Durham Businesses Seeing Green

Businesses know that becoming environmentally green is not only a good idea, but it's also good business. Fortunately for visitors and residents alike, Durham has its fair share of businesses that get this concept.

Businesses that have been recognized by North Carolina’s NC GreenTravel Initiative are realizing substantial savings in their energy, water and waste disposal bills. In Durham, NC businesses recognized by GreenTravel include The King’s Daughters Inn, Hilton Garden Inn, Ninth Street Bakery, Museum of Life & Science and Festival For the Eno. Across North Carolina, over one-hundred businesses have applied for, and received, recognition by the program at no cost.

In addition to the resource savings, these businesses also receive free listings on the NC GreenTravel website, a certificate of sustainability and door/window decals indicating that they are recognized program members. They also have the option of requesting free environmental assessments from Waste Reduction Partners, a partner organization that provides environmental technical assistance to businesses across the state.  

For more information about becoming a recognized NC GreenTravel business, contact Tom Rhodes at (919) 707-8140 or email. Plan a visit to Durham today online.

Sustain-a-Bull Presents Third Annual Holiday Shop Independent Durham Week

Durham loves its hometown and independent businesses, that's for sure.  It's a place where all sorts of people from all walks of life come together to make a diverse community that welcomes everyone.

That same spirit of community and inclusion helped to drive the creation of SustainABull, a consortium of independent businesses.

Through Dec. 2 over 40 local businesses throughout Durham will participate in Sustain-a-Bull, Durham's annual shopping event. The event will feature special discounts and promotions at over 40 locally owned businesses throughout the city of Durham. Participating businesses are offering deals and exclusive offers on everything from restaurants to art galleries, clothing, home and garden supplies, and beyond.

Also new this year, Sustain-a-Bull has partnered with Bull City BUCK$ to create a Shop Independent Durham Week SCANvenger Hunt, creating even more incentives to visit participating locally owned businesses. Customers can download the free Bull City BUCK$ app onto their smart-phones, and scan special QR codes that will be posted in every participating business to earn BUCK$ redeemable for prizes, such as a free cup of coffee from Respite Café or a free concert ticket from Casbah. In addition, all SCANvenger Hunt participants will be entered into daily drawings where they can win gift certificates to Sustain-a-Bull Member Businesses. There will also be a Grand Prize awarded to the SCANvenger Hunt participant that scans the most codes during this event, including a one-night stay at the Morehead Manor Bed & Breakfast and a signed copy of Sara Foster’s Southern Kitchen.  Get more information about this event, including a full list of discounts and promotions  online.

City of Durham Named a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Business

The League of American Bicyclists has recognized the City of Durham as a Silver Level Bicycle Friendly Business. With the announcement of 67 new businesses this week, the City of Durham joins a group of more than 400 local businesses, government agencies, and Fortune 500 companies across the United States that are transforming the American workplace.

“The City of Durham is at the forefront of a movement to make American businesses more competitive, sustainable, and attractive to the best and brightest employees,” said Andy Clarke, president of the League of American Bicyclists. “An investment in bicycling enhances employee health, increases sustainability, and improves the bottom line.”

According to The League, by winning the silver level award, the City of Durham will now have access to a variety of free tools and technical assistance from the League to become even more bicycle-friendly.

“It is an honor to be recognized by the League of American Bicyclists as a Bicycle Friendly Business, and we look forward to more employees bicycling to work,” said City Transportation Department Director Mark Ahrendsen. “We encourage other businesses in Durham to make their sites bicycle friendly for their employees and customers.”

The City of Durham encourages bicycling by employees as an easy option for transportation by providing amenities such as bicycle racks, showers, and lockers, and incentives such as bike safety and maintenance classes. Currently there are about 20 employees who regularly bicycle to work. Several employees are “mixed-mode” commuters, who make part of their trip by bike and part by the Bull City Connector, Durham Area Transit Authority or Triangle Transit buses.

According to Ahrendsen, when employees bike to work, the organization and the employee can experience the following benefits:

• Improved health of employees, potentially resulting in lower health insurance premiums.

• Reduced burden faced by the City to provide and maintain parking spaces for employees who drive to work.

• Increased employee productivity and decreased absenteeism due to a healthier workforce.

• Reduced air pollution and congestion on local and regional roadways due to a decrease in single-occupancy motor vehicle use.

Booch, Beer and Sustainable Business

There are so many "Durham" things about this story.  It's about sustainability, equality, great food and drink, and even mass transit.  It's the sort of story that makes people love Durham even more...and research shows the love for Durham is at an all time high.

On March 7th, 2012, from 6:00 – 8:00pm, Slow Money NC is holding a “Booch, Beer and Sustainable Business Gathering” at Ninth Street Bakery. Several local business entrepreneurs – including Ninth Street Bakery - will kick off the evening by showcasing their upcoming expansion ideas to potential Slow Money lenders.

Frank Ferrell Serves Up Bull City Booch at Nintth St. Bakery

“In June of 2010,” recalls Carol Peppe Hewitt, co-founder of Slow Money NC, “we made the first Slow Money loan of $2000 to an aspiring baker in Pittsboro, NC. Since then dozens of ordinary people throughout NC have made similar low-interest loans to sustainable farmers, restaurants that serve local food, a beekeeper, a gluten-free baker, a local produce distribution company, and more. To date these Slow Money loans, that range from $500 to $5000, now total over $100,000.” 

Slow Money NC also formed an Investor Club that continues to break new ground in building resilience in local economies across the state, bringing the total  local investment to over half a million dollars.

Bryan McGannon, from the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) in Washington, DC will be on hand at the event to talk about how North Carolina sustainable businesses and their organizations can collaborate to build a more vibrant, just and sustainable local and national economy. Like Slow Money NC, the ASBC supports innovative financing solutions to transform our economy while working to shape public policy in that direction.

Ninth Street Baker has been operating in Durham since 1981. This year they added beer on tap, cider, Bull City Booch (their signature kombucha), an expanded menu, and extended their hours at the East Chapel Hill Street location in Downtown Durham.  They, too, seek a Slow Money loan to add an outdoor deck to host more events.

“Making small, affordable loans to local food projects, and helping others do the same, is a way to greatly expand that impact. Frank has been giving to his community for decades. Now it’s time to give him something back,” added Hewitt.

Durham has a national reputation for being a great place for start-up businesses and entrepreneurs, in part because of strong community support.  Learn more about the latest effort to entice new start-up businesses to come to Durham here.  Nationally, Slow Money has a goal of one million people investing 1% of their money in local food systems within the decade.