CRANBERRY TWP — Cranberry Township's Business Hub, its service center for businesses, has awarded the first three designations to organizations as sustainable businesses.

The program recognizes a company's efforts in energy conservation, diversity, community service, governance, stormwater management and building occupancy.

The first three honorees are Piedmont Plastics, RJ Development, and the township itself, according a township news release.

• Piedmont Plastics, a distributor of plastic sheet, rod, tube and film products in Thomson Business Park, was engaged in the environmental movement, as well as in operating as an employee-friendly business, before the launch of the Sustainable Business designation program this spring.

• RJ Development, a three-person operation which manages property for homeowners associations, condominiums, and apartment owners from its Route 19 office, completed the application primarily to find out if its environmentally-conscious housekeeping practices would qualify for the designation, according to the township.

• Cranberry Township's government, which has adopted sustainable practices in managing its energy, water use, waste and business policies, also was certified.

The program is an outgrowth of the township's adoption of sustainability principles in 2008 as the foundation of its planning process.

The Sustainable Business designation was developed in cooperation with the nonprofit organization Sustainable Pittsburgh.

It uses an online checklist completed by the companies to indicate policies and practices.

Information on the program is available at www.cranberrytownship.org/sustainablebusiness.