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Bay Area Green Business Program

Bay Area Green Business Program. Presenters. Dana Armanino Robin Bedell-Waite Sarah Diefendorf Pam Evans John Katz Charlotte Payton Ceil Scandone. Why Do The Green Business Program?. Improve the Environment Motivate / Assist Businesses to: Comply with Regulations

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Bay Area Green Business Program

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  1. Bay Area Green Business Program

  2. Presenters • Dana Armanino • Robin Bedell-Waite • Sarah Diefendorf • Pam Evans • John Katz • Charlotte Payton • Ceil Scandone

  3. Why Do The Green Business Program? • Improve the Environment • Motivate / Assist Businesses to: • Comply with Regulations • Go “Beyond Compliance” • Prevent Pollution • Conserve Energy and Water • Reduce Waste • Improve Inter-Agency Coordination • Motivate Staffs to Promote P2 and RC

  4. Philosophy • Smaller Firms (w/o enviro staff) • Constructive Outreach • On-site Personal Contact • Compliance + P2/RC • Multi-media

  5. More Philosophy • Standards based • Perfection not required • Government doing same as business • Not a sustainability program, per se • We’re evolving!

  6. Agenda: Partnering • Value of Partnering • Building the Partnership • Organizational Structure

  7. Take-Home Message Developing the partnership is absolutely crucial to the foundation of your program & will dictate what it looks like and its effectiveness

  8. Benefits to GBP • Required for this multi-media program • Funding • In-kind commitments • Program oversight • Initial & strategic planning • Need for business referrals • Ability to grow the program

  9. Benefits to Partners • It’s all about helping them achieve their agency goals • Helps them with their awards programs • Allows them to develop their P2 expertise • Heals old inter-agency wounds • Yields non-GBP results

  10. Recruiting Partners & Building Relationships • Identify every city & environmental agency • Interview them first about benefits/barriers to partnering • Work first with key leaders • Pay attention to meeting hogs/under- miners/make sure all are heard

  11. Building Partnership (contd) • Involve in projects to develop program ownership (kick-offs, checklists, policies, strategic planning) • Respond to their issues/keeping it relevant to them • Communicating with partners (status reports, quarterly reports)

  12. Expectations of Partners • Do inspections/audits • Attend meetings/be real partners • Provide funding • Provide referrals • Certify their own agency as GB • Adopt GB pledge & participation

  13. Lead Organization for Administering Program • County department: CUPA, CD, PW, SW, Ag, DOE • Non-profit: SBDC, Santa Cruz Ecology Action • POTW or CWP

  14. Agreements for Funding • MOUs • Commitment card in funding letter

  15. Organizational Structure • Quarterly meetings (monthly at start) • Steering committee • Task forces & committees

  16. Funding a Green Business Program • Basic Funding ‘Structure’ • Budgeting • Sources of Funding • Other Kinds of Support

  17. Funding‘Structure’ & Fiscal Agent • Government Program • Nonprofit • ‘Special Fund’ • Other

  18. Budget - What Will You Need? • Overhead / Fiscal Services • Consulting Services / Contractors • Design & Production of Materials • Website • Advertising / Ad Placement • Events

  19. Sources of Funding • Certification Partners • Agencies • Nonprofits • Business Service Organizations • The Public?

  20. Other Valuable Support • Participation in Certification Team • Serve on Committee • Pro Bono Services • Local Coordination of Team • Local Promotion to Public/Business • Local Recruitment of Businesses

  21. BREAK!

  22. Getting Business Participation • Many Successful Models • Build on Past Partnerships • Expanding

  23. Approach - It Depends • Sector by Sector • Open to All • Starting with Partners (Green Government)

  24. Build onExisting/PastPartnerships • With Whom Have You Collaborated? • Who Likes Your Program/Services? • Who Will Help You Reach New Partners? • Think ‘Cross-Disciplinary’ & ‘Multi-Media’

  25. Successful Expansion • Build on ‘Lessons Learned’ • Use ‘Strategic Planning’ with Partners • Use ‘Green’ Emissary • Rely on Target Group’s ‘Trusted Resource’ • Involve & Prepare Partners (standards, orientation to new target)

  26. Be Open to New Alliances! • Non-Profit Environmental Outreach Groups • Business Associations (be strategic, not traditional!) • Utilities • Special Districts

