Lower Keys Chamber Becomes Green Certified Business
The Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce & Visitor Center is the second business to be certified in the GLEE Green Business Partner program. LKCC staff and directors completed the requirements within weeks of downloading the online tools to help them green their operation.
Among the improvements at the site are recycling bins for visitors and staff, which has reduced the amount of solid waste and may eventually lead to savings in waste hauling expenses. Use of recycled office paper and 2-sided printing have also been adopted.
The Green Team, with the help of chamber directors, improved energy conservation at the 1,500 square-foot facility with new weather stripping on doors and windows, and will replace T-12 florescent lighting with T-8, which consume 40 percent less energy.
The team learned through a free KEYS Energy audit that they can also save by adding insulation to their ceiling. It is estimated that energy consumption can be reduced by 20 to 40 percent when ceilings and attics are properly insulated. “We have an old window AC unit that will be replaced with an Energy Star unit when the time comes,” said Carole Stevens, LKCC Executive Director.
Other savings will come from setting the water heater to 120 degrees and installing a timer so that water is heated only during business hours.
As for water conservation, low-flow (1 gal. per min.) faucet aerators and low-flow toilets (1.6 gal. per flush) were already in use in the visitor center bathrooms.
The GLEE Green Business Partner program is available to all Florida Keys businesses. More information about the program and the downloadable tools are available at www.keysglee.com.
Cutline: Lower Keys Chamber of Commerce (LKCC) has been certified as a GLEE Green Business Partner. Attending the presentation are (from left) staff Green Team Leader Andy Rogers, staff member Joan Herzing, LKCC President Erica I. Garrick-Rodriguez, GLEE Board Member Nicole Medina, LKCC Executive Director Carole Stevens, and staff member Krystal Siwek. After completing the Green Business Program requirements, including an extensive checklist, waste assessment form and baseline utility tracker, the LKCC scheduled and passed an on-site assessment.