By Anna Gerber

As green practices and green-collar jobs become more abundant throughout the country, many communities are doing their part to attract more environmentally-friendly businesses.

Westerville is certainly in on the trend, as an increasing number of “green” businesses are calling the city home.

For example, Grossman Environmental Recycling Inc. (formerly known as The Grossman Group) is a Westerville-headquartered company that aims to reduce waste by providing recycling services for more obscure grades of paper and other items. These include paper, hard and soft cover books, text and telephone books, plastic and cardboard. The company also provides confidential records destruction, hauling services and sale and rental of cardboard balers. Grossman’s goal is simple: to make recycling easier and more convenient for businesses.

Another company staying ahead of the green trend is the Emerson Power Network. In July, EPN broke ground for the Liebert Learning Center, which will provide training for more than 1,800 customers and employees every year. The 69,965-square-foot building, which is currently being constructed at 530 Westar Blvd., will be seeking certification from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System.

The LEED certification program is the nationally-accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. According to its Web site, LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

Although there are nearly 20,000 LEED certified buildings in the world, encompassing nearly 5 billion square feet of property in more than 250,000 cities, it remains a rarity closer to home.

Ohio has 513 LEED certified buildings, of which 40 are located in Columbus. Westerville is the home of two LEED buildings: the Corna/Kokosing Corporate Office and the Spectrum Commerce Center.

In keeping with a season that plays host to both St. Patrick’s Day and Earth Day, the Westerville Area Chamber of Commerce’s quarterly stakeholder luncheon theme is “Going Green.” The luncheon is March 10 at the Medallion Club.

“The whole idea behind it is going green and saving money. With the way the economy is, we’re trying to focus on ways of saving the environment and saving money,” says Jill Grube, marketing and communications manager for the chamber.

In an effort to educate local businesses on green practices, John Remy, director of communications for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) will discuss green business and ways to cut costs while helping the environment. SWACO collects approximately 35 to 40 tons of recyclables daily from drop-off locations around Franklin County. Last year they collected 12.944 tons of recyclables – an increase of 21 percent over 2007 collections. It is estimated that in 2009 that rate will increase another 10 percent.

Anna Gerber is a contributing writer for Westerville Magazine.


Westerville Chamber Quarterly Stakeholder Luncheon – “Going Green”
Tuesday March 10, 2009
11:30 am-1:30 pm
The Medallion Club, 5000 Club Dr., Westerville
The luncheon will feature John Remy, Director of Communications for The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO). Time Warner Cable will is sponsoring the event.
For more information visit www.westervillechamber.com.  

Note: Stakeholder luncheons are open to the public and the chamber members.