Prior to the June 9 Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) Annual Dinner, MCCC President and CEO Gigi Godwin and other Chamber leaders joined County Executive Ike Leggett and County Council President Nancy Floreen in showcasing a new Ride On bus ad campaign to promote the Green Business Certification Program. The ad campaign highlights the program’s first 20 green-certified businesses and organizations and encourages more companies to “get on board” the green business movement by getting certified and featured in future promotions.  

June 10, 2010 - By Matt Bush

RideOn buses in Montgomery County, Maryland are already "painted" green. Now, they will start imploring businesses to "go" green.

The county runs a green business certification program. 20 firms have already been certified by revising their businesses practices, such as purchasing, record keeping, and power usage. County leaders would like to see that number increase, so advertisements will soon start covering the sides of RideOn buses, asking businesses to "go green."

Doing so makes good business sense says Gigi Godwin, the president of the county chamber of commerce, since many businesses in the county do work with either the federal government or government contractors.

"Large employers, and large companies, are greening their supply chains. They are changing how they do business. And a big part of that is going to be how they procure their goods and services," says Godwin.

The 20 businesses that have received the certification range in size from the Marriott hotel chain to PEPCO's customer service center to an orthodontist's office.

To view the original article and listen to the radio spot, click here.

Prior to tonight’s Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) 51st Annual Dinner, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, County Council President Nancy Floreen and Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce President Gigi Godwin will showcase a new Ride On bus ad campaign that will promote the Green Business Certification Program and highlight the first 20 companies and organizations to become certified. The new bus ad campaign aims to encourage more companies to “get on board” the green business movement by getting certified and featured in future promotions. Joining the kick-off will be business leaders from the first certified companies and members of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce’s Board of Directors.

At the dinner, the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) will receive the MCCC Partner of the Year Award, which will be accepted by DEP Director Robert G. Hoyt. DEP is receiving the award for the Green Business Certification Program, which prepares businesses to succeed in the new, green economy. The award is given to “an organization that works in partnership with MCCC to propel the Chamber’s mission forward.”   

For the complete press release, click here.

December 16, 2009, Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett recognized the first 11 businesses and organizations to be certified under the County’s new Green Business Certification Program that recognizes voluntary efforts to protect, preserve, and improve the environment. 

Businesses in Montgomery County, Maryland can now receive a certification for going green.

Recycling and energy reduction are two of the criteria. Water conservation and carbon footprint reduction are the others.

The new certification program will put Montgomery County at the forefront of environmental protection, according to county executive Isiah Leggett. Classes are offered at Montgomery College to show businesses how to make the changes needed to achieve the certification.

To listen to the entire spots, click here and here.