2021 Sustainable Business of the Year Awards
The Sustainable Business Network of Massachusetts created the highly-respected Sustainable Business of the Year Awards as a way of recognizing and celebrating the outstanding work of local businesses that embody the mission of building strong economies that are local, green, and fair.
Thanks to Robin Young of NPR's Here & Now for hosting the event and being in live conversation with leading local and sustainable businesses in Massachusetts!
Featuring uplifting music and poetry, inspiring stories, and conversations with business leaders, community leaders and individuals who share the values of the Sustainable Business Awardees.
2021 Sustainable Business of The Year Awardees
Sustainable Services
The Best Bees Company
Best Bees installs and maintains bee hives for both corporate and home beekeeping. The Boston-based company was founded in 2010 by Noah Wilson-Rich, PhD, with the goal to understand the conditions that affect bee health, and ways in which pollinator health can be improved.
Best Bees is able to create more opportunities for pollination within cities. This, consequently, gives rise to more viable food production and greener living in an urban environment. The Best Bees Company has even developed innovative approaches and data that are now used by such institutions as NASA, MIT, Harvard, and National Geographic.
The company’s commitment to reliable pollinator health, global food security, and client engagement is evident in their work everyday, and makes them a noteworthy business in Massachusetts to spotlight and celebrate this year!
Local Food Business
Debra’s Natural Gourmet
Debra’s Natural Gourmet has brought the finest quality health and local food products to the West Concord community since they opened their doors in 1989. The store also won the “Retailer of the Year” award by WholeFoods Magazine in 2015.
Founder and Owner Debra Stark is the author of three cookbooks, founder of Stark Sisters granola, and is a community resource on cooking and nutrition. Today, she is joined by her son, Adam, as well as a team of nearly 50 others who have helped achieve an extraordinary milestone of carrying 10,000+ items in their food store.
At Debra’s, health and wellness are top priority, which is why they carry delicious local and organic goods at an affordable price. Additionally, Debra’s sets an example for other food businesses by curating only fair traded, natural foods that help reduce the store's carbon footprint, and is ultimately, a true display of SBN’s local, green, and fair values.
Retail Business
Boing! Toy Shop
Boing! is a community-oriented shop carrying toys, games, craft sets, puppets & other gifts for kids & babies. The toy shop opened 20 years ago in 2001, with a goal to bring some fun and amusement to the Jamaica Plain neighborhood. Kim Mitchell, the current owner of Boing!, has lived in JP with her family for several decades. Before owning and operating Boing!, Kim had a successful career in finance, but longed to work more directly with the community and to see firsthand the impact of her efforts. Today, her store is regarded as a well-loved staple by the JP community.
The mission of Boing! has been to provide quality toys and be a valuable resource for their community, which they say has come naturally to them as a result of their love of play and excellent customer service.
Unlike most toy shops, this brick-and-mortar does not carry video games. There are a variety of toys and games in stock that encourage kids to get moving while cutting down on electricity. They even have an impressive stock of over 200 eco-friendly toys, thus displaying a passion for sustainability.
Energy Solutions
Solect Energy
Solect Energy offers smart solutions and proven expertise in solar development, technology, construction, policy, and incentives, as well as individualized financial guidance. This passionate group of hard workers believes in a green future for everyone, combatting climate change through the use of natural sun power.
Solect has installed over 90 megawatts of PV systems, with a focus on commercial, light industrial, and institutional properties throughout the New England market. In addition to helping customers implement solar solutions, Solect aims to make solar easier to understand through education and advisory services, so their customers can feel confident every step of the way.
What further sets Solect Energy apart in its industry is the company's generous contributions to its surrounding communities. Solect donates entire solar systems to organizations in need, is committed to volunteering with the neighboring towns, and supports a number of local foundations and organizations. The company is equally committed to supporting its employees, and works to build a culture that inspires innovation and teamwork.
Budding Entrepeneur
American Vinegar Works
American Vinegar Works makes small-batch, great American vinegars that have a sense of place and enhance cooking and cocktails for chefs and home cooks. They use methods dating back to the 1800s, because they believe that taste and quality should not be sacrificed for the convenience of modern techniques.
As the only full-line vinegar maker in the entirety of New England, this unique business, launched by Founder and CEO Rodrigo Vargas, helps sustain the growth of a local economy through the support of other New England businesses. All of their vinegar bottling and labeling is done by hand in partnership with the Mercy Centre, which is a non-profit organization that supports learning, work, and healthy living programming for special needs adults.
American Vinegar Works is an impressive display of green practice as they utilize 100% renewable energy. They have also done away with plastic in their e-commerce packaging in order to better the environment.
Community Leadership
The Williams Agency
The Williams Agency is a 25-year-old Marketing firm based in the diverse city of Cambridge.This award-winning Agency offers mission-driven marketing and business strategy consulting, and organizes various events that have a meaningful impact. They have put together some of Boston’s largest sustainable food and cultural events which shed light on other local organizations.
The Agency’s Founder, Nicola Williams has served in leadership positions on several nonprofit boards, such as the Children’s Museum Boston and the Community Art Center. She is a dear friend of SBN and shares our beliefs on equity and fairness. Her business is built upon the values Nicola cares deeply about: community, diversity, localism, and respect for the environment. The Williams Agency specializes in what they call “Green Marketing” because they believe in the importance of prioritizing sustainability in a typically not-so-eco-friendly industry. Nicola and her team’s determination to help locals go green truly make The Williams Agency a leader in both the community and the business world.
Local Farm
Astarte Farm
Astarte is a wholesale fruit and vegetable grower, delivering no-till, certified organic produce to Western Massachusetts. Their farming practices are not only effective in helping to grow healthy, delicious crops, but actually help the environment as well. By adopting practices of "no-till", the focus is placed on restoring and enriching soil biodiversity that provides greater resilience to extreme weather conditions and better retention of soil moisture. By not disturbing the soil, complex root systems are left intact that act as breeding grounds for fungi and other organisms. Less carbon is released into the atmosphere this way, meaning there is less of an impact on the climate than there would be with conventional farming methods.
This community-driven farm has a unique CSA, offering members affordable local produce as well as educational tours and events that embody environmental stewardship. They also donate 5% of the CSA revenue to the Amherst Survival Center.
In recognition of their commitment to delivering the highest quality produce as well as commitment to sustainable practices, River Valley Co-op awarded Astarte Farm their 2018 Farm of the Year award. Ellen Drews and Amelia Mead, the current co-managers of the farm, have helped to foster a spirit of positivity at Astarte, and have integrated their learning from Dan Pratt (Astarte's founder) and Jim Mead (Astarte's current owner) as they work to sustain and keep this local farm thriving.
2021 Sustainable Business Award Sponsors
