Bureau of Sanitation’s EnvironmentLA, formerly the Environmental Affairs Department, in response to a motion by Councilmember Alarcón, has proposed a plan to implement a “Los Angeles Certified Green Business Program."  Modeled after the successful  Bay Area Green Business Programs, the Los Angeles Certified Green Business Program will recognize and promote businesses and government agencies that volunteer to operate in a more environmentally responsible or sustainable manner.  To become a certified green business, participants must be in compliance with all regulations and meet program standards for conserving resources, preventing pollution and minimizing waste.

EnivronmentLA is actively developing the Certified Green Business Program with support from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. The program should be in operation by 2011 with the first business being certified soon thereafter. Interested business can browse these pages to learn more about the proposed program and get an idea of what it takes to become a green business.

The Certified Green Business Program gives consumers the opportunity to know which businesses are “green” when purchasing goods and services and gives businesses an incentive to consider implementing environmentally-friendly policies such as resource conservation and recycling, pollution prevention, and environmentally preferable purchasing thereby reducing their impacts to the environment. A certified green business would receive a decal stating Certified Green Business to post on their front door or window, an electronic version of the logo to use in their promotional materials, green resource guide, and be listed in the EnvironmentLA Certified Green Business website.

Certified Green Hotel Program

The initial thrust of the certification program will concentrate on the hospitality industry with the non-profit organization, Green Seal, conducting the certifications in partnership with the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau (a.k.a. LA Inc.) with EnvironmentLA providing program oversight. The State of California currently has a similar program, the California Green Lodging Program, for state employee travelers. Green seal recently revised its green lodging standard (GS-33 Lodging Properties Provisional Revision) allowing for three tiers or levels instead of two tiers or levels described in the state’s California Green Lodging Program website.

Certified Green Business Program

As program funding becomes available, three additional business sectors – restaurant, auto repair, and office and retail will be able to apply to have their businesses certified as a certified green business. Additional industrial and commercial sectors will be added as program capacity and demand grows.

If you are interested in becoming a green business, please click the following links below for examples of checklists from other green business programs such as the Bay Area Green Business Program and the City of San Francisco Green Business Program. The City of Los Angeles will have similar checklists for these business sectors but they will be customized to allow for municipal and regulatory variances unique to the City and the surrounding area.

Examples of Green Business Checklists/Criteria for
Restaurants
Auto Repair
Office and Retail

If your business is not one of these business sectors, don’t worry.  Other business sectors will be added as the program moves forward.  In the meantime, businesses not in those sectors can still implement green practices such as resource conservation (water and energy conservation, solid waste and recycling) and pollution prevention measures. See the following checklist for general standards for businesses.