{"id":3353,"date":"2013-08-21T23:39:21","date_gmt":"2013-08-22T03:39:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/?p=3353"},"modified":"2013-08-22T12:25:22","modified_gmt":"2013-08-22T16:25:22","slug":"volante-farms-recognized-as-green-business-of-the-year-by-newton-needham-chamber","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/2013\/08\/volante-farms-recognized-as-green-business-of-the-year-by-newton-needham-chamber\/","title":{"rendered":"Volante Farms recognized as Green Business of the Year by Newton-Needham Chamber"},"content":{"rendered":"

Needham’s Volante Farms, Kingsbury Homes and North Hill were the Needham businesses recognized at the Newton Needham Chamber of Commerce’s Green Business Awards Breakfast. Close to 200 business and civic leaders gathered on June 26th along the banks of the Charles River at the Newton Marriott Hotel\u2019s outdoor pavilion to discuss and celebrate the economic and social benefits of being green at the awards breakfast.<\/p>\n

Attorney General Martha Coakley<\/strong> used her keynote address to discuss her office\u2019s commitment to regulating energy costs and encouraging innovation, technology and best practices. Bob Zimmerman<\/strong>, executive director of the Charles River Watershed Association, spoke about the history, conditions and challenges facing the river, flowing just yards from where attendees were dining. <\/p>\n

Both Newton Mayor Setti Warren<\/strong> and Needham Board of Selectman Chairman Dan Matthews<\/strong> used their time to discuss a variety of green initiatives and pledged to work together on efforts that will result in greater sustainability. The event was emceed by New England Cable News Meteorologist Matt Noyes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need everyone in Massachusetts to be part of the conversation,\u201d Coakley said. \u201cIf we\u2019re committed to solving this problem, then there are going to be ways to do it. If we shy away and say it\u2019s too hard, then nothing will happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

But the main focus at the June 26 breakfast was on five area businesses that were honored for their efforts to preserve and protect the environment.
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\"Volante<\/a>
L-R: Chamber Board Chair Joseph De Vito<\/b>, Environment Committee Chair Peter Smith<\/b>, Newton Mayor Setti Warren<\/b>, Award Winners David and Steve Volante<\/b>, Needham Board of Selectmen Chair Dan Matthews<\/b>, Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley<\/b>, Chamber President Greg Reibman<\/b>. (Photo credit Gail Fischer)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n
    \n
  • Volante Farms<\/b> was named Needham\u2019s \u201cGreen Business of the Year\u201d for its commitment to incorporating sustainability into every aspect of its farm and retail operation, highlighted most recently by this year\u2019s renovation of its store.<\/li>\n
  • Meredith Management Corporation<\/b> was named Newton\u2019s \u201cGreen Business of the Year,\u201d in recognition of its longstanding commitment to incorporating green practices and products into property development, most recently, the $470 million mixed-use Fenway Center.<\/li>\n
  • North Hill<\/b> of Needham, received a \u201cGreen Initiative Award\u201d in recognition of the way it has incorporated energy savings into the daily lives of its residents as well as into its overall operation.<\/li>\n
  • Kingsbury Homes Limited<\/b>, also of Needham, was recognized with a \u201cGreen Initiative Award\u201d for demonstrating that it is possible to build highly energy-efficient homes in Needham at an accessible price point.<\/li>\n
  • B\/E Retrofit<\/b>, of Auburndale, received a \u201cGreen Initiative Award\u201d in recognition of its commitment to green projects and hiring exclusively from the Green Jobs Academy, which trains underemployed people to work in the weatherization field.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u201cClimate change used to be a science discussion, now it\u2019s a political discussion, often with visceral reactions,\u201d NECN\u2019s Noyes told attendees. \u201cIt\u2019s not a crunchy ideology. It\u2019s the heart of our community. It\u2019s quintessential New England.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Once an annual chamber event, the Green Business Awards event had been on hiatus for two years. Chamber President Greg Reibman credited Environment Committee Chairman Peter Smith<\/b> for \u201chis dogged insistence on reviving the awards and for the committee members who helped plan the event and vet all of the award finalists.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Green Needham Chair Michael Greis<\/b> has been a member of the Chamber’s Environmental Committee since its inception and, as a member of this year’s awards committee, led the effort to identify Needham businesses to be considered for recognition. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Needham’s Volante Farms, Kingsbury Homes and North Hill were the Needham businesses recognized at the Newton Needham Chamber of Commerce’s Green Business Awards Breakfast. Close to 200 business and civic leaders gathered on June 26th along the banks of the<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,19],"tags":[10],"class_list":["post-3353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-business","category-energy-efficiency","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3353\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.greenneedham.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}