Syracuse is one of five national finalists for Green Plus Chamber of Commerce of the Year award from the Institute for Sustainable Development

The CenterState CEO (Syracuse) Chamber of Commerce and The Clean Tech Center have been selected as one of five national finalists for the Green Plus North American Sustainable Enterprise Awards as the Green Plus Chamber of Commerce of the Year. The winner will be announced Friday, June 18, 2010 in North Carolina’s Research Triangle Park in partnership with the American Chamber of Commerce Executives. The Institute for Sustainable Development created the award to recognize organizations for the example they have set in advancing triple bottom line sustainability.

As part of the Green Plus North American Sustainable Enterprise Awards, the Institute for Sustainable Development and Partners for Livable Communities are collaborating in recognizing a Green Plus Chamber of Commerce. “Over the past year, Partners for Livable Communities has explored how business leaders, faced with the challenge of ensuring the future strength of regional economies and local quality of life, have employed creative new agendas that not only help reverse the effects of environmental degradation but leverage the occasion for valuable economic and social gain,” said Carly Grimm, Program Officer of Partners for Livable Communities.

The award will recognize chambers of commerce that have an exemplary track record in four categories
1) Regional Leadership: Creating a more sustainable region
2) Assisting their members in improving their triple bottom line
3) Making the Economic case for Sustainability
4) Leading by Example: Chambers that have made their own operations more sustainable

“Chambers of Commerce throughout the country are implementing green business programs, attracting clean industries, and creating green jobs; they are paving the way to the more sustainable and robust communities of the 21st century,” Grimm said. “Partners has now joined forces with the Institute for Sustainable Development to recognize the chamber employing the most innovative and effective green strategies through the Green Plus Chamber of the Year Award,” Grimm concluded.

Partners for Livable Communities is a national, nonprofit leadership organization working to improve the livability of communities by promoting quality of life, economic development, and social equity. Among its many activities, the Partnership has examined how chambers of commerce can be leaders in sustainable economic development. In October of 2009, Partners for Livable Communities presented a day long session called “Enterprise at Home for Progress at Large” to White House and Congressional representatives and released a series of case studies on the best practices of commerce chambers.