Sustain Illinois Finalists Announced!

We are pleased to announce that finalists have been selected for Sustain Illinois, the highly selective entrepreneurial competition where sustainable companies have the opportunity to compete for a combined $22,500 cash prize.  Six finalists were selected in each of the following two tracks: Innovative Sustainable High Growth Product/Service Category and Innovative Environmental/Social Enterprise (process of people/planet and profits) Category.

Congratulations to the finalists below:

 

Innovative Sustainable High Growth Product/Service Category

BioVantage Fuels
BioVantage Fuels LLC (BioVantage) produces biodiesel from used restaurant cooking oils.  Biodiesel is an alternative fuel that contains no petroleum, but it can be blended with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend.  It can be used in diesel engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics.  We re-purpose the waste used cooking oils from restaurants to produce biodiesel, a clean-burning renewable fuel.  We believe this is an excellent example of adhering to the triple bottom line (3BL) of sustainability: people, profit and planet. 

 

Carbon Solutions Group

Carbon Solutions Group is an environmental consulting firm specializing in renewable energy and greenhouse gas mitigation. CSG works with corporations, institutions, municipalities, architects and non-profits throughout the world. CSG promotes education towards environmental stewardship goals with definition, management, mitigation and offsetting strategies. CSG's assets are from "new" renewable generation facilities or carbon reduction projects in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Earth Paint Collections
Our goal is simple: To keep latex paint, and its containers, out of our waste stream. Earth Paint Collection Systems is a company devoted to helping the environment through responsible disposal of latex paint. We have developed a system of collecting and consolidating post-consumer latex paint that allows it to be recycled into new consumer products.

ePower Synergies, Inc

ePower Synergies, Inc., is a developer and marketer of advanced electric vehicles (EV). We design, build, market, sell and service a variety of EVs including The RIDE™ personal transporter (PT), which is our exciting new leadoff product.

Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks

Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks offers year-round home delivery in the Chicago area of local and organic produce, meat, dairy, eggs, baked goods and more! We are partnering with sustainable farmers in the region to grow the supply of local food in a way that protects our health and the environment.

Safety Power Inc

Specializing in Electrical Conservation, Safety Power sells and installs Energy Controllers for homes and businesses. An Energy Controller provides entire building power conservation, power filtering and amperage surge protection.

Innovative Environmental/Social Enterprise (process of people/planet and profits) Category

Allyu Spa
Allyu Spa is a full service day spa located in Rivernorth Chicago. Allyu is a Quechua word that means community. As a locally based and sustainably run business, we are dedicated to serving our community with services that reflect a passion for holistic wellness. By empowering our clients with knowledge about earth-friendly practices, we create healthier, more responsible citizens of this beautiful planet.

Chapter One Organics
Chapter One Organics makes 100% premium organic cotton baby and toddler clothes in the US. We support socially and environmentally responsible manufacturing practices. Our organic baby clothes are made in the US by an organization that is helping women facing significant barriers to employment. Our organic baby clothing is modern, fun and luxuriously soft.

City Provisions
City Provisions is a catering company that focuses on local, sustainable and organic foods, with a heavy focus on sustainable practices—including, but not limited to: compostable disposables, a strict recycling program, and a creative organic “composting” program (our organic waste is preserved and given to our farmers to use as feed for their livestock). All this is coupled with unparalleled service.

Gourmet Gorilla
Gourmet Gorilla, Inc. is a local & organic foodservice provider that starts at the beginning.   We specialize in providing healthy breakfasts, lunches and snacks in pre-school and elementary school settings. Our mission is to build a sustainable future for our children and community by providing local and organic school lunches and healthier eating options. We are committed to working with community partners to provide solid nutrition for children in order to help them learn and grow. Building alliances between local farms, urban agriculturalists, dieticians, nutritionists, talented chefs, and organic food manufacturers, we are able to provide quality ingredients as well as connect to educational resources on healthy food curriculum, the value of organic foods, garden projects, and ecological awareness.  

Green Bag Lunch
Green Bag Lunch caters healthy, eco-friendly lunches to kids at schools and camps. Green Bag Lunch (GBL) provides a unique convenience to families and schools, allowing them a new and better alternative to the traditional cafeteria lunch and the hassle of packing a lunch from home. With Green Bag Lunch, interested parents at participating schools and camps simply order online and their child’s lunch gets delivered directly to the lunchroom. We package our all-natural and organic foods in recycled and biodegradable plant-based materials. Green Bag Lunch capitalizes on two major market trends: concern toward child health/wellness and concern toward the environment. Green Bag Lunch has served more than 35,000 lunches and snacks to 2500 children in the city of Chicago and its suburbs.

INEEKA
INEEKA is an innovative environmentally and socially responsible producer of 100% Organic & Biodynamic whole leaf teas and herbs, grown within our family farms in the Himalayas and partner communities worldwide. The founder’s family’s 15 tea estates, which are certified Organic and Biodynamic as per International standards, are spread on 15,000 acres at the foothills of the Himalayas in India and are home to 25,000 people. Ineeka is the only completely vertically integrated tea brand in North America that has the advantage of growing its teas on our family farms, packaging its products at its own Chicago facility, and providing the consumer a premium product at a fraction of the cost.

Finalists for the Fast Pitch will be announced April 30th. 

Comments

[Carbon Advice Group]

Hi,

May we also take this opportunity to introduce ourselves.

We’re working on a global project to demystify the carbon markets and create an army of environmental entrepreneurs. The Carbon Advice Group (www.carbonadvicegroup.com) is running a free affiliate program that enables individuals and businesses to get their own white-label website with carbon calculators and the ability for visitors to purchase carbon credits. We believe that by paying our affiliates a small commission from the sale of the carbon credits we will be able to significantly increase awareness about the positive benefits that the right type of carbon credits can bring to the communities they affect, as well as moving money from those that have it to those that need it. We see Global Warming as the greatest team challenge we have ever faced and we hope we can play a role in becoming part of the solution.” Thank you