Ohio University students looking to support local businesses with environmental practices now have a guide telling them how to do so.
The Athens Green Guide was created by senior Sam Pepple to educate readers about sustainability and to show them where sustainable businesses were located in the Athens area. Pepple is a cartography major who is also involved with Ohio University's Sustainable Living Organization.
He said he hoped to provide an incentive for other businesses to adopt more environmentally friendly practices that would earn them a spot on the guide.
Sustainability is the realization that a healthy planet is one that will sustain human life for generations to come but not at the expense of biodiversity
he said.
Pepple said there were no actual criteria for a business to earn a spot on the map other than what I believe the themes of sustainability are.
All organizations on the map fit into at least one of Pepple's seven characteristics of sustainability: organic materials, fair trade, education and support, bicycling, alternative energy, local products and waste diversion.
There's sustainability in the fact that a business is local he said. That money is going to be pumped directly back to this economy.
The guide also gives information about Athens Transit bus stops and hours of operation.
Sustainability Coordinator Sonia Marcus said the map was the first of its kind in the Athens area.
As the Office of Sustainability we are very much interested in educating students about the importance of patronizing the local economy and businesses that are environmentally-friendly
Marcus said.
Donkey Coffee and Espresso earned a spot on the map for its organic, local and fair trade products, as well as its use of composting and biodegradable plastics.
Owner Chris Pyle said he thought the guide would certainly raise awareness about the environmental practices of Athens businesses.
I think it's fantastic
he said.
Other businesses include Perk's Coffee House and Roastery, Village Bakery and Cafe, Jackie O's and Casa Nueva and Cantina.
Pepple said he encourages feedback and is hoping to release another edition of the guide in the spring.
Copies of the Athens Green Guide can be found at the Office of Sustainability, the Cartography Center and at [url=http://www.ohio.edu/sustainability]www.ohio.edu/sustainability[/url].
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Anne Elliott
