Press Release – February 3, 2014

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 3, 2014

CONTACT:
Green Business Program Santa Barbara County
Frances Gilliland, Program Director, 805 -705 -1686

Green Business Program of Santa Barbara County Certifies 18 New Green Businesses

Companies to be honored at luncheon event
Wednesday, February 5, 11:30 am
Santa Ynez Valley Marriott, Buellton

SANTA BARBARA, CA – The Green Business Program of Santa Barbara County will celebrate on February 5 the 18 new Santa Barbara County businesses to achieve the Green Business certification.

“The Green Business Program continues to work with so many amazing local companies. As a region, we are lucky to have business people who understand that environmental sustainability and economical sustainability truly go hand in hand,” says Frances Gilliland, Program Director.

Jacqueline Burge, Senior Director of Facilities at lynda.com, will give the keynote address. Also, as part of the luncheon event, the Southern California Gas Company will present their Energy Smart Award to MarBorg Industries.

“It’s great to see such a diverse group of businesses that have made the
commitment to becoming more sustainable. And it’s exciting to see the 1st
private automotive shop in Santa Barbara County achieve certification,” explains Alan Nakashima, Program Specialist, with County of Santa Barbara, Public Works Department, Resource Recovery & Waste Management Division.

The companies most recently certified are: Alliance Wealth Strategies (Santa Barbara), Ayers Automotive Repair (two locations in Santa Barbara), Backyard Bowls (La Cumbre Plaza, Santa Barbara), Demboski & Chapman (Santa Barbara), Encina Meadows Apartments Leasing Office & Common Areas (Goleta), McDonalds (Buellton), McDonalds (Santa Barbara), MedBridge (Santa Barbara), Peacocks Marching World (Goleta), The Refillery (Santa Barbara), Romaines and Root 217 (UCSB), Santa Barbara Adventure Company, Santa Barbara Extremity MRI, Santa Maria Chamber of Commerce, Sonos (Santa Barbara), Waste Management offices (Santa Maria), and Woody’s Butcher Block (Santa Maria).

“For the first time, businesses that were originally certified over three years ago will be honored for completing the recertification process. The following businesses have remained committed to their sustainability goals and have implemented additional actions to become even more sustainable: Kitson Landscape Management corporate offices (Goleta), Le Reve Organic Day Spa (Santa Barbara), Silvergreens (Santa Barbara), and the Santa Ynez Valley Marriott.

For more information on these businesses, plus a complete listing of all of the local Green Businesses, go to www.greenbizsbc.org.

The Green Business Program of Santa Barbara County is a county- wide effort partnering local governments, energy partnerships, special districts, non-profits, utilities, waste haulers, and chambers of commerce.

The Program recognizes businesses that go above and beyond required
measures to serve as models of sustainability. It also helps businesses save
money and enhance the environment. Certified businesses implement measures in the areas of waste reduction and recycling, environmentally preferable purchasing, energy efficiency and conservation, water conservation, air pollution prevention, and alternative transportation with a checklist tailored to their industry type. The program is free, voluntary, and offers assistance and incentives, including an official Green Business certification and various forms of free publicity, such as inclusion in an on-line directory of certified businesses, print and on-line advertising and recognition at meetings of governing bodies.

The program currently offers certification for the office/retail sector, restaurants, automotive shops, and lodging establishments. In the coming years, additional business types will be added to the program.

The Green Business Program also enables the public to find and support
businesses that care for our environment. Certified Green Businesses can
display a window decal, and consumers can search for businesses on the
program’s website, https://info.greenbizsbc.org/index.html

For more information, go to www.greenbizsbc.org.

Contact information for the certified businesses is available upon request.

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