ABC's Challenge for Sustainability Expands into Boston's Main Streets
June 25, 2012
For several years now, ABC’s Challenge for Sustainability has been working with our members to track and reduce their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions. The program was such a success that it caught the eye of Mayor Menino, who asked us to implement something similar with smaller businesses representing Boston’s urban neighborhoods. And so, in 2011, ABC partnered with the City’s Main Streets program, which works to strengthen commercial districts in Dorchester, East Boston, Jamaica Plain, and Allston, to name a few. ABC has been working closely with both the City and these districts to recruit small to mid-size businesses into the program.
Our partnership with the City’s Main Streets program provides a unique opportunity for smaller businesses, which often lack access to resources such as large-scale building technologies and dedicated internal sustainability staff, to achieve sustainability goals that are critical to building vibrant, sustainable commercial districts throughout Boston’s diverse neighborhoods. To date, there are 21 participating businesses spanning the 21 Main Streets districts and representing a wide range of categories including restaurants, non-profits, health care facilities, retail shops, and schools. We’ve expanded the premise of our original Challenge for Sustainability to work one-on-one with these business owners and their employees, assessing their sustainability profiles and developing a plan to improve their sustainable business practices.
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="437" caption="The Challenge for Sustainability helps your business or building save money by increasing energy efficiency, reducing resource consumption, decreasing solid waste, and reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions."]
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The Challenge goes beyond energy use to look at water conservation, waste reduction, and issues surrounding transportation and behavior. Throughout the year, ABC tracks participants’ progress in all these areas, in order to demonstrate meaningful reductions both in resource consumption and in the cost of doing business. One of the messages of the Challenge is that sustainability means real business savings, which participants can direct back into their business.
In addition to technical assistance, each participating business gains access to a network of sustainability professionals. ABC holds monthly meetings for participating businesses to share best practices and learn from experts in the field, and participants have the chance to sit in the same room with industry professionals, service providers and educators to address specific problems and successes unique to their individual facilities.
Recognition is also an important part of the Challenge, and by adopting more sustainable business practices, these Main Streets businesses have an opportunity to market themselves as ‘green leaders’ in their communities. Several Main Streets participants have received coverage highlighting their sustainability efforts through local community newspapers, green blogs, and Boston.com.
The progress of our inaugural participant class has been remarkable. 19 out of 21 facilities have gone through a comprehensive energy audit with a major utility, and 3 have already completed recommended energy and cost-cutting measures. By the end of 2012, the Challenge is on track to provide services to more than 40 locally based small to mid-size businesses, positioning them as leaders who can guide their communities toward more sustainable business practices. Together with business leaders from across the region, they will help Boston to become a national leader in creating a strong and green economy.
