On Wednesday, May 24, the Center for Health & Wellbeing and Nourish Coffee Bar + Kitchen received Green Business designations from the City of Winter Park. This City program acknowledges organizations in Winter Park that have made substantial efforts to be more sustainable in terms of building efficiency, waste reduction, and consumer choices. There are currently 25 recognized organizations in Winter Park, and CHWB and Nourish are proud to have officially joined that small group. 

At CHWB and Nourish, Environmental Wellbeing is all about our stewardship of the planet and spending time enjoying its many natural wonders. We know that helping the planet can bring a sense of accomplishment and wellbeing to our lives, and we encourage all to consider how our daily habits can affect the world around us in a positive way. The following practices helped us earn the Green Business designations: 

Center for Health & Wellbeing

• Educational programming with an environmental wellbeing focus, including partner programs hosted with IDEAS for Us and Fleet Farming 
• Hosting cooking classes that focus on meatless meals and the benefits of local and seasonal eating and waste-less cooking
• Practicing high-cost and low-cost energy and water-saving measures 

Nourish Coffee Bar + Kitchen

• Preparing all food on-site and growing our own produce using our hydroponic gardens  
• Sourcing products used in the cafe from local, organic farmers  
• The use of biodegradable food products or recycled plastic packaging 
• Our practice of diverting food from the landfill by partnering with O-Town Compost 

In addition to the Green Business designations, at the City Commission meeting CHWB’s LEED Silver certification was also announced. One of the ways we were sure to do our part in helping the planet was to pursue a LEED certification during the construction of the facility. With more than 120,000 buildings across the world reaching a certified LEED designation, LEED is the world’s most widely used green building system. To achieve that LEED Silver certification, our project earned points by adhering to prerequisites and credits that address carbon, energy, water, waste, transportation, materials, health and indoor environmental quality. The Center then went through a verification and review process by Green Business Certification Inc. and was awarded enough points for a Silver designation.