Sandhills Programs
AWARENESS & EDUCATION
- Bringing information about sustainability and sustainable practices to the region
ECO-TOURISM
- Supporting local agriculture and creating cultural connections
GREEN BUSINESS
- Gaining commitment from local businesses to take steps to become more sustainable
GREEN DESIGN
- Promoting sustainable construction and building operations
LAND PLANNING
- Creating resources and tools and improving communication across the region
RECYCLING
- Encouraging not only the recycling of waste but also the use of recycled materials
Green Business Program
Gaining commitment from local businesses to take steps to become more sustainable.
Program Details
This program was piloted in Cumberland County during the first quarter of 2008 and opened to all businesses in April. Currently we have thirteen Certified Green Businesses in Fayetteville and a few dozen in the process of achieving certification. Thanks to our Green Business Participants, and the success in Cumberland County, the program is now available to businesses across the Sandhills and Cape Fear Region.
Our Green Business Program is modeled on several successful programs across the country, but tailored to match our unique local business culture. Just a few of the benefits of the certification are:
- Recognition through press releases, quarterly newspaper ads, and in Sustainable Sandhills' newsletters and website.
- A Sustainable Sandhills Green Business Decal to display at your business, as well as electronic logos to use in your own advertising and promotions.
- A free annual energy and water efficiency audit from your water and electric utility provider - a special offer for Green Business Program participants.
- Eligibiliy for our annual Awards program, coordinated with Mayors, Higher Education Institutions and Chambers of Commerce in your community.
HOW IT WORKS
We're here to help you every step of the way, and have designed the program to work like this:
- Identify the sector which fits your business best. If you don't find a perfect fit, we'll tailor one to fit!
- Review the appropriate checklist below.
- Schedule an on-site visit with Jodi Price Hajosy or Heidi Johnson, our Green Business Coordinators, who will assist you in completing the checklist.
- When your checklist is ready and all your measures are in place, Jodi or Heidi will return for an on-site verification.
- Congratulations! You're a certified Green Business and can begin to enjoy the benefits of certification (see above).
BUSINESS SECTORS
We have developed certification checklists for the following sectors:
- Office and Retail - This sector includes all traditional office environments and non-food retail locations.
- Restaurants and Grocers- This sector includes restaurants, coffee shops and large- and small-scale grocers.
- Entertainment and Recreation - This sector includes, but is not limited to, private and public sector locations dedicated to arts, entertainment and leisure.
- Hotels and Motels - This sector includes hotels, motels, inns and Bed & Breakfasts.
- Services - This sector includes cleaning companies, electrians, plumbers, and any other service-oriented business..
GREEN BUSINESS PROGRAM CHECKLIST
The Green Business Program Checklist is divided into 4 Sections:
- General - Includes Awareness, Purchasing and Transportation.
- Solid Waste - Focuses on eliminating or minizing waste.
- Water - Strives to increase water efficiency and prevent urban run-off.
- Energy - Intent upon increasing the energy efficiency of all locations.
GREEN BUSINESS RESOURCES
Our resource page mirrors the structure of the Green Business Program Checklists to make it easy for participants to access resources for each checklist measure.
TRACKING RESULTS
Our program metrics for reporting results are simple. We estimate the figures during our on-site verification visit, and confirm the results annually.
- General: Pounds of styrofoam avoided. Volume of hazardous cleaning products avoided. Transportation fuel usage and CO2 emissions avoided.
- Solid Waste: tons of solid waste diverted
- Energy: energy use (kilowatt-hours) conserved or avoided
- Water: gallons of water conserved or avoided
AWARDS
Our Award Program Partners are different in each community served, but will include:
- Local government - mayors, county commissioners and municipal councils
- Institutes of higher education - universities and community colleges
- Local Chambers of Commerce
THANKS
We would like to thank all of the Green Business Programs in California for their help and support through this process--most specifically the Santa Monica, Santa Cruz and San Francisco Green Business Programs and their coordinators.
We are happy to share our knowledge and resources with anyone seeking to develop a Green Business Program in their community.