2022 Sustainable Business of the Year Awards
We are thrilled to welcome back Robin Young of WBUR's Here & Now who will be in live conversation with SBN's 2022 Sustainable Business Awardees.
The Sustainable Business Network of MA presents the Seventh Annual Awards Celebration in partnership with NPR's Award-winning Host Robin Young. We are excited to kick off the new year by honoring eight leading sustainable businesses in Massachusetts. Join us to hear their inspiring stories, listen to uplifting music and poetry, and converse with business leaders, community leaders, and the 2022 Awardees! The event will be held via Zoom.
Celebrate, Network, and Make New Connections in the New Year.
Support Local
Win Local Delights and Experiences from our Online Silent Auction. We have over 20 items to choose from including tickets to the Huntington Theater, New England Aquarium, Boston Crawling, and the Boston Duck Tours. PLUS gift cards from J.P. Licks, Flatbread Company, Flour Bakery & Cafe, Sam Adams Brewery and more!
Bidding has begun! View all Auction items here.
2022 Sustainable Business of The Year Awardees
Green Services
Save That Stuff
Save That Stuff (STS) is a Boston-based recyclable materials service company. Their team picks up anything from cardboard in any form, organics/compost to universal waste, and are leaders in their field when it comes to keeping our streets clean, and doing so sustainably. Save That Stuff assists with lowering waste reduction on a company-by-company basis which decreases the amount of trash that ultimately ends up in an already overcrowded landfill.
Save That Stuff’s work allows other organizations to conserve energy and natural resources. The company collaborates with beneficiaries such as South Boston Boys and Girls Club, the Make-a-Wish Foundation, Extras For Creative Reuse, and Habitat for Humanity among many other organizations.
Through their hard work and collaboration with countless local organizations and businesses, Save That Stuff is a leader in assisting people to maintain sustainable practices in their day-to-day lives. It is because of their work and continued dedication to sustainability that SBN is proud to award them the Green Services Award this year!
Farm to Table
Gilded Tomato Company
Established in 2013, Gilded Tomato Company is the only mobile food vendor certified by the Green Restaurant Association in New England. From composting to raising bees, this business is run and operated by not only providing a one-of-a-kind dining experience but does so in an environmentally conscious way.
Gilded Tomato Company at its very core offers a unique farm-to-table mobile catering service topped off with farm-fresh ingredients local to their establishment in Rehoboth. Owner Julia Sweet is active in her community and often donates time and resources to local food banks, shelters, soup kitchens, and senior centers. Additionally, Gilded Tomato Company is heavily involved in fundraisers for schools and a plethora of other organizations.
It is the way that Gilded Tomato Company consistently goes above and beyond to serve not only their loyal customers but the surrounding communities that SBN is happy to present them with the Farm to Table Award.
Local Farm
Luther Belden Inc.
Since its establishment in 1964, Luther Belden Inc. has been a family-owned and operated farm passed down from generation to generation. The farm sends its milk to Agri-Mark Inc., New England’s largest supplier of fresh milk, which is distributed throughout Massachusetts and even used to make Cabot cheese! Luther Belden Inc. raises and sells its beef directly to customers, and grows corn and hay for the farm’s use.
At Luther Belden Inc. environmental stewardship is a central tenet of the farm’s practices. The farm operates a biodigester onsite that allows for energy to be converted from manure to renewable energy with enough strength to power both the farm and surrounding communities. The farm also grows its crops using no-till planting and cover crops, which improves soil health by increasing soil organic content and allowing symbiotic fungi and bacteria to thrive in the soil. Through Agri-Mark, the farm participates in the Farmers Assuring Responsible Management (FARM) Environmental Stewardship program, which helps them calculate their greenhouse gas footprint and track improvements over time.
Luther Belden Inc. is passionate about training the next generation of farmers in their family to sustain its inter-generational employee structure. The farm’s policy of inclusive hiring practices is seen in their dedication to training and mentoring young workers with no farming background, and giving them the opportunity to learn new skills.
Local Bank
Berkshire Bank
Founded in 1846, Berkshire Bank is a high-performing leading socially responsible community bank with financial centers throughout New England and New York. Their mission is to empower the financial potential of individuals, families, businesses, and organizations by making banking available where, when, and how it’s needed. Berkshire Bank believes in giving back to the community and their multi-year $5 billion commitment known as the BEST Community Comeback is focused on strengthening communities in four key areas: fueling small businesses, community financing and philanthropy, financial access and empowerment, and environmental sustainability.
