WASHINGTON, D.C.—October 8, 2019— Small businesses in Philadelphia and the San Francisco area are being recognized by the national nonprofit Green America with $5000 awards for their exemplary commitment to a green economy. Green America’s People & Planet Award celebrates socially and environmentally responsible small businesses. The winners were Bennett Compost and Planted Table for the theme of “Best of the Green Economy.”
This was the final round of the award, which honored 62 small businesses over its eight-year run. The first round of the People & Planet Award was announced in the summer of 2012 with the theme of “Local Community Action.”
“For over a decade, the People & Planet Award has told the story of small green businesses in a powerful way – highlighting their innovation and deep commitment to people and the planet. Award winners have proven that business can be a force for social justice and environmental sustainability,” said Fran Teplitz, Green America’s executive co-director. “The award has also injected over $300,000 into the small, green business sector, helping local businesses take their next green steps.”
The winning companies:
- Bennett Compost (Philadelphia, PA). https://www.bennettcompost.com/. Bennett Compost composts the food waste and organics for over 3000 households and businesses in the Philadelphia area. According to the UN, over 30 percent of the food we grow winds up in landfills, contributing to over 8 percent of greenhouse gas emissions each year. Bennett Compost’s goal is to give Philadelphians the option to compost, even in the city! The average person throws out over 1600 pounds of "garbage" each year. Bennett Compost’s customers throw out half of that.
- Planted Table (San Francisco Bay Area, CA). https://plantedtable.com/. Planted Table was launched by two sisters who wanted to make a heart-healthy, organic plant-based diet more accessible to everyone. Planted Table is a vegan company that avoids wastefulness by using glass containers. By doing this, they have saved over 100,000 plastic containers from filling landfills and customers say Planted Table helps to greatly reduce their household waste. Planted Table also works with local farms for their organic produce.
“We are so grateful for this award and to everyone who voted for us. We will be using the $5,000 to expand our compost processing capacity so that we can continue to collect more organics from more Philadelphians. We not only want to keep this valuable material out of the waste stream but make sure its potential is fully utilized by turning it into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Feed the soil, not the landfill!” said Jennifer Mastalerz, co-owner of Bennett Compost.
“Winning this award is a game changer for our business. It gives us some much-needed funds to invest in upgrading our kitchen equipment and allows us to purchase new, reusable glass containers, which will allow us to take on more meal plan members. Being able to offer our plant-based, sustainable meal delivery service to more people is a win for everyone. Thank you so much!” said Executive Chef and Co-Founder Lauren Mahlke and Co-Founder Megan Scott of Planted Table.
The People & Planet Award recognizes innovative U.S. small businesses that integrate environmental and social considerations into their strategies and operations. The winners were selected by the public during a month-long online voting period. The award has been made possible through a generous supporter, and 2019 marks the planned conclusion of the program.
The businesses that the public vote on are determined by public nominations and an expert panel of judges: Justin Conway, Calvert Impact Capital; Tess O’Brien, Clean Power Perks, Erlene Howard, Collective Resource, Inc., Dale Luckwitz, Happsy.com; Martin Wolf, Seventh Generation; and Beth Porter, Scott Kitson and Fran Teplitz of Green America.
ABOUT GREEN AMERICA
Green America is the nation's leading green economy organization. Founded in 1982, Green America provides the economic strategies, organizing power and practical tools for businesses and individuals to solve today's social and environmental problems. www.GreenAmerica.org and www.greenbusinessnetwork.org
