Business & Tech

Eastside Green Business Challenge Takes Root in Redmond

The regional sustainability initiative is bringing local businesses together to engage in some friendly eco-competition.

Participants in the Eastside Green Business Challenge gathered together in Redmond for the first time Tuesday to network and share strategies for becoming more sustainable and energy efficient.

The Eastside Sustainable Business Alliance launched the free program last November in Bellevue but is continuing to attract participants from throughout the Eastside, including Redmond, Kirkland, Sammamish, Mercer Island, Renton, Bellevue and Issaquah.

Paul Andersson, a program administrator with the City of Bellevue who is helping organize the Eastside Green Business Challenge, said more than 70 businesses and other groups have already signed up for the challenge. The project's main goals are to recruit 100 participants by the end of 2012 and collectively save 10,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions and $2 million in operating costs, Andersson said.

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At Tuesday's meeting, held at the Lake Washington School District Resource Center in Redmond Town Center, a panel of local businesses shared their strategies for effectively adopting more sustainable business practices. Many of the speakers talked about how going green can not only cut down on costs but also help employee retention and corporate culture.

Matt Galvin, co-owner of the local Pagliacci Pizza chain, said many of his company's sustainable business practices were initiated by workers who wanted their employer to do more to help the environment. Aside from looking to reduce costs, Galvin said sustainability is important to his business because it embodies the values of the Pagliacci community.

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"This is what we believe...(and) doing the right thing for our business and for our community is obviously important," he said.

Throughout the year, businesses that participate in the challenge will upload their progress to an online scorecard that will award points for efforts in varying categories, including water, waste, energy and transportation. At the end of 2012, the companies with the most points in different groupings will be recognized at an awards ceremony.

Trina Carlstrom, a senior manager at Microsoft who also serves on the Eastside Sustainable Business Alliance advisory board, said Microsoft is "100 percent behind the challenge" and will use the online scorecard to help track the company's progress toward its own carbon reduction goals.

"It'll be fun to use the challenge as one of the tools we use to see how we're doing," she said.

For more information on the Eastside Green Business Challenge or to sign up, visit the challenge website or contact Andersson at PAndersson@BellevueWA.gov or 425-452-6129.



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