Top Sustainable Companies
in Connecticut
Connecticut spans just 110 miles from east to west. And 70 miles from north to south. Yet across this diverse yet compact region, sustainable companies are sprouting and leading the way to a cleaner and healthier Connecticut! We hope you enjoy our selection of the Top Sustainable Companies in Connecticut. Some are new, some are pioneers with experience, some are small, some are well-known.
No matter the size of their impact, we believe they all play a role to improve our way of life. From marine conservation to promoting an active way of living, Connecticut demonstrates great leadership!
There are many more sustainable companies that we may have missed, so if you believe you should be in the Top Sustainable Companies in CT, feel free to contact us and we will evaluate your sustainable initiative.
Top Sustainable Companies in Connecticut
Blue Earth Compost
Blue Earth Compost believes that Connecticut folks want to integrate a sustainable lifestyle. All that we need are systems and processes to help integrate new habits.
Such as composting.
They aim to expand the accessibility of composting to improve Connecticut’s air, water, and soil. Since 2013, they have worked with homeowners, renters and commercial entities, big and small to achieve this.
Furthermore, here are some of their sustainable practices they apply in their business operations:
- Reuse equipment – they save, clean, and reuse most of their gear, down to even the rubber bands that hold the liners in their carts.
- Cleaning their composting carts with a pressure washer. Pressure washers use around 10 times less water than a hose.
- They deliver compost back to their customers – for those that request not to receive compost, they donate a share on their behalf.
- Blue Earth Compost has a strict no-idling policy for all company vehicles.
- They buy refurbished carts from their supplier Otto Environmental Systems.
- Their residential liners and some commercial liners are made by BioBag, which are completely compostable.
Sub Edge Farm
Based in Farmington, Connecticut, Sub Edge Farm practices sustainable agriculture. The family farm is certified organic by NOFA-NY Certified Organic, LLC. Also, a conservation management plan was crafted to be more efficient. For example, cover cropping and crop rotation are practiced.
This allows to preserve and improve soil conditions and nutrients. Correspondingly, the farm uses a drip-irrigation system to limit water use and prevent erosion. Today, its crops grow over 10 acres of vegetables, fruits, flowers and culinary herbs.
They sell through a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program, their seasonal farm shop as well as do wholesale to local restaurants and schools.
They humanely raise heritage breed pigs, pasture raised broilers, layer hens and 100% grass-fed beef. Sub Edge Farm also created a quarter-acre pollinator habitat on the farm to help bees. And they compost on site to create their own organic fertilizer!
We are thrilled to see such amazing sustainable agriculture in Connecticut. Once we discovered Sub Edge Farm, we knew we wanted to include them in our selection of the Top Sustainable Companies in Connecticut.
The Maritime Aquarium
Photo Credit: Patty Doyle
The Maritime Aquarium inspires people to appreciate the Long Island Sound ecosystem. They educate people of all ages with living exhibits, marine science, and environmental education.
The topics focus mainly on Long Island Sound, such as local marine and wildlife. However, they also cover conservation issues from around the world. The Maritime Aquarium organizes exhibits that are designed to entertain, educate, and help everyone reflect on ocean conservation.
This sustainable not-for-profit is based in Norwalk, Connecticut. It makes for a great family activity!
Mystic Aquarium
As its name indicates, Mystic Aquarium is located Mystic, Connecticut. Every day they motivate people to care for our ocean planet through conservation, education and research.
They succeed by:
- Creating thought-provoking encounters with marine life
- Conducting research that advances aquatic animal husbandry and health
- Serving as an interpreter of marine science discoveries and conservation issues
- Sharing resources and expertise with the scientific and education communities
As a strong marine conservation leader, it’s a no-brainer why they are on our list of Top Sustainable Companies in Connecticut.
We would also like to mention their Animal Rescue Clinic: Please call 1-860-572-5955 if you see a hurt marine mammal or sea turtle.
GreenWave
Located in Fair Haven, Connecticut, GreenWave is building the nation’s first Seafood Hub. Fair Haven was once a capital of oyster production but is now one of the poorest coastal communities on the East Coast. GreenWave aspires to innovate the industry and change the way we harvest seafood.
In other words, GreenWave is a non-profit dedicated to replicating and scaling a 3D Ocean Farming model. They offer a mix of training programs for unemployed fishers and school-to-farm guidance. Together with their incubator for ocean entrepreneurs, GreenWave is revolutionizing the Seafood industry. An industry that must be adapted and improved for current seafood demand.
This is a very important sustainable company that should be encouraged in Connecticut. Have a look at their work!
Connecticut Fund for the Environment
The Connecticut Fund for the Environment works to protect and improve the land, air, and water of Connecticut. They have developed the program Save the Sound that has the same objectives and focuses on conserving Long Island Sound. With their legal and scientific expertise, they have succeeded many conservation achievements. We consider this to be one of the Top Sustainable Companies in Connecticut for the ongoing hard work they put in land conservation.
