Green Business Challenge Award Ceremony Slideshow

1. “ By being a part of the Green Business Challenge we were amazed by the simple adjustments made to our everyday routines that really make a difference.” Hawthorn Suites

2. “ Do unto the earth as you would have it do unto you” Auto Sound Specialists

3. “ Going into 2011, we had already planned a ‘refit’ of the restrooms at our HQ on Daniel Island. Spurred on by the Charleston Green Business Challenge, we installed hand dryers as a part of the work. With 32 restrooms in the building, this change is already helping us cut back on paper waste in a big way.” blackbaud

4. Berkeley Charleston Dorchester Council of Governments

5. Carolina Green Fair "I realized through the Green Business Challenge, how important it is to remember the little things we can accomplish day to day to be a more sustainable business operation."

6. The Green Business Challenge helped the Charleston Battery soccer team kick its environmental initiatives into high gear! Charleston Battery

7. Chastain Construction “ Doing the GBC made us realize how much effort we put into energy conservation and recycling. And it also pointed out areas of improvement.”

8. "By being a part of GBC, we were inspired to take our recycling efforts to the next level by obtaining co-mingle bin and cardboard bins for our entire plaza." Charleston Naturally

9. Holiday Inn Express and Suites Mt. Pleasant “ While taking part in the Green Business Challenge, we took advantage of it’s many resources to facilitate the improvement our green initiatives through making changes to our standard operating procedures. We were also thrilled to see the cohesion that our “green team” created between the management and entry level staff.”

10. Grubb & Ellis "It would be a shame for business to pollute this beautiful environment Charleston, SC provides us.“

11. Kiawah Island Golf Resort Since June 10th we've composted 14 tons with the County's food waste composting program. We've also been able to reduce the pounds of trash per guest by 37.7% since 2007. This figure will continue to improve as we capture more food from the landfill stream.

12. "By simply modifying the set points on our thermostat and shutting down unused equipment, we were able to significantly reduce our monthly energy bills. This also reduced the amount of individual space heater usage." McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture

13. "Navigating the wealth of information available today on how to incorporate sustainable strategies can be overwhelming, even for companies with green products and services. At Stubbs Muldrow Herin architects we encourage our clients (and each other internally) to identify and prioritize those items or areas that are important to the project. A modest shift is still a shift in the right direction. The Green Business Challenge provides helpful tools toward that shift without overwhelming participants." Stubbs Muldrow Herin Architects

14. “ We have always been a green minded company striving to share green building practices and products with our customers. The Green Business Challenge provided the tools for us to make changes that not only improve the outside environment but have improved the work environment for our employees and customers as well. We are thankful to have this opportunity and will continue to make changes to improve our company’s green strategies. “ Perrin Woodworking Perrin Woodworking, LLC

15. “ The program was very educational as to how we can do very basic things to cut down on our waste.” Stantec

16. Our involvement in the Green Business Challenge encouraged us, among other things, to take a closer look at our waste stream. With help from the Charleston County Recycling Program, we were able to significantly improve our recycling efforts. In addition to items we already recycled, we now include a large amount of plastics that used to go out as trash. On top of benefiting the environment and preserving landfill space, this has and will continue to save us considerable amounts in waste disposal fees. S&ME

17. “ Through simple (but creative) ways we are cutting our energy use and seeing what a big difference small easy changes can make.” The Sustainability Institute

18. Total Life Care "As a providers who are interested in helping patients achieve their best health through chiropractic and nutrition, joining Charleston green initiative just seemed like the next logical step for our office in setting the standard that we can all follow."

19. “ Wonder Works was proud to increase awareness of Recycling among our customers. Caroline Hearne is shown here with her “Going Green” Sillybandz that she developed. Each customer during Earth Week was given a pack complimentary. They were pumped! We were sooo proud of her!” says Christine Osborne, owner of Wonder Works, local toy stores in the Charleston area.” Wonder Works

20. “ Boeing South Carolina is proud to participate in the Green Business Challenge as we incorporate environmental improvements into our operations, products, and services.” Boeing

21. “ We loved participating in the Green Business Challenge! It took our efforts in environmental stewardship to the next level. We now have a staff member dedicated to leading these efforts and helping to make sure that we tread lightly on the earth. We hope that the efforts we make will be an example to other local businesses." Lowcountry Local First

22. Morris Financial Concepts Inc. The GBC has been great for our bottom line and for establishing our identity as a local leader in green business. Our participation has also helped raise employee, client, and community consciousness about the importance of reducing our environmental impacts

23. Charleston County Housing & Redevelopment Authority

24. Charleston Charter School for Math and Science “ By providing hands-on environmental education opportunities, we can help create the next generation of environmental leaders. The Green Business Challenge was an invaluable tool and motivator in this endeavor.”