  27. MotivatingCandidates - ‘Incentives’ • Employee Health & Safety, Morale • Good Neighbor, Community Service • Environmental, Social Responsibility • Better Relationship with Regulators • Expert Assistance to ‘Do the Right Thing’ • Save Money

  28. Nuts & Bolts of Implementing • Kick-off • Mechanics of certifications--General • Mechanics of certifications--Minutia • Completion of certification • Recognition • Recertification/revocation

  29. Kick-off • Proclamation • Location • Speaker: leader from business sector • Invite big-wigs, media (press release) • Folders: factsheet, directory, pledge, application, steps, checklist • Follow-up visits (not calls)

  30. Mechanics of Certifications -- General • 2-4 months • Everything is verified (no self-cert) • Inspection within last year/no violations • Compliance takes longer than P2 • Joint inspections (or not) • Comprehensive compliance checklist (or not)

  31. Mechanics of Certifications -- Minutia • Application + checklist (or not) • Mark on app what agency/staff to do which part of certification • Do/fax compliance assessment form + e-mails to auditors • Add to App Status Form • Inspectors call/e-mail/fax • Auditors fax checklist pages

  32. Completion of Certification • Add to database, directory, web • Congrats letter, checklist, pledge, evaluation survey, decal • Certificate/frames • Logo (email or disk)

  33. Recognition Ceremony • Board of Supervisors, Econ Devel Alliance for Business; cities • Motivator for apps & finishing certs • Reserve agenda, reception room • Letter to Board & remarks • Invite: call + invite + call • Decals & photographer

  34. Recertification/Revocation • Certification good for 3 years • Call: want to be certified again? • Send list of GBs annually to agencies • Revocation policy—egregious, repeated minor violations • Pull decal & remove name from materials

  35. Promoting Green Business • Targets - Business, Public, Agencies • Partners in Promoting Green Business • Feedback - Getting it and Using it

  36. Who are Your ‘Targets’ for Green Business Promotions • Agencies - First you need partners to make it work! • Businesses - Next, someone has to get certified! • Public - Focus of Promos will change as GB #s increase!

  37. Are Your Promotions Working? ….Ways to Tell • Are Partners Staying Committed? -Certification visits, funding, committees, training? • Are Businesses Calling YOU? - Or being receptive to outreach? How did they hear about you? • Public - Do Businesses get positive feedback - new or existing customers?

  38. Measuring Success • Why Measure • What to Measure • Ways to Do it

  39. Measuring Success • Why Measure - It matters - to funders, partners, businesses, the public • What to Measure - Things that matter to your partners, businesses, the public. Easy, available parameters. • Ways to Do it - Decide on a few key indicators & be willing to spend ‘face time’.

  40. Why Does It Matter? • Funders Love (and Often Demand) Measurement (& Linkage!) • Gives Partners Incentive to Participate or Support (certifiers, managers, electeds) • Incentive for Businesses (especially the internal champion!)

  41. What to Measure • Bay Area GBP has developed a set of metrics for common sectors and waste streams • Focus on checklist measures that: • are easy to measure on site or by survey • have a clear environmental benefit • capture each Resource Conservation area • General Approach: count practices implemented and use multipliers to calculate environmental benefits

  42. Sample Metrics

  43. How it will work (eventually) • Coordinators gather info on practices implemented through on-site verification or survey • Enter facility data in spreadsheet or website that calculates enviro benefits • Data compiled and reported by facility, zip code, city, county, region, etc. • Common standards will make this dream a reality!

  44. Ways to Measure • Develop a Good Survey Tool - Short & to the Point! • Offer an Incentive to Participate • Be Flexible - Some info is better than none! • Offer Choice of Ways to Respond • Be Available • Be a Good Resource • Be Persistent • Be Appreciative • Give Feedback on the Survey

  45. GB Innovations / Future • Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Policies - Build Market Share • “Recruiters/Mentors” – Build Capacity • Thimmakka’s Resources - GER • Chambers of Commerce • Sustainable Novato • Green Team Project • PG & E

  46. GB Innovations / Future • Going with What You’ve Got • Rocky Mtn Fleet Maintenance Assoc. • Military Partnership • City of Mesa • Arizona State University

  47. GB Innovations / Future • Sustainable Partners / “Beyond Green” Motivate/Reward Top Performers Certified Green Businesses Plus: • More Environmental Measures • Living Wages / Health - Wellness • Training / Education • Corporate Philanthropy

  48. From All of Us to All of You… Good luck!!

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