment | News

By Christopher Spencer

The Fayetteville Chamber of Commerce held a press conference this morning to announce a new program called the GreeNWAy Initiative. The effort provides a certification and brand for member companies to display to show their commitment to environmental standards.

The program is billed as way for companies to implement better environmental practice in an affordable fashion. Chamber President Steve Clark said its the first such city-wide initiative he is aware of in the nation.

The unusual punctuation of the name highlights the “NWA” connection, he said.

The chamber teamed up with the University of Arkansas’ Sam Walton School of Business, the Sustainability Center and Students in Free Enterprise  to establish the program which launches with four pilot businesses.

T.J. Angeleno is general manager at the Courtyard By Marriott, one of the pilot businesses in the GreeNWAy Initiative. Angeleno said his company is seeking Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification for the hotel, but that process is lengthy and expensive.

“A lot of small business don’t have the, say $30,000 to $50,000, to invest to become LEED certified,” he said.

This new program offers small businesses a chance to implement some of the standards and establishes an independent body to make sure they are adhered to over time, he said.

The chamber will allow the company to display the logo and give them a “Green” ribbon cutting once they are certified, Clark said.

Cashion East, a research analyst with the university’s Applied Sustainability Center, dismissed the idea that the new program was a feel good program with strong marketing but little substance.

“There are standards and measurements taken,” explained East. Data will be collected from member businesses and, while the companies themselves will be anonymous to the public, the data can be used as an aggregate to show progress or problems in moving the city forward toward using less resources, he said.

A team of volunteer university students will do an independent audit of each of the member companies. Those teams will check for compliance to the environmental checklist created by the initiative committee.

That checklist is available HERE (Right click to download the document). It is made up of elements from LEED certification and other U.S. Green Building Council standards.

East said he is excited about the checklist’s requirement that companies form environmental plans and educate their employees about those issues. That education can create a ripple effect into employees’ homes, he said.

Clark said chamber members who wish to participate will be charged a fee every two years based on their company size; between $50 and $700, depending on the number of employees.

A company representative will also be required to attend on one hour of ongoing education in environmental education four times a year to remain certified, he said.

It will not be revenue-producing program for the chamber, but does take the city forward in promoting its commitment to using resources wisely, he said.

SIMILAR POSTS

• Sierra Club panel Thursday about Fayetteville’s new high school | Press Release at 2:20 PM on September 1, 2009
• Chamber using city money to mend Fayetteville’s fragmented image among prospective businesses at 12:38 AM on February 2, 2010
• Newsweek names Wal-Mart 59th among green corporations; Company buys No. 1 slot for green reputation | Opinion at 4:37 PM on September 23, 2009
• Online overhaul: Fayetteville’s new economic development team tackles web presence first at 6:56 PM on October 15, 2009
• Bikes, Blues and BBQ adds new board member, third new member this year | Press Release at 12:57 PM on December 15, 2009