FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 16, 2022
Honesdale, PA – The Highlights Foundation has been named the 2022 Green Business of the Year by Sustainable Energy Education & Development Support of Northeastern PA (SEEDS) and the Chamber of the Northern Poconos. Annual recognition of a Green Business of the Year honors a business in the region for their sustainable business practices.
The Highlights Foundation is committed to becoming a net positive organization. Our campus is situated on a beautiful 1,300-acre farmstead in Boyds Mills PA, which was the home of Caroline and Garry Myers, the founders of Highlights Magazine. On this site we welcome approximately 1,000 writers and illustrators from around the world each year for workshops and retreats, with our mission at the forefront: to support storytellers who inform, educate, and inspire children to become their best selves.
The Highlights Foundation property was settled in 1867 by Caroline Myers’ grandparents, and over 150 years later, this inspirational land is stewarded by 105 descendants of the Myers. The family meets each year in Boyds Mills to reaffirm their commitment to children and to this land. As a family, they created an Energy Mission and Vision in 2019 to demonstrate their leadership and commitment to creating a net positive retreat center.The Energy Mission states:
To lead the way in a transition to net positive energy usage at Boyds Mills by end of 2021 via creation of an energy management plan and its implementation, while providing educational opportunities to those who are touched by this property.
Since then, we have installed a 30kW solar array to power the retreat center, installed a 70kW solar array on the property, added spray foam insulation in the floors of cabins, installed mini-split heat and air conditioning units in 23 cabins, and integrated energy management software to oversee a more efficient use of power on the campus.
“The Highlights Foundation has shown that adopting sustainable energy goals can also be financially sustainable and educational. It was a grandiose mission at first, but Highlights has managed to make significant progress even in the face of a pandemic, never losing sight of what they set out to do. I’m proud to have them as a neighbor and a model for organizational stewardship in our community,” said SEEDS Executive Director Olga Trushina.
To contribute to the Highlights Foundation Scholarship program, donate online here.
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CONTACTS:
George Brown, Executive Director, Highlights Foundation (George.Brown@highlightsfoundation.org)
