Welcome to a Green Phoenix—at least Phoenix Arizona will put on its Green face this week as the Greenbuild ‘09 Conference and Expo takes over the town.
Even before I got to the Convention Center floor, I noticed signs of Greenbuild’s impact. Here at the Wyndham Hotel where I am staying, there are recycling boxes in every hallway, the plastic trash can liners have been removed in all the rooms, and they even served drinks at the bar without paper napkins for coasters. I’m not certain if these practices were in place prior to the event, but the hotel seems to be taking some extra steps toward sustainability that will hopefully take root as an everyday routine.
The Evergreen team is to here to launch its Evergreen Assured initiative. We developed this new concept to help inform and educate the general public about the companies out there that are making strides toward sustainability. We wanted to create an inclusive model to encourage different kinds of business organizations—whether big or small—to add to their sustainability practices and continue to improve them.
We also wanted to create a means to guide consumers to make informed choices when they purchase Green products and services. Through the Evergreen Assured Quality Standard of Commitment, we want to help conscious consumers to easily identify those companies (who display the seal) as ones that are currently using sustainable manufacturing and other business practices as well as those dedicated to improving their commitment to doing better. Evergreen Assured wants to influence other companies to take a look at their supply chain, to see where they are obtaining raw resources and materials and to be “cradle to cradle” conscious of a product’s life cycle.
We are thrilled at how our idea has already been received prior to Greenbuild and are excited to get additional feedback from all the great companies attending the Phoenix Conference. Green is no longer just a social movement as events like Greenbuild have proven—Green is now an economic movement. It is truly reassuring to me to see how it is changing the way that daily business is being conducted starting right here in Phoenix with my temporary residence at the downtown hotel where I am writing today.
No comments:
Post a Comment