KAPA‘A — The Rotary Club of Kapa‘a has honored eight local businesses with its 2008 Kaua‘i Green Business Initiative awards. Winners were selected from 16 applicants and include Island Soap & Candle Works, The Shoe Repair Shop, Habitat for Humanity,
KAPA‘A — The Rotary Club of Kapa‘a has honored eight local businesses with its 2008 Kaua‘i Green Business Initiative awards.
Winners were selected from 16 applicants and include Island Soap & Candle Works, The Shoe Repair Shop, Habitat for Humanity, Aloha We Deliver!, Unlimited Construction, Saffron Mediterranean Cuisine, Farias Cattle Co. and H&S Publishing. Each displayed a track record of efficiently using raw materials and supplies, responsibly managing waste and shipping and handling, or saving water and energy.
“All of the winning businesses have gone beyond environmental compliance to adopt and exemplify best ‘green’ practices over the past 12 months,” Rodney Pascua, chairman of this year’s program, said.
• Island Soap was selected for conserving electricity by installing an 18,000 kilowatt photovoltaic system at its Kapa‘a factory location and cutting its landfill debris by half.
• The Shoe Repair Shop in Lihu‘e was selected for recycling leather goods and restoring them for continued use.
“The greenest thing you can do is to repair instead of buying new,” Walt Barnes, the primary judge for this year’s competition, said.
• Kaua‘i Habitat for Humanity was selected for installation of solar water heating systems and thermal insulation at Habitat-built homes.
• Second-time winner Aloha We Deliver! expanded its existing “green” efforts of supplying biodegradable, eco-friendly products and streamlining its shipping and delivery practices. The company’s president also assisted with Zero Waste Kaua‘i efforts.
• Unlimited Construction won for the second year for conservation and reusing materials at projects.
• Saffron Mediterranean Cuisine was selected for buying from organic local farmers and employing a near zero-waste policy.
• Farias Cattle Co. in Kilauea was selected for creating completely “green” ranches in Kapa‘a and Hanama‘ulu.
• H&S Publishing was selected for using recycled paper vegetable inks, elemental chlorine free paper and recycling unused paper products.
This is the second year for Rotary to issue the awards.
The 2008 businesses will be honored at a Rotary luncheon from noon to 1 p.m. Oct. 22 at the Aloha Beach Resort in Wailua.
For more information, visit www.kapaarotary.org
