From the category archives:

Green Business

2011 Business Policy Conference Presentations

by Will Burns on November 4, 2011

Thanks to everyone who attended for making the 2011 Business Policy Conference such a great event. As promised, here are links to the presentations made by our speakers. I’ll share more highlights of the conference soon.

Maryland’s Competitiveness: Where We Lead, How We Lag

Green Business is Good Business

The Employer’s Role in Enforcing Immigration Law

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Merritt Properties, EA Engineering Break Ground on New Green Building

by Will Burns on July 26, 2011

(L to R) Dominick Murray, Deputy Secretary, MD Department of Business & Economic Development; Scott Dorsey, Chairman & CEO, Merritt Properties; Ian MacFarlane, President & CEO, EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc.; Kevin Kamenetz, Baltimore County Executive; Lou Boeri, Leasing, Merritt Properties; Dan Pallace, Construction Services, Merritt Properties.

Two Maryland Chamber member companies broke ground on a new office building in Baltimore County that is slated for LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Merritt Properties announced that it has started construction on Schilling Green II, a four-story office building and single-story annex. EA Engineering, Science, and Technology, Inc. (EA) announced that it would be the buildings first tenant. The building will be EA’s new headquarters. The company will occupy two full floors, and will be the sole tenant of the annex, which will serve as the future home of EA’s nationally accredited ecotoxicology and biological testing labs.

“We are delighted to be staying in Baltimore County, where EA has been headquartered for over three decades,” said Ian MacFarlane, EA’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “Selecting Merritt Properties’ Schilling Green II, a building complex that will be constructed to meet the U.S. Green Building Council’s rigorous LEED Platinum specifications, clearly reflects our company’s strong commitment to our employees and to environmental sustainability.”

Scott Dorsey, Chairman and Chief Executive Office of Merritt Properties, talked more about the specifications needed to meet the LEED Platinum certification.

“To meet the highest level of LEED certification, specific green building strategies are incorporated into the design, which will result in exemplary environmental and health performance,” said Scott Dorsey, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Merritt Properties. “For example, energy consumption will be reduced with an enhanced building envelope, efficient HVAC, high-performance lighting, photovoltaic panels, and a building Energy Management System.”

Similarly, water consumption will be decreased through the use of water-efficient restroom fixtures, as well as landscaping with native drought-tolerant plant species and efficient irrigation heads. Indoor air quality will be enhanced by a carbon dioxide monitoring system, increased ventilation, and the use of low-VOC materials. Additional sustainable features will include delivering HVAC via an under-floor air distribution system, paired with a variable refrigerant volume (VRV) system to provide independent zoning control.

To learn more, see the following press releases:

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Maryland Clean Energy Center Seeking Award Nominations

by Nichelle Wilson on June 28, 2011

The Maryland Clean Energy Center (MCEC) is looking for clean energy leaders for its annual awards program. Help determine who deserves to be recognized by nominating someone within the following categories:

  • Clean Energy Champion of the Year
  • Legislative Leadership
  • Industry Leadership
  • Advocacy Award
  • Bright Light Award
  • Entrepreneur of the Year
  • Partnership Award
  • Special Appreciation

To nominate someone, or for more information, click here. The nomination deadline is July 30.

Awards will be presented during MCEC’s Clean Energy Summit 2011, which will be held August 25-27, at the Marriott North Bethesda Hotel and Conference Center. The Summit will bring together industry leaders to talk about creating jobs, growing businesses and advancing technology in the green energy sector.

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President Touts Clean Fleets Initiative in Maryland

by Will Burns on April 7, 2011

President Barack Obama visited a UPS facility in Landover, MD last week to unveil his green fleets initiative and learn what some major companies are doing to make their corporate fleets greener.

He highlighted the National Clean Fleets Partnership. This public-private partnership will help large companies reduce diesel and gasoline use in their fleets by incorporating electric vehicles, alternative fuels, and fuel-saving measures into their daily operations. Through the Partnership, the Department of Energy (DOE) will assist companies in their efforts to reduce fuel use and achieve greater efficiency and cost-savings by offering specialized resources, technical expertise, and support. Maryland Chamber members UPS, AT&T and Verizon are among the partnership’s five charger members.

The President said that by 2015, all new vehicles purchased for America’s federal agencies will be electric, gas-electric hybrid, or alternatively fueled. He also praised companies like UPS, AT&T and Verizon for their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of their fleets. UPS’s alternative fuel fleet recently hit a milestone of 200 million miles traveled since 2000. AT&T announced that its use of compressed natural gas (CNG) vehicles in its corporate vehicle fleet helped the company avoid the purchase of more than one million gallons of traditional petroleum fuel in 2010. During the last few years, Verizon has added hundreds of hybrid Toyota Priuses, as well as more than 500 compressed natural gas vans and 700 hybrid pickups.

Learn more about the National Clean Fleets Partnership here.

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Setting up Successful Green Teams in the Workplace

April 7, 2011

Establishing a “green team” is a great way to boost your company’s sustainability efforts and get your employees more involved. A green team brings together employees from various departments to improve your organization’s environmental sustainability efforts and raise employee awareness of opportunities to save energy. Members of your green should share the workload, build support [...]

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University of Maryland Going Solar

March 2, 2011

The University of Maryland, College Park (UMD) will install more than 2,600 solar panels this summer, resulting in one of the largest rooftop solar power systems in Maryland. The university was selected as a Maryland Energy Administration Project Sunburst Initiative Partner and awarded a grant to help promote the installation of renewable energy systems on [...]

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2010 Business Policy Conference Presentations

November 1, 2010

The 2010 Business Policy Conference was a great event. Thank you to all of our speakers and everyone who attended. As promised, here are links to the presentations and handouts provided by our speakers. I’ll share some photos and video highlights soon. Health Care Reform: Next Steps for Employers Health Care Reform Changes: The Top [...]

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Benefit Corporation Basics

September 15, 2010

In April 2010, Maryland was the first state in the country to pass Benefit Corporation legislation, which will go into effect October 1. The Chesapeake Sustainable Business Alliance held a session Monday to inform business owners about the legislation and how a Benefit Corporation is formed. Here are some of the basics you need to [...]

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Growing Your Green Brand

September 1, 2010

If you are not at least paying attention to “going green” and the growing number of businesses marketing their sustainability efforts, you are behind the times. But don’t take it from me. Ida Cheinman, Principal and Creative Director of strategic brand communication firm Substance151, said businesses that do not participate in or market their efforts [...]

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Is a Solar Power System Right for Your Business?

June 1, 2010

There are many factors to take into account when considering whether to install a solar power system, whether it is a solar electric system, solar hot water system or any other system that uses solar energy as its power source. Some of the factors include space, annual usage, and benefits available to you for installing [...]

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