A new student-led project connects App State to Boone’s small businesses by highlighting their sustainability practices and promoting environmental awareness.
The Student Sustainable Business Association released a pamphlet called “Sustainably, Boone listing local businesses partnered with the SSBA to promote environmentally-conscious business practices. The SSBA’s Green Passport contains logos of participating businesses to stamp when visiting the business. The pamphlet also provides a scavenger hunt for landmarks around downtown Boone to encourage people to explore further.
“The idea behind it was that we want a way to continue our ties with businesses in an ongoing, structured way,” said senior applied data analytics major and co-president of the SSBA, Asher Fazal.
Local businesses involved in the project include Boone Fillery, Regear Outdoors, Little Wing Ice Cream, Wildwood Community Market and The Happy Persimmon. The passport also highlights local nonprofits like FARM Cafe and the Hunger and Health Coalition.
Sustainably, Boone operates on a star system to rate each of the business’ commitment to sustainability. One star goes to businesses who “already have at least one sustainable practice in place,” two stars go to “businesses pledging to implement a new sustainability measure” and three stars go to “businesses who are now working towards a second sustainability goal,” according to the pamphlet’s first page.
Boone fillery was featured as Sustainably, Boone’s “Shining Star Sustainable Business,” for their locally sourced products and circular supply chain.
“The project has a huge impact on Boone,” said Alexis Hartsell, the co-owner of Boone Fillery. “We’ve seen it play out already. Just this past week we had a customer pop into the shop that had already completed their passport with pure joy and excitement.”
Hartsell said Sustainably, Boone is a way for residents to get to know their local business community more intimately.
“Supporting small and local businesses, and building awareness for that, is vastly important these days,” Hartsell said. “Strengthening our local High Country economy is one of the easiest ways that we can directly support what takes care of us.”
Fazal said the SSBA plans to update the passport in the future as the business landscape of Boone changes.
Sustainably, Boone is available with a limited supply at participating businesses around the town of Boone.
