The Fairhaven Sustainability Committee has launched the Sustainable Business Recognition Program. Use this QR code to learn more.
Written by Tim Garcia for the Fairhaven Sustainability Committee
The Fairhaven Sustainability Committee is committed to providing the town, its residents and businesses with ways in which direct or indirect actions affect our future in positive ways. Our purpose is to help guide projects and provide guidance that balances economic, social, and ecological needs. Committee members are kiosks of information pertaining to all Green Initiatives because it’s literally what they do.
Think of our recycling program we have throughout town: every two weeks those orange lids are outside and we’re reducing waste by 32.1%. In addition, for those who participate, compost pick-ups are becoming available reducing our remaining waste by another 30%.
These are the easiest green initiatives for all of us to relate to because we’ve seen, heard, know of or even participated in them at some point throughout our lives. Consider this, recycling and composting are just a drop of water compared to the vast ocean of all the possible green initiatives out there.
Growth in green initiatives has risen in recent years, this includes: Clean energy jobs increased 50% in five years; Electric vehicle sales quadrupled and public EV chargers increased by 70%; and the most impressive is 99.5% of businesses throughout the Commonwealth are local small businesses.
What do local small businesses have to do with successful growth in green initiatives?
Local small businesses are vital to our economy, especially here in Fairhaven. They act as customers, vendors, employees, and partners to each other supporting a strong sense of community in ways some of us might overlook.
Small businesses help our local environment in many ways, including: reducing transportation, supporting local farms, using eco-friendly practices, and of course reducing waste, just to name a few.
The Fairhaven Sustainability Committee is inspired by our local businesses which is why they have developed the Sustainable Business Recognition Program. This provides an avenue for the much-needed recognition our local businesses deserve.
Local small businesses may not employ a dedicated Sustainability Director, or EHS Officer spearheading projects for them. They just do it themselves. Incorporating sustainable efforts, green initiatives, and environmental impacts every day into their business models all on their own. Embedded into their core mission statements are many aspects the Fairhaven Sustainability Committee fully supports.
The Sustainable Business Recognition Program offers more than just a place to showcase what green initiatives local businesses are practicing. It’s another avenue for education. Recognizing their sustainable practices sheds away any confusions and difficulties when new or current local businesses strive to perform their own green initiatives because these successful examples are out there.
September 2024, Fairhaven Sustainability Committee launched the Sustainable Business Recognition Program. Applications are now being accepted on the Sustainability Committee’s website for all local business wishing to participate: Fairhaven-ma.gov/sustainability-committee
Recognition and education aren’t the only aspects this program offers. For more information on the Sustainable Business Recognition Program, the most current updates, and other green initiatives the committee is rolling out visit the website or click on the QR codes wherever shown.
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