(Research Triangle Park, N.C.) Today, the Institute for Sustainable Development announced the winners of the Green Plus North American Sustainable Enterprise Awards at a ceremony at the Gold LEED Certified Research Triangle Park headquarters. Green Plus is a program of the Institute designed to help smaller enterprises and their communities understand and benefit from triple bottom line practices.

“The Green Plus Sustainable Enterprise Awards were created to help smaller enterprises learn the best practices of triple bottom line sustainability – strong financial, environmental, and community performance – from one another,” said Chris Carmody, Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development. “The Green Plus Awards winners and finalists have demonstrated that sustainability is not only possible, but highly beneficial for smaller enterprises, regardless of their sector,” Carmody concluded.

Award winners include an Arkansas florist, North Carolina-based public auto mechanic and order fulfillment companies, an Ohio-based furniture manufacturer, Pennsylvania based IT and construction firms. The Institute also recognized three chambers of commerce for their efforts to create more sustainable regional economies, aide their small business members, and educate other chambers on sustainability.

The 2010 Green Plus Sustainable Enterprise Award Categories and Winners

Research Triangle Park / Green Plus Sustainable Enterprises of the Year
Two organizations won the Green Plus Sustainable Enterprise of the Year Award in a split decision: Cargas Systems of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and The King’s Daughters Inn of Durham, North Carolina

Green Plus Sustainable Medium-Sized Business of the Year
Wohlsen Construction (Lancaster, Pennsylvania)

Wells Fargo Green Plus Small Business of the Year
Riley Life Industries, Inc. (Durham, North Carolina)

Green Plus Sustainable Non-Profit of the Year
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)

Green Plus Sustainable Sole Proprietor of the Year
Brick Street Botanical (Rogers, Arkansas)

Green Plus Chambers of Commerce of the Year
Split Decision: The Greater Cleveland Partnership / Council of Smaller Enterprises (Cleveland, Ohio) and the Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce (Syracuse, New York)

Green Plus Special Recognition

The Greater St. Louis Chamber of Commerce for its Climate Prosperity Project
Green Plus People’s Choice Award: The Taylor Companies (Bedford, Ohio)

Green Plus Champion
Marc Pons, owner of Chapel Hill Tire (Chapel Hill, North Carolina)

About the Institute

The mission of the Institute for Sustainable Development is to democratize triple bottom line sustainability by making it accessible to smaller employers and their communities, fostering a new generation of sustainability leaders, and developing a common understanding of sustainability principles across cultures.

The non-profit was founded in the North Carolina Research Triangle in 2007 by a unique partnership of academic, business and philanthropic leaders. Early partners included Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the Chapel Hill-Carrboro and Greater Durham Chambers of Commerce, and the Fenwick Foundation.

Institute founders recognized that while many large companies were integrating sustainability into their operations, saving money and improving their reputations, most Americans were employed by businesses with 50 or fewer people, and these smaller employers had neither the time nor the financial resources to pursue sustainability. In the fall of 2007, the Institute engaged the Center for Sustainable Enterprise at UNC Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School to develop a business plan to address this problem. This plan led to the development of Green Plus, a program that provides training, networking, and recognition for small businesses and non-profits working toward becoming more competitive and sustainable.

A vital part of Green Plus is providing real-life experiences to university students in the area of business and sustainability by connecting the students with real organizations engaged with these issues. The Institute trains interdisciplinary teams of graduate students and professionals to provide practical, affordable tools and assistance to help smaller enterprises and their communities become stronger, healthier, and more competitive. To over 140 small businesses and non-profits in more than twelve U.S. states have benefited from the Green Plus program.