Wis. Sustainable Business Council: Union Cab earns Green Professional award

Contact:
WI Sustainable Business Council
Tom Eggert
Executive Director
sustain@bus.wisc.edu
608 267-2761

Contact:
Union Cab of Madison Cooperative
John McNamara
General Manager
john_macnamara@unioncab.coop
608-242-2018

Union Cab of Madison is one of the first Wisconsin transportation companies to earn Green Professional status under the WI Sustainable Business Council’s Green Masters Program. As a Green Professional, Union Cab has performed actions in each of nine “sustainability areas”, and has earned more than 100 points.

Union Cab is dedicated to operating their business in an environmentally responsible way. “Union Cab has implemented sustainable improvements in their organization and their facilities, including lighting and building comfort,” according to Tom Eggert, Executive Director of the WI Sustainable Business Council. “They have made sustainability a part of their culture and their values. They do this by focusing on their communities, providing customers alternative commuting options and educating employees.”

As a worker owned and operated cooperative, Union Cab is fully engaged in all seven Cooperative Principles. The Green Team looks especially at the seventh principle: Concern for Community. The planet is the macro community that Union Cab is concerned about, and its business decisions are grounded in a triple bottom line approach of people, planet, and profit.

“The members of Union Cab are proud to have achieved the “Green Professional” status. We have dedicated ourselves to operating in an environmentally responsible way. We do this for more than simple marketing efforts, but as a worker cooperative, we have an ethic of caring for others,” said John McNamara, General Manager of Union Cab Madison Cooperative. “Taking care of our environment is important because it is our environment. We aren’t disinterested owners managing an investment. We live here with our families and our friends which is why our vision is to be a sustainable asset and valued resource by all.”

The Green Professional designation is the second highest tier in the Green Masters Program established by the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council. Candidates are judged on a comprehensive range of sustainability issues from energy and natural resource use to education outreach and purchasing. 94 Wisconsin businesses have participated in the program where the top twenty percent achieve the highest “Green Master” designation. For more information, or a complete list of Green Masters Program participants, go to: http://www.greenmastersprogram.com.

To learn about Union Cab’s commitment to sustainability, visit: http://www.unioncab.com/opencms/opencms/about_us/green/.

Web address for Union Cab’s eco improvements: http://www.unioncab.com/ecofriendlyimprovements