Awards Night at the Paramount

Inaugural Better Business Challenge Winners Announced

June 21, 2012

Charlottesville, VA — The Better Business Challenge culminated a year-long effort to bring awareness to environmental stewardship and cost-savings opportunities for energy efficiency, water/waste/transportation reduction strategies in the business community on Thursday night at the Paramount Theater.  106 area businesses have been in competition since June 2011 to increase their efficiency and sustainability as well as earn recognition for their sustainability efforts by looking at six key areas of their daily operations:  energy, water, transportation, waste, purchasing and leadership!    At the heart of the Challenge was the online “Scorecard” which businesses used to decide which action items they would strive to complete.  Over 400 people attended six Lunch n’ Learn workshops and over a dozen networking events throughout the contest.  The following is a list of award winners and highlights of their actions.

2012 AWARD WINNERS (listed in order received at Awards Night with a highlight of their action)

Restaurant Superstar For overcoming unique obstacles inherent in food service industry through their creative composting/gardening

Blue Moon Diner

Replaced dishwasher sprayer with high efficiency model

New composting efforts recycle 100% of pre-consumer and 25% of post-consumer food waste

Stridemaker Award Greatest leap forward in a single category through going paperless

Woodard Properties

Going paperless will saves 1500-2000 sheets of paper a month and about $3000 worth of toner a year!

Ripple Effect Winner Excellence in environmental stewardship, as shown through a strong dedication to complete community engagement

Church of the Incarnation

Launched youth program about environmental stewardship “Stomp Out Your Carbon Footprint: Walking in the Footsteps of Jesus”

Rain barrels and composting help their community garden, which is used to feed families in need

Kilowatt Crackdown Winner Recognizes the largest reduction in energy use based on the points earned on the Energy Scorecard

State Farm

Charlottesville Operations Facility earned a 96 Energy Star Rating

GreenBlue

Utilized task lighting, installed curtains, and programmable thermostat, and LEAP gave staff a presentation on energy efficiency at home and work

Biggest “Loser” (waste reduction) Recognizes the larges reduction of waste achieved based on the points earned on the Waste Scorecard

GreenBlue

Compost bins in kitchen and bathroom collect 40% or more of their waste

Green Leader Demonstrates outstanding leadership in the business community with implementing high-impact measures

JAUNT

Installed a rain garden to help clean run-off water which flows into significantly polluted Moore’s Creek

Added timers to vending machines

Committed to installing new technology interlocking permeable pavers – will give tours to community

Top Innovator Business that stands out for its ingenuity and is not afraid to think outside the box

Virginia Eagle Distributing

Installed solar panels on top of tractor trailer to keep the lift gates charged (5 month ROI)

Achieved $33,000+ savings from recycling cardboard 6-pack containers

2012 BETTER BUSINESS CHAMPIONS Highest Total Earned Points in the Challenge

Carpet Plus

Founders of “Re-cork Cville” – a wine cork recycling program

Installed energy-saving window tinting

The Paramount Theater

Installed new cold cathode energy-efficient lights for marquee, which use 3 watts and last 25,000 hrs

VMDO Architects

Adopted 2030 Challenge to reduce energy use in our buildings by 50%

Alloy Workshop

No daylighting needed in the office with their 5 solar tubes and 3 skylights

Jefferson Madison Region Library

Installed higher efficiency HVAC system and increased our recycling efforts

Albemarle County Service Authority

Achieved 40% water reduction with installation of low flow faucets and fixtures

Established no idling policy!

What people are saying about the Challenge:

“We have been thrilled at the success of these businesses – finding creative ways to reduce waste and use less energy, tapping the latest innovations to save water, and establishing best practices to get the biggest bang for their buck with all of these operational improvements.  And what’s good for our local business is good for the Charlottesville area. Initiatives like the Better Business Challenge promote the long-term economic vitality, resiliency, and sustainability of our community,” Teri Kent, Project Manager, Better Business Challenge, Executive Director Better World Betty

“The Better Business Challenge really underscored for LEAP how much interest local businesses have in saving on energy costs. We had over 100 attendees at our lunch n’ learns on energy efficiency and lighting and did multiple presentations for the employees of Challenge participants. We look forward to continuing to help our community save money and create a more productive work environment,” Cynthia Adams, Executive Director of LEAP (Local Energy Alliance Program)

“Albemarle County is excited about the success of the first year of the Better Business Challenge and thinks that the program exemplifies the stewardship philosophy supported by the County and embraced by our business community, in addition to promoting smart, innovative business practices that improve efficiency and profitability,” Lee Catlin, Assistant to the County Executive for Community and Business Partnerships, Albemarle County

“The Better Business Challenge encouraged all of us to consider the environment as a factor in best business practices,” Jason Williams, Facilities Manager, The Paramount Theater

“The Lunch n’ Learn workshops have been amazingly useful,” Donna Shaunesey, Executive Director, JAUNT

“We have always welcomed input from our customers, but the Challenge has directed those suggestions in ways that have really helped inspire us to action!” Laura Galgano, Owner, Blue Moon Diner

The Charlottesville Area Better Business Challenge was a grant-funded, locally-sponsored initiative led by Better World Betty and LEAP aimed at helping businesses incorporate sustainability into their daily operations.  Key partners included the City of Charlottesville, Albemarle County, the Regional Chamber of Commerce, Darden Graduate School of Business and the James River Green Building Council. Sponsors included the UVA Community Credit Union, Dominion Virginia Power, ColonialWebb, Van der Linde Recycling, Piedmont Housing & Realty, CBRE, Rideshare and T&N Printing. Media Partners included 106.1 The Corner, WINA and C-VILLE Weekly.

For more details or to schedule an interview, please call Teri Kent, Project Manager at 434.466.5157.

Website: http://www.cvillebetterbiz.org

Twitter:  @CvilleBetterBiz

Email: mailto:teri@betterworldbetty.org

Facebook: “Charlottesville Better Business Challenge”