WASHINGTON—It took a mill from California to provide the finishing touches to the festivities surrounding the 44th presidential inauguration ceremony and accompanying inaugural balls.
Bentley Prince Street not only provided the red and blue carpet that cascaded down the U.S. Capitol’s steps, when Barack Obama and Joseph Biden were sworn into office as president and vice president, respectively, they were standing on the mill’s Kings Road carpet.
“Bentley Prince Street is proud to participate in this historic moment for our nation and all it represents for the opportunity ahead,” said Anthony Minite, the manufacturer’s president.
The company also made history by providing an environmentally friendly, climate neutral carpet for the first ever Green Inaugural Ball. Hosted by former vice president Al Gore, the event featured more than 75 environmental, conservation, labor and other groups promoting clean and efficient energy and a green economy.
“It was an honor to provide a truly green carpet for the first ever Green Inaugural Ball—a true celebration of both the inauguration and our own sustainability mission,” Minite said.
The carpet for the Green Ball was made with 10% post-consumer recycled content and 100% renewable electrical energy. Plus, the carpet’s climate impact was completely offset through the purchase of verified emissions reduction credits through Bentley’s Cool Carpet program. And, the California manufacturing plant used to produce the carpet is the first in the country to receive a silver rating from the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings (LEED-EB).
Minite stressed none of this carpet, which is designated as an environmentally preferable product, and certified to the gold level of NSF-140, the Sustainable Carpet Assessment Standard, will ever wind up in a landfill.
After the event, all of it was reclaimed through the company’s ReEntry 2.0 program, resulting in 500 pounds of product being diverted from landfills. “We know that—working together—we will create a green healthy future for us all.”
For more on Bentley and its environmental programs, call 800.423.4709.
