The Charlottesville Area Better Business Challenge is a truly collaborative effort which is made possible with the dedicated people and organizations contributing volunteer hours, professional assistance, media coverage, and financial and community support. This commercial initiative has been brought to you by Better World Betty and LEAP.

In partnership with:

• City of Charlottesville
• Albemarle County
• Chamber of Commerce
• UVA Darden School of Business

Other Sponsors include:

• Whole Foods
• Harvest Moon Catering
• CREE Lighting
• T&N Printing
• UVA Community Credit Union
• Republic Services
• Batteries Plus Bulbs
• Rideshare
• Black Bear Composting
• T and N Printing

Media partners:

• C’ville Weekly
• WINA and 106.1 The Corner

 

A special thanks to the The Design Team, the core group of talented and dedicated members involved in crafting the details for the challenge Scorecard.

Original Design Team Members:

Cynthia Adams, LEAP

Annie Suttle, LEAP

Teri Kent, Better World Betty

Rachel Nelson, Better World Betty

Nancy Quirk, City of Charlottesville

Kristel Riddervold, City of Charlottesville

Susan Stimart, Albemarle County

Andy Lowe, Albemarle County

Erika Herz, UVA Darden School of Business

Andrew Greene, UVA

Hollie Lee, City of Charlottesville

Susan Elliott, Albemarle County
Better World Betty

Better World Betty is a grassroots non-profit organization founded in May 2007 and dedicated to addressing the issues of global climate change with local solutions. Betty’s mission is to empower people and businesses with the tools they need to adopt more sustainable behaviors in a fast, fun, and friendly way. Since January 2008, the organization’s online and in-person efforts have gained wide-spread community support, reaching over 100,000 people a month through an online, radio, print presence and various local events. Key staff includes Teri Kent, Program Manager, and community members including Lindsay Check Snoddy, Environmental Compliance Manager Albemarle County Schools; Erika Herz, Director of Sustainability Programs; Ted Horn, co-owner Martin Horn Construction; and April Muniz,Community Liaison for Harvest Moon Catering. Better World Betty was chosen among area non-profits as a winner of the CNE/CCDC Civic Action Challenge for her innovative solutions to the problems facing our community, specifically in the environmental arena.  Better World Betty is a program of the United Charitable Programs.

 

LEAP – Local Energy Alliance Program

The Local Energy Alliance Program is a community-based nonprofit that provides energy efficiency resources and support to residential and commercial property owners in Albemarle, Louisa, Fluvanna, Greene, and Nelson Counties, and the City of Charlottesville in Central Virginia. Our goals are to lead the effort in our local community to conserve water and energy in buildings to promote cost savings, job creation, sustainability, local economic development, and environmental stewardship. Leveraging and bundling existing incentives from all levels of government and local utilities, LEAP provides local residents and property owners with a one-stop shop of who to call, what to do, and how to pay for it when it comes to saving energy and money through building efficiency.

Established in the fall of 2009 with the formation of its Governance Board, LEAP is a 501c3 nonprofit, and we rely extensively on an “alliance” model of public-private partnership. LEAP staff meet regularly with local government, utilities, contractors, institutes of higher learning and workforce development, building owners, and other industry stakeholder groups. As the southeast’s model for a community-based energy efficiency program, LEAP offers a local Virginia perspective and experience in the fields of marketing, communications, community outreach and engagement, building science sustainability and energy efficiency. LEAP’s on-the-ground knowledge of structuring and promoting new programs in our community means we are ideally suited to work with Better World Betty in the development and implementation of this business challenge. LEAP was also chosen by the Center for Nonprofit Excellence as a winner of the CNE/CCDC Civic Action Challenge for innovative solutions to problems facing our local community.

Funded initially from a competitive grant from the Southeast Energy Efficiency Alliance, LEAP has been the recipient of three Department of Energy (DOE) grants this past year to grow energy efficiency in different building sectors (residential, commercial, and multifamily). LEAP is staffed by five full-time employees, six interns, and multiple community volunteers.

 

Better World Betty Interns:

• Daenuka Muraleetharan, Better Business Challenge Outreach Intern
• Anna Joyce Gayle, Social Media Maven
• Sarah Turkaly, Resource Development Summer Intern

 

 

 

Besides participating, how can you help?

Be a Better Business Challenge SPONSOR
We do need more volunteers. Email: [email protected] or contact Teri Kent: 434.466.5157