25. Duvall Events “ Our proudest accomplishment for the GBC is our compost pile behind our kitchen. Not only has it brought our entire staff together for a common eco-friendly goal, but we have started growing things in our garden using the soil from our compost pile.”

26. City of Charleston- City Hall We reduced water use by over 11,000 gallons through use of low flow fixtures and conservative landscape irrigation.

27. Charles Ramberg Furnituremaker

28. Charleston County School District, 1 st and 2 nd Floors 75 Calhoun Street With our 3 rd floor neighbors we reduced our garbage by 60 % through recycling and reducing our waste .

29. Meadors Inc “ Stupid easy thing we did universally throughout the office. Not sexy, not creative but necessary.”

30. The Vision Center “ The GBC has been a great experience and I have learned a lot about how to make my small business even greener. I have been surprised by how receptive my staff have been to implementing these changes."

31. Osprey Inc. The GBC happened at the perfect time. Our clients wanted a more sustainably built home. The GBC offered some tips and gave us the support to get our office and subcontractors involved.

32. City of Charleston 3 rd Floor 75 Calhoun Participating in the GBC was a great way for 90 of our City peers to work together on a host of great ideas and to recognize our colleagues for their successes. With our neighbor, CCSD we cut our garbage by 60% through recycling and reducing our waste.

33. South Carolina Coastal Conservation League

34. Cantey Technology

35. American College Of The Building Arts The Green Business Challenge was an ACBA class project. Through our student's efforts, the project moved from Tier 4 to Tier 2, gaining 33 points in just one year.

36. Condon Law Firm

37. McGuire & Co.LLC We have encouraged sustainable practices from top down for years but the Challenge made our staff more aware and more willing to participate.

38. Ocean and Coastal Resource Management “ DHEC-OCRM is proud to be able to participate in the Green Business Challenge as it fits well with the overall Agency mission to promote good health, protect the environment, and ultimately prosper!" At this point in time, we are especially proud of our efforts in recycling which includes purchasing post consumer paper products.

39. Francis Marion Hotel

40. Law Office of Richard A Hricik PA From recycling batteries to a digital thermostat to drapes over a sun facing window, the GBC challenge has raised my awareness and has me actively looking at my energy use and the environmental impact in all aspects of my business. Food for thought - Rather than printing the materials, why not just post them on the web and give everyone a link? Save ink, paper, energy, etc.

41. Harbour View Inn

42. Medical University of South Carolina Anderson House Anderson House uses Geothermal for heating and cooling.

43. Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce We met our goal, and not only that, we are making a difference for not only the lives of our employees, but for the region. These are baby steps, but they are steps in the right direction.

44. South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control Region 7 "Teamwork makes everyday environmental choices even easier."

45. Money With A Mission/ First Affirmative “ Money with a Mission is all about green businesses and investing in them. The GBC is all about how we look in our own mirror, and try to measure up to best practices. Thanks for the opportunity!"

46. Abunda Trade

47. Trident Technical College

48. Medical University of South Carolina Institute Of Psychiatry

49. Charleston County Aviation Authority It was a pleasure initiating these items and challenging ourselves to improve!

50. Daniel Island Academy

51. The Citadel

52. Watson Tate Savory Liollio We thoroughly enjoyed our participation for 2010-2011 and look forward to another year of the Challenge.

53. Medical University of South Carolina College of Health Professions College of Health Professions recycled 27.2% of their waste.

54. Kiawah Island Community Association-Maintenance

55. Island Realty

56. All Mist specializes in cooling outdoor spaces - commercial, residential, agricultural, and special events. Their high pressure misting fans are an effective, efficient, and economical way to cool large areas.

57. Johnson Controls creates quality products, services and solutions to optimize energy and operational efficiencies of buildings; lead-acid automotive batteries and advanced batteries for hybrid and electric vehicles; and interior systems for automobiles. Johnson Controls’ has a strong commitment to sustainability and has helped the City of Charleston with energy and cost saving improvements totaling $13.5 million since 2001

58. Sustainable Warehouse is a nonprofit operating a vast warehouse housing building materials for reuse. They manage full scale deconstruction and soft strip to achieve the recycle and reuse rates that they think are necessary to relieve the burden on the landfill!

59. Blackbaud is a community of people with a strong commitment to corporate citizenship, who care, who seek to help nonprofits drive positive change in this world. Blackbaud is both a Green Business Challenge participant and a supporting sponsor.