Goodwill Industries International Re-certified as a Green Business By Montgomery County

ROCKVILLE, Md., May 13, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Goodwill Industries International has been re-certified as a green business through the Montgomery County Green Business Certification Program. The program recognizes businesses and other entities that have voluntarily taken steps to protect, preserve and improve the environment on behalf of the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection and the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.

As a certified green business, Goodwill® continues to demonstrate its commitment to environmental stewardship, conservation of energy and water, carbon footprint reduction, waste reduction and recycling, and environmentally responsible purchasing. Goodwill received its original certification in 2011 and was re-certified at the beginning of 2014.

"For more than a century, Goodwill has been an entrepreneurial leader and environmental pioneer," said Jim Gibbons, president and CEO of Goodwill Industries International. "Goodwill is committed to preserving the environment and strengthening communities, and we will continue to place an emphasis on sustainable building and operations practices across the enterprise."

Goodwill strives to lower energy consumption, reduce waste, and increase recycling and environmentally responsible purchasing. To reduce water consumption, Goodwill Industries International installed automatic faucets in its restrooms, minimized water use for landscaping, posted educational signs and monitored for water leaks. In November of 2013, water use was 31 percent less than the baseline month of June 2010.

"As a re-certified green business in the county, Goodwill Industries International continues to expand its commitment to sustainability," said Doug Weisburger, Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection. "Goodwill is inspiring its members to promote social and environmental leadership and to partner with vendors to have greater environmental impact."

On a yearly basis, Goodwill diverts more than 3 billion pounds of clothing and textiles from landfills by recovering the value in people's donated material goods. Through its Reconnect computer-recycling program with Dell, Goodwill has diverted more than 324 million pounds of electronic equipment from landfills since the program's inception in 2004.

As part of its re-certification, Goodwill is listed among other certified businesses in the Certified Green Business Directory. To learn more about the Green Business Certification Program, visit www.mcgreenbiz.org.

About Goodwill Industries International
Goodwill Industries International is a network of 165 community-based agencies in the United States and Canada with a presence in 14 other countries. Goodwill agencies are innovative and sustainable social enterprises that fund job training programs, employment placement services and other community-based programs by selling donated clothing and household items in nearly 2,900 stores and online at shopgoodwill.com^®. Goodwill also builds revenue and creates jobs by contracting with businesses and government agencies to provide a wide range of commercial services, including packaging and assembly, food service preparation, and document imaging and shredding. In 2013, more than 9.8 million people in the United States and Canada benefited from Goodwill's career services. Goodwill channels 83 percent of its revenues directly into its programs and services.

To find a Goodwill location near you, use the online locator at www.goodwill.org, or call (800) GOODWILL. Follow us on Twitter:@GoodwillIntl, and find us on Facebook: GoodwillIntl.

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SOURCE Goodwill Industries International