Here are some of their achievements:
- Kelda Lands
The Kelda Lands are scattered throughout the state. One of the largest parcels–nearly 600 acres in Ansonia and Seymour–is merged with the Naugatuck State Forest. In 2001, CFE formed The Coalition for the Permanent Protection of the Kelda Lands. They successfully advocated for the conservation of over 15,000 acres of utility company land! - The Preserve
This land is a treasure for nature lovers. The Preserve is a 1,000-acre coastal forest of dense woods, wetlands, ponds, rivers, fish, and wildlife. It is the last of its kind in southern New England. After a decade and a half of fighting to preserve this beautiful landscape, CFE and our allies are nearing the finish line. The summer of 2014 was an immensely successful one for The Preserve–read more. - The Connecticut Clean Water Fund
For years, the Clean Water Fund lacked proper management and funding. As Connecticut’s primary source for clean water projects, it was damaging the state’s water quality. CFE and Save the Sound joined the Clean Water Investment Coalition in 2006 and worked with legislators to get the fund back on track in 2008.
New England Conservation Services
New England Conservation Services educate people to save energy, money and ultimately our environment. Located in Woodbridge, CT, it is one of the largest and most experienced companies in the energy conservation industry.
If you are looking for ways to use your home energy more efficiently, NE Conservation Services is a trusted resource to contact.
The idea of energy conservation is that it not only makes us cleaner, safer and smarter. It can also make us efficient in our energy use – making it a win-win.
Their expertise lies in home performance with Energy Star, insulation and low-income home energy solutions.
Next Up: Top 15 Sustainable Initiatives in Vermont
SoundWaters
SoundWaters was founded in 1989 with the mission to protect Long Island Sound through education and action. In January 2016, SoundWaters and Young Mariners Foundation agreed to merge under the SoundWaters brand.
Today, SoundWaters continues to do what it does best; engage students and adults to build a deeper interest to protect the health of the Sound. They achieve this through improving literacy in science and raising awareness to marine life issues. Conducting sails throughout the region for schools, community groups and for the public, is what they’re known for.
In fact, their schooner SoundWaters conducts 250 experiential education sails each season.
No child or school that wants to take part in these sustainable programs will be excluded, no matter the income. This is a Top Sustainable Company in Connecticut for its commitment to sharing knowledge and inclusive approach.
PurePoint Energy
PurePoint Energy provides cities in Connecticut with high-quality and long-lasting solar energy solutions. They work directly with you to create a completely custom project best suited for your specific needs.
Their solar energy specialists consult clients throughout Connecticut, including residential and agriculture experts. More and more Connecticut folks seek to create a healthier environment for their families while saving on electric costs. By installing solar panel installations, you will have many benefits. Besides a decrease in your monthly electric bill, you can receive a federal tax break.
Winvian Farm
Agritourism resorts and the farm-to-table movement in Connecticut are ever so popular. That makes us more than happy, as it brings people back to the land and promotes a sustainable lifestyle. Winvian Farm in Morris, Connecticut offers healthy eating and earth-to-table menus.
Winvian Farm is a luxury resort with one hundred thirteen acres of heaven on earth and Five-Star Fine Dining. There are 3 acres of vegetable and fruit organic gardens, 4 greenhouses, an apiary, and livestock including sheep, pigs and chickens. Seven months of the year 70% of the produce served in the restaurant comes directly from the farm. In other months, the kitchen utilizes mostly local organic items.
Guests can help to pick produce for their next meal. This offers a unique immersive cultivation and cooking experience that promotes respect for the State’s lands.
Winvian Farm employs regenerative and biodynamic practices. Namely their on-site irrigation system that draws water from Charles Pond on the grounds. This ensures that no unnecessary waste of water is produced in the growing process.
Most importantly, only water filtered on-site is served to guests as a movement to cut down on the usage of bottled water. This sustainable practice came to fruition after the restaurant management discovered that guests consume 12,000-15,000 bottles of water at the resort each year.
Winvian Farm’s passion for sustainability has not gone unnoticed. We knew it was important to include them in our selection of the Top Sustainable Companies in Connecticut.
Hugo & Hoby
Hugo and Hoby coordinate regional experts to build handcrafted sustainably-sourced furniture. This includes the best designers, manufacturers and craftspeople.
Why did we include them in our list of the Top Sustainable Companies in Connecticut?
Because this New Haven-grown startup produces small-batch handcrafted furniture through an innovative order system.
Along with using regional wood, furniture is crafted nearby. This eliminates completely the need for long-distance shipping in the manufacturing process. Hugo & Hoby uses hardwood, rather than particleboard.
Wood is predominantly ash, walnut, cherry, and maple. Of course, H&H makes sure that they are sustainably harvested from nearby forests. The wood is then finished with organic mineral oil and beeswax. Hugo & Hoby believe that great furniture is made to last, which breaks the typical cycle of cheap and disposable furniture.
Another great practice; for every sale, a tree is planted.
CleanCode is a method that H&H applies to their business model for total transparency. They believe customers should be able to trace their furniture back to the manufacturer, species of wood, geo-coordinates of the wood’s origins, and the craftsman.
Last, H&H donates 1 percent of sales to One Percent of the Planet. This is a global movement where companies contribute 1 % of their revenue to support environmental foundations worldwide.
Trifecta Ecosystems
Trifecta Ecosystems is cultivating the City that Feeds Itself ™. Urban populations continue to skyrocket (70% by 2050) and the average age of farmers continues to rise (58.3 years in 2012). Trifecta Ecosystems is a new wave of urban farmers that work to create a sustainable food system using aquaponics.
Their passion rose to shift the current food paradigm because of our own unsatisfying personal experiences.
Trifecta Ecosystems wants to see a healthier, more sustainable, and more responsible food system. Their hearts’ desire is to do everything they can to bring this aquaponics into their communities. Trifecta Ecosystems provides the technology and training to those who want a to revolutionzie Connecticut’s current food system.
Tuckerman & Co.
Tuckerman & Co. is a Connecticut apparel company that makes high-quality, long-lasting, and environmentally responsible clothing. In contrast to fast-fashion brands, which focuses on low-cost materials and cheap labor, Tuckerman and Co. make dress shirts with organic cotton woven in Italian fabric mills and assembled in the United States.
Even their buttons are made from nuts instead of plastic!
Tuckerman is also the first start-up benefit corporation launched out of Yale.
Centerbrook Architects
Centerbrook Architects was conceived in 1975 as a community of architects. From the beginning, its work has had a focus on planning sustainable architecture. This means efficient operations, design that passes the test of time and buildings that embrace the practical with style.
Centerbrook buildings are highly functional, energy efficient, technically advanced, and esthetic.
One of their recent grand project creates clean energy from local and sustainably harvested wood chips. The Hotchkiss Biomass Power Plant is located on the campus of a Connecticut private school. Impressively, it produces enough energy to heat the entire building – and it’s set beneath a beautiful green roof.
This green roof collects and filters rainwater. The 16,500-square-foot building burns locally sourced wood chips—a byproduct of FSC forests. This provides heating for the school’s 600 residents and 85 buildings.
The biomass facility replaces around 150,000 gallons of fuel oil per year, drastically cutting the school’s emissions. The structure itself is primarily made from FSC wood as well as indigenous and glue-laminated timber. It then forms a living classroom that can provide students with a ground in eco-friendly technologies.
Afterward, the waste ash from the burning is used as vegetable fertilizer around the school. This similarly contributes to the school’s plans to become carbon-neutral by 2020.
Bike Walk Connecticut
Bike Walk Connecticut changes the culture of transportation through advocacy and education. Bicycling and walking are safe, cost-effective and healthier ways to have a cleaner Connecticut. This non-profit organization is working at the state level to make Connecticut a better place to bike and walk.
Some of their sustainable development initiatives include:
- Promote active transportation and laws that protect the rights of cyclists and pedestrians;
- Get good policies, practices and funding for cycling and pedestrian infrastructure;
- Increase grassroots efforts to make communities better places to bike and walk;
- Work cooperatively with national organizations to ensure funding for biking and walking projects. These include the League of American Bicyclists, the Alliance for Biking and Walking, Transportation for America, and SmartGrowth America.
- Facilitate a multi-media Share the Road campaign
- Encourage cycling through their statewide Bike to Work campaign
This Top Sustainable Company in Connecticut does much more. We encourage CT folks to take part on their healthy transportation initiatives!
And there you have it! L’Autre Couleur’s Top Sustainable Companies in Connecticut!
L’Autre Couleur is a socially conscious content marketing & design agency that represents companies making a difference in social good & sustainability. We offer end-to-end full service in digital marketing services, ranging from content writing & web design, to social media and campaign management. To work with us on content writing or digital marketing projects, feel free to contact us.
This was the 6th post in the Top Sustainable Companies series; one for every State in the United States. By the end of 2017, you can expect a Top Sustainable Companies article for every State in the United States! To stay updated on the up and coming initiatives, subscribe to our monthly newsletter and like us on Facebook. Also please comment if we have left out any important sustainable companies in Connecticut that you believe should be part of the top sustainable companies, or if you have any thoughts/ comments on the article.
Check out some of the sustainable companies happening in your neighboring country.
- Top Sustainable Companies in Maine
- Top Sustainable Companies in Massachusetts
- Top Sustainable Companies in Rhode Island
Sincerely,
L’Autre Couleur
