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Washington, D.C. — July 6, 2015 — Green Seal, the nation’s first independent nonprofit certifier of sustainable products and services, announced that it is opening an office in California.
The operation, which will help oversee and grow a variety of initiatives in the state, will be led by Gary M. Petersen, a current board member and former chair of Green Seal’s Board of Directors.
“California has been a leader in helping us to advance sustainability, as we have worked with the state and its cities in a number of projects over the years,” says Arthur B. Weissman, CEO of Green Seal. “Opening this office will help us work with leaders in California to bring important programs to fruition. Gary Petersen’s leadership there makes this an even more exciting and pivotal development for our programs.”
The new office, to be based in Southern California, will oversee several key initiatives for Green Seal, including working with the city of Los Angeles to advance the Los Angeles Green Lodging Program. That program is a partnership between the city, Green Seal, and the LA Tourism and Convention Board to encourage and promote sustainability certification of hotels based on Green Seal’s GS-33 Standard for Lodging Properties.
The office will work to support other Green Seal programs as well, including its green cleaning services certification and Green Office Partnership Program. It will also work with cities currently in the USA Green Communities (USAGC) program and conduct outreach to local universities and schools seeking to expand sustainability initiatives on their campus.
Petersen is a former chair of the Green Seal Board of Directors. He is also a partner in Environmental Problem Solving Enterprises, which he co-founded with Robert Sulnick in 1997. The firm specializes in supporting emerging green technologies, advancing environmentally preferable products and services, including renewable energy, low carbon fuels, water conservation, recycling, and sustainable design and development.
Petersen is a national leader on recycling and sustainability issues. As founder and president of Ecolo-Haul Recycling (1972-1988), he built a regional network of nearly 60 recycling centers serving much of Southern California. He established Los Angeles’ first curbside recycling program in 1972 and was the first citywide recycling contractor for Los Angeles and Santa Monica from the mid-1970s into the late-1980s. Ecolo-Haul Recycling was later acquired by Waste Management Inc., and he served as a vice president and director of environmental affairs for the company's Recycle America program from 1988 to 1997.
Petersen has advised local, state, and federal agencies, corporate entities, businesses, and environmental organizations.
For more information, visit www.GreenSeal.org.
