| Green Acorn Certification Program |
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February 9, 2010,
Volume 56, No. 21
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Shortly after being selected among the first round of Penn Green Fund award recipients, the Penn Environmental Group has announced its first round of local businesses to become certified as part of the group’s new Green Acorn Business Certification Program.
Milk & Honey Market on 44th & Baltimore Ave and the Hub Bub Coffee truck that sets up shop on 38th & Locust Streets, have both met Green Acorn certification standards as outlined by the Penn Environmental Group (PEG).
Conceived by PEG members and funded by the Penn Green Fund, the Green Acorn Business Certification Program is a streamlined certification process for businesses that use sustainable practices. The objective of the program is to support the goals outlined by Penn’s Climate Action Plan and ultimately lead Philadelphia toward becoming a center for green businesses by encouraging local businesses to reduce their consumption of natural resources and energy.
The program promotes healthy lifestyles and community building on and around the Penn campus. By raising awareness at the retail level, local businesses will benefit from lowered energy and water use, reduced waste, increased reuse and recycling of materials, improved air quality, and increased environmental awareness and volunteer work. Meanwhile, the Penn community will learn more about the local food initiatives, energy conservation efforts, and waste reduction practices of the campus’ neighboring shops and restaurants.
Milk & Honey Market features a robust selection of locally produced meats and cheeses, fresh fruits and vegetables from Pennsylvania farms, as well as breads from local bakeries and Bassett’s ice cream. The market has been designed to be energy efficient and was built by a LEED Accredited Professional who ensures that the building continues to function efficiently.
Hub Bub Coffee effectively minimizes the amount of waste generated from production to consumption. The truck is essentially left with diluted coffee water to dispose, while customers can bring their own reusable mugs or take away compostable paper and corn-based PLA cups. Pastries are from a local bakery in Narberth, Pennsylvania, and there have also been rumblings that Hub Bub might be sporting a rooftop solar panel as soon as this summer.
A few businesses are on track for certification over the next few weeks and PEG anticipates the approval of several more by the end of the semester.
Green Fund applications are being accepted for a second round of one-time grants to be used to finance innovative ideas from students, faculty or staff that are designed to help Penn meet its sustainability goals, as outlined in its Climate Action Plan (Almanac February 2, 2010).
Deadline for submission is March 15, and the awards will be announced in April. Please visit the Penn Green Fund webpage for more information.
The ten projects that were recipients of the first round of grants from the Green Fund were announced in December see Almanac December 15, 2009.
Related: Penn’s Sustainability Efforts and RecycleMania 2010; Writing Instruments Brigade; Call for Office Eco-Reps |
