Four more Manatee County businesses gain ‘green’ status

BRADENTON -- Bunker Hill Vineyard & Winery irrigates its grapevines with water from a seep spring and uses only recycled bottles. Pirate City and its accompanying McKechnie Field use all Florida-friendly landscaping and promote recycling nonstop.

Living Out East Magazine saves paper by focusing on its online flip-page edition and has injected foam insulation into its concrete-block home office. And Environmental BioTech’s entire existence is about reducing toxins in the wastestream.

These four businesses are the latest to receive the “Sustainable Manatee” green certification from the Manatee Chamber of Commerce. They join only eight other businesses that have received the certification since the chamber introduced its “green” program in March 2010.

“This year’s group is outstanding,” says J.B. Taylor, chairperson of the chamber’s green committee. “Every one of them has some great qualities.”

Bunker Hill, for example, collects spring water in a cistern and then uses solar power to distribute the water it collects throughout its vineyard. It also uses solar power to distill the water it uses to make wine.

In addition to using only recycled wine bottles -- many of which are collected and delivered by its customers -- Bunker Hill recycles the cork that seals its wine bottles. Owners Larry and Lenore Woodham even use solar energy to cook their meals every day.

“We’re pushing the limits, all the time,” Larry Woodham says. “From the very beginning, which was 13 years ago, we were determined to do everything in a green way that is compatible with nature.”

Pirate City’s green efforts include a nationwide program the Pittsburgh Pirates call “Let’s Go Bucs, Let’s Go Green,” launched in 2008. The most visible “green” effort the organization makes is its constant emphasis on recycling, largely through the oversized bottles that dot McKechnie Field as receptacles for recyclable materials.

All of the landscaping at Pirate City and McKechnie Field features Florida-friendly plants, which means they need less water, says spokesperson Rachelle Madrigal.

Residents of its dormitory facilities are constantly reminded to reuse their sheets and towels to minimize the electricity and water needed for laundering; the Pirate City dining hall no longer uses trays.

“That might mean having to make two trips instead of one,” Madrigal says. “But it cuts down tremendously on our water usage.”

Jeff Orenstein, owner and founder of Living Out East magazine, has invested thousands to make his home office as environmentally friendly as possible. In addition to foam insulation, investments include a solar hot water heater, and a yard where grass turf has been reduced by 66 percent.

Orenstein also switched his printed edition to a lighter paper that includes more recycled materials, and over the past year launched a “flip-page” online edition that can be downloaded for free.

At Environmental Biotech, its main service is to use bacteria to break up clog-causing starches and harmful manufacturing residue, and to convert grease and oil into carbon dioxide and water.

The four newly “green” certified businesses join eight others that received the distinction last year, the first it was offered. To earn the certification, a business needs to prove it is reducing overhead, maximizing its efficiency, and creating a sustainable business environment that can be emulated by other businesses.

Once a business receives the certification, the chamber conducts “spot checks” to ensure it is sticking with its commitments. The certification also is open to businesses outside of Manatee County.

“I think this is a great program,” Woodham says. “It’s showing that you can actually do business in a ‘green’ way. You can be a small business, or a big corporation, but you have to look at things differently and make a commitment.”

Christine Hawes, Herald business writer, can be reached at (941) 745-7081.

This story was originally published July 12, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Four more Manatee County businesses gain ‘green’ status."