GREEN BUSINESS LEAGUE

One would think that every park is naturally Green, wouldn't they?  The presence of trees, flowers, and even compost would lead anyone to conclude that there is no Greener place in the community than a forest preserve.  Well, there is still plenty of room to improve nearly any Green program.  The Friends of Ryerson Woods has continually stepped up its environmental standards and has recently earned the silver level certification from the Green Business League.

The Friends of Ryerson Woods worked with Kaye Kharasch from Green Building Connections to work through an assessment of the point values needed to achieve this Green certification.  Kaye Kharasch is a well-known and professional businesswoman who has an absolute dedication to the environmental cause and the greater Chicago area.

In order to earn the Green certification, The Friends of Ryerson Woods demonstrated a wide variety of existing Green Practices, and has even more plans to improve the Green Practices of the whole operations.  Even park districts have business offices that use equipment, energy, paper, and need to improve the indoor air quality.  Every office produces trash and eventually must throw out used equipment.  In other words, running a park district is not just about beautiful gardens of fragrant flowers.  There is a practical business side that needs the same kind of attention to the daily operation as many other businesses.

The willingness of Friends of Ryerson Woods to go from its level of positive community influence to the next level of Green operation is admirable and exciting.  This park district is providing community leadership and making a substantial investment at every level of environmental compliance.

The Green Business League is very proud to certify the Friends of Ryerson Woods as a Green certified operation that deserves the appreciation and support of the community.  As seen in this program, Going Green is something that can be applied to any kind of community-based program.