Starting a Green Business Program
Congratulations! You’re considering starting a Green Business Program, and with it, receiving a number of benefits for your city, county or state.
What is the California Green Business Network?
The California Green Business Network (CAGBN) is now able to offer tools, training and funding to start new Green Business Programs in more regions of the State. Funding from the State of California has allowed us to expand our geographic reach and we wish to add five new programs in 2019. Please let us know if you or your staff would like to join us for an informational webinar in which we’ll give you more background and answer any questions you may have.
Why start a Green Business Program?
A Green Business Program is a community building program. A Green Business recognition program is a positive bridge between government agencies and businesses. It can be a powerful incentive for businesses to take advantage of government assistance to conserve resources and save money. It also engages the public to patronize businesses that operate more sustainably. The Green Business Program can also help government agencies meet City/County sustainability goals through GHG reductions, resource conservation mandates. These goals might those mandated in a Climate Action Plan or outlined in solid waste diversion or water conservation targets. A Green Business Program can also improve environmental compliance by encouraging businesses to adopt numerous “beyond compliance” related to waste reduction, pollution prevention, and water conservation.
Why start with the California Green Business Network?
CAGBN has 40 California members and licenses its database platform to 6 other states, and is still growing. All of the in-state and out of state programs run independently, but we coordinate to share best practices, and resource our programs together. This sharing has attracted significant grant funding and resources and has allowed us to leverage valuable knowledge into expanding our program into the communities that need it the most. These communities would not have had the resources to start a green business program otherwise, and now their programs are independently running and thriving.
Here’s some of what you get from CAGBN if your region is selected for funding:
- – $30,000 first year funding;
- – Training, mentorship and support;
- – Waive your first year member fees to the network;
- – Recruitment resources;
- – Marketing: adwords, key business outlets, social media;
- – Window Clings, certificates to give to certified businesses;
- – Web based tracking system (green business program in-a-box);
- – Sector specific checklists;
- – Collaboration with peers and;
- – Likely ongoing funding that exceeds member dues;
The triple bottom line is that Green Business Programs:
– Provide technical assistance to businesses
– Help municipalities reach their sustainability goals
– Provide a green marketplace for consumers
This Start a Green Business Program document contains more detailed information about starting a program. Let us know if you or your staff are interested!
Jo Fleming
Executive Director
California Green Business Network
info@greenbusinessca.org