Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce Takes Top Economic Development National Honor

July 1, 2011

WASHINGTON, JUNE 17, 2011: The Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce was the winner of the 2011 Green Plus™ Chamber of the Year Award for Leadership in Member Sustainability for the Gatlinburg Goes Green program and other initiatives. The award was made at PNC Bank regional headquarters in Washington, D.C. by the Institute for Sustainable Development, Partners for Livable Communities, and the American Chamber of Commerce Executives. After the award was made, the Chamber was part of a panel discussion with national business leaders and public officials including representatives of Senator Bob Corker’s office, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Business Civic Leadership Center.

“The Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce is showing America that small businesses working together can be a powerful force for not only for economic prosperity, but for supporting a clean environment and the protection of natural resources,” said Chris Carmody, Executive Director of the Institute for Sustainable Development. “The Gatlinburg Chamber’s members are demonstrating every day how common sense conservation can be a great approach to saving and making money,” Carmody concluded.

Green Plus™ is an initiative based in the North Carolina Research Triangle to help smaller enterprises and their communities with become healthier and more prosperous. The program partners nationally with the American Chamber of Commerce Executives, an umbrella network of over 1,400 U.S. and Canadian local chambers of commerce.

"On behalf of the Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and staff it is of great honor to be accepting the Green Plus Sustainable Chamber Award," said Gatlinburg Chamber Board President Chad Reagan of Mountain National Bank. "Gatlinburg Goes Green is a free educational initiative that we launched in 2008, and through Gatlinburg Goes Green, our Member businesses have made a commitment to continuously improve their operations in order to reduce their environmental impact.

"Gatlinburg is a gateway community to Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and with more than 12 million visitors a year, we take our stewardship of this international biosphere seriously," said Reagan. "As a Chamber we will continue to sustain and educate our community, and help the local business community keep sustainability as a high priority. Thank you to the participating Members of Gatlinburg Goes Green, the local volunteers, and the Gatlinburg community at large, all of whom make the success of Gatlinburg Goes Green a reality."

Gatlinburg Goes Green is a voluntary educational program that recognizes Member businesses that have made a commitment to continuously improve their operations in order to reduce their environmental impact. This program allows Member businesses to evaluate their operations, set goals, and take specific actions towards environmental, social and economic sustainability.

The Institute for Sustainable Development also awarded the Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce the 2011 Green Plus™ Chamber of Commerce Award for Leadership in Economic Development, made three Green Plus™ Community of the Year awards to Cleveland, Ohio, Savannah, Georgia, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, for sustainable economic innovation.

About the Green Plus Awards
GlaxoSmithKline the Presenting Sponsor of the Green Plus™ Awards. The Institute and Partners for Livable Communities are also grateful to Co-Presenters the Greater Durham Chamber of Commerce, the Chapel Hill - Carrboro Chamber of Commerce, and to PNC Bank for making these awards possible. The 2010 Green Plus™ Chamber of Commerce winners included

• The Greater Cleveland Partnership / Council of Smaller Enterprises for Leadership in Member Sustainability
• The Greater Syracuse Chamber of Commerce for Leadership in Sustainable Economic Development
• The St. Louis Regional Chamber and Growth Association for Innovation in Sustainable Development.

For more information about the Institute for Sustainable Development and the Green Plus Awards™, please see gogreenplus.org.

 

Contact: Erin Moran
Gatlinburg Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 527
Gatlinburg, TN 37738
Phone (865) 436-4178 ext. 103
Fax (865) 430-3876

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