The Bank is also committed to green, social, and sustainable financing activities including increasing its lending to low-moderate income neighborhoods and supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy to conserve resources, reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, and promote a commitment to environmentally and socially conscious financial solutions. Berkshire aspires to improve the access and affordability of financial solutions to support economic growth of underrepresented populations and communities. By implementing equity, inclusion, and diversity into every aspect of their business, they work closely to ensure everyone’s voice is heard. Berkshire Bank is truly a leader amongst its peers and industry throughout the State.
Budding Entrepeneur
The Bone Sauce
The Bone Sauce is a one-of-a-kind award-winning sauce that delivers a flavor unlike any other. All packaging is recyclable and incorporates locally sourced ingredients. The sauce also contains no fillers, preservatives, or artificial sweeteners or syrups so that customers can trust they are getting only the best for their food.
The Bone Sauce sets out to create jobs for underprivileged and underrepresented individuals. Together, they invest in the future of not only the company, but the lives of their employees as well. This BIPOC-owned business aims to reach communities that need their voices to be heard and uplifted.
Through the work that is being done as a local business that operates with equality and diversity as vehicles for success, The Bone Sauce has a clear goal to strengthen their local and surrounding communities. Their enthusiasm and eagerness to promote their message and quality product makes SBN incredibly proud to present The Bone Sauce with the Budding Entrepreneur Award!
Personal Services
Cleenland is a one-stop shop for low-waste, refillable personal and home care supplies, working to develop more sustainable and diverse products within the health and beauty industry. With inclusion at the very forefront of this company's mission, Cleenland offers a wide variety of skin and hair care products, for all types, with reusable and refillable packaging that enables their customers to feel good about their purchases. In addition, Cleenland works to uplifts local businesses and collaborates with BIPOC and other women-owned businesses.
Cleenland has gone above and beyond to promote safety and inclusion in every aspect of their business. At the height of the pandemic, owner Sarah Levy worked with Cambridge Local First and other businesses to advance a petition that requested the City of Cambridge to create more space on streets for employees and customers to safely social distance while commuting to these businesses. As Cleenland has grown, they have been able to increase the bulk size of products they receive, and influence major companies, like Dr. Bronner's, to take back their containers to refill. Cleenland also works with a number of smaller companies that take back the bulk containers to get refilled, including local favorites like Soap Her Girl and Brown & Coconut
Retail Business
Nüssli118
Nüssli118 Founder Angela Hofmann began her journey with wellness as well as organically grown and sourced ingredients after realizing she felt unenergized and overall not well. She set out to create healthy and nutritious options for those who wanted baked goods that were not over-processed and filled with unnecessary fillers and preservatives.
Finding success for herself and her friends & family, Angela opened up her shop so that everyone could feel as great about the food they consume. At Nüssli118 Angela specializes in organic, plant-based treats that are also allergen friendly by working with ingredients that are dairy, gluten, and grain free. Everything sold at Nüssli118 is also always sustainably grown and fair-traded.
Angela serves on the Cambridge Local First Committee and collaborates with the Boston Globe Media’s Support Black Owned initiative. Nüssli118 hopes to provide great-tasting food that also makes you feel great.
Employee-Owned Business
South Mountain Company
In 2022, South Mountain Company (SMC) celebrated being in business for 49 years and employee-owned for 35 of those years! SMC is committed to the Triple Bottom Line, is a certified B-corp, and are founding members of The Clean Energy Credit Union, and members of Amicus Solar Cooperative. Through their participation in The Clean Energy CU and Amicus Solar, SMC collaborates with other worker-owned businesses focused on clean energy.
South Mountain Company is one of the few companies that fully integrates architecture, building, engineering, renewable energy, and interior design. SMC believes in utilizing solar energy to lower electricity use, as well as saving leftover solar energy for later use. In this way, SMC is also able to save their customers from future rate increases. At its core, SMC specializes in designing high-performance buildings that are comfortable, durable, healthy, and efficient.
South Mountain Company is consistently working on new and innovative ways in which only the best and most environmentally conscious practices are offered. Both in terms of reliability and sustainability, SMC raises the standard of what it means for a company to do good not only for its customers but also for the planet. Their commitment towards bettering their community is apparent with 10% of profits being donated towards charitable work, and an additional 10% to pro-bono endeavors.
2022 Sustainable Business Award Sponsors
