The following press release is courtesy of the Salem Chamber of Commerce.

We are pleased to announce the winners of the 2011 Green Salem Business Challenge. The winners have been selected from a group that consisted of nearly 50 businesses and organizations. Those chosen for “Best in Class” or “Honorable Mention” recognition distinguished themselves as the greenest in their respective size classes. Selection of winners was based on a self-scoring point system, with answers to open-ended, narrative questions evaluated to address tie scores. The open ended questions were judged by a panel consisting of members of the sponsoring organizations (listed below).

Awards will be presented by Mayor Kimberley Driscoll at Salem Old Town Hall, 2nd Floor, 32 Derby Square on Thursday, Sept. 15 at 4 p.m.

Representative John Keenan, a representative from Congressmen Tierney’s office and Salem Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rinus Oosthoek, will be present to congratulate the winners and participants.  Light food and refreshments will be served.

The honorees by category are as follows:

Category One (Sole proprietor/ single owner-employee)

Best in Class: The Picklepot

Honorable Mention:  Mighty Aphrodite Maternity Consignment

Category Two (1 to 5 employees)

Best in Class: Ben & Jerry’s

Honorable Mention: Green Clean

Category Three (6 to 50 employees)

Best in Class: North Shore Community Development Coalition

Honorable Mention: Historic New England’s Phillips House

Category Four (over 51 employees)

Best in Class:  Salem State University

Honorable Mention: Peabody Essex Museum

We hope you can join us on Sept. 15 in celebrating those businesses and organizations that stood out as Salem’s greenest (and to accept your award if you are among the winners!).

On behalf of the Salem Chamber of Commerce, the City of Salem, SalemRecycles, the Salem Renewable Energy Task Force, and the North Shore Transportation Management Association, we thank you for participating and helping set the bar for Salem green businesses. We invite any comments and suggestions you may have for improving the Challenge and general sustainability efforts in Salem. (Please note that we will be convening a green business focus group in the coming months and offering workshops on green business practices.) Please go to http://salem.com/Pages/SalemMA_BComm/survey.pdf to review the 2011 GSBC survey.