At its Green Fair this past Saturday, Sustainable Verona welcomed 12 more businesses into its Green Business recognition program. Green Point Juicery, which was the first Verona business to be recognized in the program in 2016, also qualified again this year.
The Green Business recognition program offers promotional and educational support to Verona businesses that make tangible efforts to operate in a more environmentally responsible way through Sustainable Verona’s partnerships with Sustainable Jersey, the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry and the PSEG Institute for Sustainability Studies at Montclair State University. Sustainable Verona is the township liaison to Sustainable Jersey, helping Verona to qualify for grants and initiatives that can improve our environment.
To qualify, businesses must satisfy five out of 10 criteria that reduce energy and waste or reuse and recycle materials. Sustainable Verona representatives, aide by student volunteers from MSU’s Sustainability Science program called on every business that applied to the program to review their efforts. The 12 new Green Business companies are:
• Berkshire Hathaway Home Services New Jersey Properties
• Berman Home Systems
• Cirasella Jewellers
• Edgar Anthony & Eutopia Salon
• Electric Spokes
• Farmers Insurance Jennifer Castro Agency
• JT’s Barber Shop
• Main Street Cottage
• Muse Marketing
• Noel’s Place
• Prout Funeral Home
• Verona Sports Center
In addition to the application criteria, Sustainable Verona uncovered several additional pro-environment efforts by its Green Business honorees. Green Point Juicery partners with Morgan’s Farm to compost the tons of fruit and vegetable pulp left over from making juice and keep it out of the waste stream. Muse Marketing helps its clients maximize digital strategies to avoid printing and sending thousands of paper mailers. Prout Funeral Home, in addition to supplying a large share of its energy needs through its own solar array, provides green burials that have less impact on the environment than traditional burials or cremation. Edgar Anthony & Eutopia Salon offers organic care products that are cleaner and safer. Many of the gift items at Main Street Cottage are made from salvaged and recycled materials. Verona Sports not only sells sporting equipment but also repairs it. JT’s Barber Shop has donated a large quantity of hair to help with environmental cleanups. The hair is stuffed into nylon tubes, and these bats are used to contain and absorb oil spills.
Verona businesses can seek to be recognized as a Green Business at any point in the year. Sustainable Verona’s application can be downloaded here.
