A new Business Recognition Program for the City of Pierre’s Go Green & Clean campaign looks to encourage, measure and recognize Green & Clean efforts by local businesses. A committee of volunteer citizens is selecting participating businesses throughout the year to highlight Green & Clean activities happening in the city every day.

The first business to be featured is Delta Dental of South Dakota, which includes energy and resource efficiency in its building and operations. The non-profit company began its Green & Clean related efforts when growth prompted construction of an addition to its office building in 2010.

“We felt it was important to be environmentally responsible so we incorporated green products into our construction plans, like low-flow bathroom fixtures and programmable thermostats,” said Scott Jones, CEO.

The building also features occupancy sensors for lights which automatically turn off when no motion is detected. And more energy efficient changes are coming when new LED lighting will be installed in the older portion of the building later this spring.

The company also uses simple steps to be more Green & Clean that don’t require a large investment in building systems.

The employees at Delta Dental recycle aluminum and paper as part of their everyday routine. Financial Data Analyst George Allen even creates note pads from discarded paper for the staff. The company’s charitable efforts extend to their green practices by collecting pop can tabs for charities and collecting unused hotel samples to donate to people in need.

And every spring the Delta Dental team gathers trash from their neighborhood as part of Pierre’s Go Green & Clean campaign launch.

“Delta Dental strives to be a good corporate citizen, and doing our part to be environmentally friendly seems like a natural fit,” said Jones. “Even a small effort can have a big impact, and we’re thankful to live in a place where residents are focused on keeping Pierre Green & Clean.”