Thursday, December 11, 2008

GREEN PARTY!

Only one entity in the world is certified green by our friends at the Sustainable Business Network of Washington, after their holiday party Wednesday doubled as an announcement that the Downtown DC BID is first to achieve their Green Steward level. The party at Haworth's East End LEED-Gold showroom was green itself, with recyclable bamboo silverware and food from Organic to Go. This announcement is a big deal for DC, so we'll elevate our discourse and dispense with the jokes. (Don't worry, before dispensing, we'll separate them into glass and plastic.) "SB NOW" is rolling their certification out in a pilot program. Phase II ends next April when they hope to certify nine more, including Cardinal Bank, Akridge, Washington Gas, and AARP. Above, organization chair John Friedman and director Pam Skarda honored DC BID's Scott Pomeroy, center. You can see the BID's green behavior on display this month at their Downtown Holiday Market (Dec. 5-23 on F Street near the Verizon Center). The 97 local vendors use energy from generators powered by locally sourced bio-diesel.

Raise your hand if you thought the typical attendee would be a hemp wearin' tree hugger. They sure clean up nicely: eco-broker Wendy Walter, Haworth's Jenn Bristow, Eco-Coach's Anca Novacovici, Fairfax Realty's Sharonda Ware, Calvert Jones' Gerry Rodino, Cadmus Group's Vicky Kiechel, and LEED AP architect Erik Hoffland. Jenn gave us a tour of Haworth's showroom, pointing out that everything is re-configurable. Modular walls, raised floors, and user-controlled HVAC cut down on landfill waste when a layout change is desired. Don't forget to join Gerry at Calvert Jones' free recycling day (computers, cell phones, etc.) on January 21.