Modified: January 23, 2015 4:38pm
WNY Sustainable Business Roundtable Hosts January 20th Event; Spotlights Local Vendors Offering Assistance to Meet Energy Efficiency, Waste Reduction Goals
ERIE COUNTY, NY— The WNY Sustainable Business Roundtable (“SBR”) has announced an upcoming Sustainability Tradeshow, the largest ever held in WNY, to take place on January 20th and bring together local vendors to assist area businesses in reaching energy efficiency and waste reduction goals. The Sustainable Management and Resources Tradeshow (“S.M.A.R.T.”) will feature over 30 exhibitors in areas such as water use reduction, energy consumption, waste and recycling, low-impact landscaping, and alternative energy programs such as solar and geothermal to provide resources and assistance to businesses exploring ways to become more efficient in their operations.
“The S.M.A.R.T. tradeshow is a good way for local businesses to get off on the right foot in 2015, learning new ways to increase their efficiency while employing sound environmental practices at the same time,” said Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “Sustainable business practices are achievable and increase businesses’ economic viability and value to the community, so I encourage local businesses to participate in the trade show to learn how they can better use sustainable practices. Not only do these practices help the environment, they reduce operational costs as well.”
The S.M.A.R.T. tradeshow is free and open to all WNY businesses. It will be held on Tuesday, January 20 from 3:00 PM – 7:30 PM at the UB Research Center, 875 Ellicott Street (5th floor) on the Buffalo Medical Campus. At 5:00 PM, there will be a keynote address by Deb Friedel, Director of Sustainability for Delaware North Companies, speaking about “GreenPath® - Delaware North’s Approach to Responsible Stewardship”. Friedel provides valuable insights from a company headquartered in Buffalo that has successfully advanced their own sustainability vision. At 5:30, the event will be jointly hosting the January GreenDrinks, sponsored by Buffalo-Niagara GreenWorks. GreenDrinks are now-established monthly gatherings of sustainability-minded businesses and individuals, and are held in cities internationally. Businesses wishing to attend should register first at www.WNYSustainablebusiness.org , with the first 100 to register receiving a free drink.
The WNY Sustainable Business Roundtable, officially announced by Poloncarz on Earth Day 2014, brings together a network of companies committed to developing and implementing sustainability goals that will create a more environmentally and economically resilient region. A key component of the County Executive’s Initiatives for a Smart Economy, members of the SBR have each signed a pledge to reduce waste and pollution, protect waterways, optimize use of energy and materials, and invest in our community. Businesses and organizations of different sizes and at different points in their sustainability journeys comprise the SBR, with each member able to interact with others to share information, best practices, and to develop sustainability goals and policies based on the pledge.
“The Western New York Sustainable Business Roundtable is a forum that welcomes companies of different sizes that are striving to institute a more formal sustainability initiative as well as organizations looking to acquire knowledge to improve their planning insights and best practices,” said Mark Shriver, Director of Safety & Environmental Affairs at Curbell, Inc., a founding member of the SBR. “The network will embrace and thrive on the complimentary knowledge of all the members, as we assist each other in launching or elevating our respective programs.”
For more information, contact WNY SBR Program Coordinator Andrew Goldstein at 858-2162 or andrew.goldstein@erie.gov .