Green Business Certification Program Featured in 270inc. Business Magazine

Montgomery County’s Green Business Certification Program was recently featured in 270inc. Business Magazine, providing insight and tips on how to become certifiably green.

The Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce, and Montgomery College partnered to create a green business certification program that would be effective and ensure that any business (small or large) could get involved. 

Creating a certification program was not a task taken lightly, and the team was able to develop a process that ensures if a business is to become certified that they are able to demonstrate an overall commitment to environmental stewardship, energy and water conservation, carbon footprint and waste reduction as well as recycling.

Doug Weisburger, a senior planning specialist for the program, explains how the certification sets a business apart from others in the market and sends an important message not only to other businesses but to their customers as well. He also explains the importance of the program itself and the many discussions and department staff that dedicated time and effort to creating a certification that also serves as a 'blueprint or ‘green print,’ if you will, for businesses to produce sustainability.' The program takes into account variables depending on the size of each business, narrowing down a checklist that works for a wide range of businesses and what goes to great lengths in defining what makes up a 'green' one.

Certification means going green and going green translates to several benefits for each business: from financial savings to boosting employee morale. The article cites local business owners who agree and have seen the rewards themselves. The certification itself only helps to solidify these efforts further, as Illaya Hopkins points out as she reflected on how many people say they are going green but the program brings credibility to those words. 

Click to download Businesses Gone Certifiably Green, and read the article in its entirety.