MARC Goes Green, Becomes First Certified Business in New Program
The non-profit Green Living & Energy Education (GLEE) is pleased to announce Monroe Association for ReMARCable Citizens (MARC) as the first organization to become certified in GLEE’s Green Business Partner (GBP) Program. MARC participated as a pilot business in the program, which is now open to all Keys businesses.
Using the online tools available on the KeysGLEE.com website, MARC’s Green Team of staff members completed the program checklist, conducted a waste assessment and established a utility baseline for measuring the effectiveness of their conservation efforts. By working as a team, they were able to divide the work of implementation and establish a workplace atmosphere of cooperation and awareness.
Getting with the Program: (From left) GLEE board member Jeff Ruberg presents GLEE’s Green Business Certification to MARC Green Team members JoEll Bradbary, Alice Steryou and Rochelle Eanarino. MARC participated in a pilot of the program and is the first to be certified in the Green Business Partner Program that is now available to all businesses in the Keys.
The MARC Plant Store and Vocational Training Center, which include the Rainbow Café, plant nursery, classrooms and offices, are located at the May Sands School at 1401 Seminary Street.
MARC was certified following an on-site assessment and review of the nearly 36,000-square-foot facility. Businesses in the GBP program are certified once they have met the program requirements that address waste reduction, water, energy and resource conservation and standard environmental practices.
Among the green measures taken by MARC were establishing a commercial recycling account, composting food scraps, programming thermostats, reducing water usage by installing aerators in bathrooms and installing two rain barrels for use in the nursery. Other energy and resource conservation measures have been included in policy procedures, job descriptions and postings on bulletin boards to keep staff and clients informed.
Composting is easy! (From left) MARC clients Anita Milian and Serina Sehorne help MARC reduce waste by composting food scraps from the Rainbow Café. MARC staff member JoEll Bradbary leads the organization’s Green Team, an effort that has resulted in certification through GLEE’s Green Business Partner Program.
“Glee shared valuable contact information, resources and a structured checklist to assist us with our planning,” said Green Team Leader JoEll Bradbary. “Before we joined the pilot program, we had attempted some greening on our own, but we were stalled in our progress. Through the material provided we were able to make many small changes that save money in addition to lessening our impact on the environment.”
As a certified Green Business Partner, MARC has been presented a framed certification, a GBP seal in the form of window decals and an electronic logo to publicize MARC’s accomplishment and commitment to the environment. Other benefits include a listing in GLEE’s Green Business Directory, access to the online Green Forum and Green Resource page, all to be found on the KeysGLEE.com website.
“Our next step at MARC is to share this information with our residential facilities to further the financial savings and environmental conservation,” said Bradbary. “We are proud of the work we’ve done and for becoming certified as a Green Business Partner with GLEE.”