More than 125 companies in Westchester County were honored June 6 for their active roles in the Westchester Green Business Challenge (WGBC) at the program”™s third annual recognition night in White Plains.
The evening”™s co-hosts, County Executive Robert P. Astorino and Marsha Gordon, president and CEO of The Business Council of Westchester, recognized outstanding achievements by six Westchester-based firms in the following categories:
- Outreach: Metropool/511NY Rideshare, West Harrison.
- Energy: Reckson, a Division of SL Green Realty Corp., White Plains.
- Waste Management & Green Products: Curtis Instruments, Mount Kisco.
- Transportation: Verizon Communications Inc., White Plains.
- Land Use: Diamond Properties L.L.C., Mount Kisco.
- Water Resources: Crowne Plaza Hotel White Plains.
“The momentum behind this program is immense,” said Astorino, “and it will only continue to grow as more and more companies realize that implementing sustainable business practices is a win-win for the environment and for your bottom line.”
A special award this year, The Charles W. Brown  Jr. Sustainability Award,  was presented in memory of the founder and co-owner of C.W. Brown Inc., the Armonk-based contracting company whose renovated headquarters was the first in the county to receive LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Lisa Moir accepted the award on behalf of The Blue Pig, an artisan ice cream shop in Croton-on-Hudson that has applied sustainable business practices to every area of operation, ranging from a rooftop garden and local ingredients to a sustainable supply chain and employee training on green practices.
Founded three years ago as a public-private partnership between Westchester County and The Business Council of Westchester, the WGBC is a nonprofit organization designed to educate and inspire all Westchester businesses to move toward environmental sustainability in their operations while improving performance and saving money. The WGBC has attracted more than 250 local businesses and green vendors to date. Con Edison has been the program”™s platinum sponsor since 2010.
“It has been enormously satisfying to see this program take flight in Westchester County and become a model for other green business programs around the country,” Gordon said. “Employers from all industries have realized that sustainability is an essential ingredient to their long-term success and ability to retain the most talented workforce.
“I would encourage all businesses in Westchester to sign up for this program if they haven”™t already done so,” said Gordon.
