Certifying sustainable businesses
May 21, 2009
As interest in sustainability grows, it is accompanied by a growing need to define sustainable practices. When it comes to business, there are some really great reasons why certifying sustainable practices is valuable:
- A clearly defined certification system cuts down on the (seemingly) overwhelming research required to define sustainable on ones own, increasing the efficiency with which businesses are able to adopt sustainable practices
- A standardized and branded certification system provides an increased marketing incentive for businesses to adopt sustainable practices
- Certifying businesses empowers consumers to confidently make economic decisions based on the value of sustainability.
The best example of the impact a good certification system can have is the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification for buildings. Since its inception in 1998–and with its increased popularity in recent years–over 14,000 projects have been registered with LEED around the world. LEED’s success can largely be attributed to the fact that LEED is backed by a transparent process that reviewed and supported by over 10,000 organizations that make up the USGBC.
But when it comes to businesses, there is nothing that quite compares to LEED. We’ve been thinking for a long time about how to certify businesses as sustainable in Clinton County, not only to promote sustainability, but because businesses have requested an ECC certification.
That is why we were excited when we were recently introduced to the Green Certification Program for Business developed by the Dayton Regional Green Task Force (DRG3). This is one of the most comprehensive and practical sustainability certification systems we have encountered (and it was even developed in the Miami Valley).
We’re now thinking about how we might be able to adopt or build on this system to begin an “ECC Sustainable Business” certification program in Clinton County. To get things moving, we’d love your input, so read through DRG3′s materials (you can download a reader friendly version here), then leave a comment or drop us an e-mail and tell us what you think.
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