With more and more environmental regulations coming down the line as federal government requirements are passed, many businesses and governmental organizations are feeling more and more pressure to "go green."

However, going green doesn't have to mean being anti-coal as many businesses operating in West Virginia point out. Appalachian Electric Power recently revealed some of their own green initiatives to The Logan Banner and another business working with local governments is also sharing that message.

LEED certification is an acronym standing for for Leadership Energy, Environment and Decision, a "green building rating system" which encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development of environmentally aware operating practices.

Jay Mullins of Jan Pak Inc. has been working with the Logan County Commission and the City of Logan about getting them closer to upcoming environmental requirements in a relatively painless manner.

Mullins recently presented the City of Logan with a plaque from Jan Pak to recognize the city's commitment to getting closer and closer to LEED requirements and safer environmental solutions in day to day operations.

Mullins said the city had met requirements for clean zone level 1 and that in the long run, work done today will make things easier for the city in the future.

Mullins told The Logan Banner that society can be more environmentally friendly without being anti-coal noting the hybrid cars similar to the one used by AEP being one example. The car can be charged up to drive cheaply thanks to batteries which are charged from coal powered electric plants.

Mullins said Jan Pak has worked with many institutions to help them become more environmentally friendly and move towards new compliance requirements.

"Changing over to more environmental friendly practices now will be cheaper in the long run for businesses and local government than waiting for forced compliance from the government," Mullins said. " When certain products are mandated, supply will be short and demand will be high and manufacturers may be less competitive than they are right now."

Mullins said that Jan Pak felt it was important to show thanks to customers in the coalfields for their awareness.

"A lot of people think that being environmentally concerned or aware automatically means somebody is against coal mining and that is not the case. Everybody knows the city and the county are very concerned about coal miners and their future. That helps us get the message across by pointing out that these people, who are trusted in our area are environmentally aware and they are for coal and coal miners.

Mullins presented the Logan County Commission with a plaque from Jan Pak the week of Dec. 7 to thank them for doing their part in making a safer and cleaner workplace.

"I would like to present this plaque to the Logan County Commission on behalf of the Green Zone program," Mullins told County Commissioners on Dec. 9. Mullins thanked the commissioners and custodians Dale and Eugene Spurlock for their work and awareness about sanitation, health and environmental issues. "Dale and Eugene work hard," Mullins said, noting that the courthouse was a heavily trafficked area daily.

JanPak, Inc. is the leading supplier of distinctive and responsible cleaning and packaging solutions to building service contractors, property managers, healthcare, and industry with 400 sales associates across the US alone.

The company also has programs such as Cleanzone designed to help businesses and organizations create a healthier workplace environment through the implementation of environmentally neutral cleaning products and solutions. The company is a member of the US Green Building Council (USGBC) which was established to provide independent standards to rate buildings on their overall environmental foot print and can help organizations and institutions in meeting the The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System which encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practice as well as helping clients prepare for pandemic emergencies such as the H1N1 virus and cold and flu seasons.