On June 22, the Villas of Chase Oaks Apartment Homes, a 250-unit Corinthian Apartment Investments property, built in 1985, became the City of Plano’s first certified Green Business. The Villas of Chase Oaks Community Manager, Tina Paysinger, began Project Green Retrofit in 2009 with a baseline energy audit, and the Villas’ green initiatives have grown each year since. Green attributes ranging from the usual single-stream recycling to the unusual resurfacing of the tennis court with eco-friendly material, have been well received by residents and staff. Annually, the savings from Project Green Retrofit to date is over $40,000 and is expected to be $51,950 annually by year-end 2012! Over a five-year period the Project Green Retrofit savings should be $258,360—over a quarter of a million dollars!
The City of Plano’s Commercial Recycling Division of the Sustainability & Environmental Services Department, launched its Green Business Certification (GBC) program on April 26, 2012 at its Environmental Education Center. The program targets small- to medium-sized businesses which make a substantial effort to include green initiatives in their day-to-day operations. Candidates for the program must complete both required and optional measures to achieve certification. Required measures range from creating a green business policy to conducting an annual waste-stream assessment to recycling. Optional measures run the gamut from no-cost initiatives such as reducing the number of lamps per light fixture and recycling landscape waste to investment options such as installing a gray-water system.
The City offers certification in four business categories:
- Retail and Office
- Multi-Family Communities
- Grocery Stores
- Restaurants
According to Christopher Day, Commercial Recycling Supervisor, “The City’s Green Business Certification differs from other national certification programs in that it provides on-site verification which is important to consumers in validating the green efforts of our businesses. The City wants to highlight and drive traffic to those businesses which assist Plano in lowering its carbon footprint.” Businesses which successfully fulfill the program’s criteria will receive an amenity package including a GBC decal and a link to their business from the City’s green business website.
Information by the City of Plano