Sustainability: What's in a name?

Chamber may begin certification program


By Mark Schultz, Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL -- Is "sustainable" the new "organic"?
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro Chamber of Commerce has been preaching sustainability.

It's spun off a Foundation for a Sustainable Community. It's sponsored annual awards for sustainable businesses.

But like the debate that swirled around the word organic a few years ago, it hasn't come up with a simple definition of the term.

That could soon change.

At Friday's meeting of the Community Leadership Council, chamber president Aaron Nelson discussed plans to create a program that would certify local businesses as sustainable.

If it takes off, Nelson said, a Chapel Hill-based Institute for Sustainable Enterprise -- or something like it -- might even train chambers from across the country to offer certification in their own areas.

"I think you're on to something," Top of the Hill owner Scott Maitland said. "What's the brand of Chapel Hill and Carrboro? Man, this fits into that."

Right now the chamber defines a sustainable business as one that improves the quality of the environment, invests in a diverse community and has a positive impact on the local economy.

But the words mean different things to different people Even the application form for the annual awards program is pretty daunting.

Still, businesses are changing their practices. Top of the Hill stopped using Styrofoam cup four months ago. The Chapel Hill restaurant, which owns Spanky's, 411 West and Squids in Chapel Hill, recently took out ads touting not just its food but its sustainable business philosophy, Maitland said.

Nelson said it makes sense for the business community to take the lead. "Ultimately we want to change the world," he said.

Lots of ideas start off in the workplace, he added. For example, it's common for people to turn off the lights when they leave a room, a practice that Nelson said started with businesses.

Jon Wilner, director of The ArtsCenter, praised the idea of certifying businesses that try to reduce their waste stream and take other positive steps.

"When I walk into a restaurant, I look for a number," he said of the sanitation grading system. "It challenges all of us to come up to a standard."

Nelson said he plans to form an advisory board and possibly partner with another organization such as the Sierra Club or Audubon Society to continue working on the idea.

In other business

The Community Leadership Council continued debating its name and membership, ultimately deciding to put off decisions on both for now.

Some members want to change the name to Community Leadership Collaboration. Others think the word "leader" continues to taint the group as elitist.

The approximately 30-member group includes the three local mayors, UNC's chancellor and other officials, as well as representatives from the local business and nonprofit communities.

Carrboro Mayor Mark Chilton said he wants the UNC student body president to join the group in recognition of the students in town.

"The student body is an enormous part of our population," he said. "They bring a zillion dollars into our downtown. They support our rental housing industry. Frankly, they cause some problems too."

"The UNC student government is one of our local governments in Orange County, and they ought to have a seat here."

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How fantastic would it be for the Environmental planning specialization to put together a "How to be Sustainable" guide for the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce?