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Yonkers YWCA Going Green After Facebook Contest Win

YONKERS, N.Y. – The Yonkers YWCA is getting a little help as it continues its march toward going green.

A member of the Yonkers YWCA Green Team outlines the steps to creating a more green approach at the nonprofit Saturday as part of the Green Team's kick-off event.

A member of the Yonkers YWCA Green Team outlines the steps to creating a more green approach at the nonprofit Saturday as part of the Green Team's kick-off event.

Photo Credit: Dani Glaser

The YWCA was awarded a $2,500 makeover after winning a Green Team Spirit Facebook contest designed to give area nonprofits a chance to go green.

YWCA Executive Director Yejide Okunribido said the prize would help the group “become a greener organization, in an affordable and inclusive way.”

Green Team Spirit, a Croton-on-Hudson consultant that helps businesses and organizations go green by providing expertise and training programs, launched the  Facebook contest this fall.   

In it, nonprofits throughout Westchester County submitted essays in which they outlined their ideas and why they wanted to go green. The public voted on submissions and gave the YWCA a narrow victory over Westchester Habitat for Humanity.

Now the YWCA will be meeting with Green Team CEO Dani Glaser and her staff, creating a step-by-step green approach that includes everything from turning off lights to reducing trash output.

Glaser said going green is a community effort that must be supported by YWCA staff and the residents who use the building.

“It’s all about teamwork,” she said. “Everyone needs to come together to create environmental improvements that result in saving money, creating a healthier environment, and generating good will among staff and stakeholders.”

In her submission essay, Okunribido said the YWCA would like to implement a “green” strategy to help reduce overhead, increase the bottom line and do more with less.

The Yonkers YWCA has already started taking steps to to just that. Recently the group completed a series of lighting upgrades to make the Y more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly.

Yonkers City Council President Chuck Lesnick, who was among the volunteers at the YWCA Green Team's kick-off event on Saturday, said green thinking is becoming a way of life and an important part of doing business.

“I congratulate the entire Yonkers community that helped the YWCA earn this award,” he said. “We now need to roll up our sleeves as volunteers and stretch the $2,500 seed money to show appreciable results.”

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