City sustainability staff recognize local firms in Green Business Program; ESOP earns project-of-the-year

City sustainability staff updated the Economic Development Partnership Board on the Green Business Program relaunch and 2025 award winners, emphasizing water conservation, energy, materials management, transportation and community resilience as program focus areas.

Karen (sustainability engagement specialist) said the program began as a 2019 pilot, relaunched Jan. 1, 2025, and is structured around employer-size award tiers (small: 1–75 employees; medium: 76–300; large: 301+). Staff explained that awards recognize resource conservation, transportation, and wildlife/community resilience, and that a single project-of-the-year is selected from all sizes.

Representatives from ESOP described the project that earned those honors. Burushi, senior director of operations (North America) and Kimberly Smith, ESOP environmental health and safety manager, said the company installed eight water-refill stations and distributes reusable bottles to employees, which staff said saved an equivalent of 77 cases of single-use water last year. ESOP representatives also described community donations, drip-irrigation landscaping, and use of local nonprofits in their sustainability work; they said ESOP intends to share these practices across their North American sites.

Board members congratulated the award winners. Staff noted that the program aims to support businesses of all sizes and to connect award-winning companies with other Denton sustainability initiatives and potential partnerships with the city.