Bodega Owners Urged To 'Go Green'
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
Community leaders and elected officials gathered Tuesday to help small business owners go green.
They met in front of the Camilo Grocery store in Washington Heights.
The head of the Bodega Association of the United States says many bodega owners don't know how or can't afford to make the changes necessary to be more energy efficient.
Advocates say going green is not only good for the environment, but also good for the bottom line.
"We need to make sure that people who fed our city for generations gets to have the economic benefit of turning green," said Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.
"The cost of refrigerators inside this store -- the cost of electricity, is skyrocketing. And so they are struggling with those costs and very often they have to pass those costs on to their consumers," said U.S. Congressman Steve Israel.
Israel has introduced legislation that will provide information and funding to help small business owners retrofit their shops to be more energy efficient.