Green Business Bureau's Top Ten Checklist Helps Business Owners Find Green Certification

Online, April 19, 2010 (Newswire.com) - HOUSTON (April 19, 2010) - Choosing a program to help your company become more environmentally conscious can seem like a daunting task. But it doesn't have to be that way. Before choosing an organization that offers green certification, follow this ten-point shopping guide:

- The primary focus should be on your business and sustainability goals, instead of the organization appearing intent on selling products to members.

- The certifying organization should offer a clear road map to help you track efforts and results as you strive for increased sustainability. Look for measurable guidelines on how to progress to the next level of certification.

- Achieving certification should be affordable, with a clear outline of how your initial investment will actually improve efficiencies and save costs.

- The organization should have a national focus rather than just a local focus. But beware - some certifying organizations only promote green activity and suppliers in their county, which isn't enough for most businesses.

- Look for transparency that allows visitors to your website to see your green initiatives easily. This transparency gives credibility to your efforts, which is important to your branding and marketing goals.

- The organization needs to provide education about, and discounts on, the green products that its members on their own decide to choose.

- The certifying company should have proven, earned endorsements from industry that it puts on its website, not just from some unknown organization with a fancy name.

- Make sure the green certification organization has real people behind the Website to help you when you need it.

- After you reach a higher level of sustainability, the certifying organization should provide helpful guidelines for your green marketing as you target environmentally-conscious clientele.

- Find one with a clear website and guidelines. It should be fairly simple to access and clearly written. Some sites read like text books or brochures. Look for a certifying body that has an easy-to-follow, step-by-step process anyone in your office can click through like a board game.

One certifying organization, the Green Business Bureau (GBB), has a mission to improve on the weaknesses it saw in the green certifications available to businesses. Houston-based GBB offers businesses a tool that is easy to use and a clear plan to truly become more environmentally efficient.

"As your business progresses toward sustainability, the initiatives you implement should save on both material and energy costs, boosting your bottom line," notes Marcos Cordero, GBB's co-founder and CEO. "You will have a competitive advantage if you have green practices in place," Cordero said. "It's very clear that more and more customers are looking to work with green businesses."

Additionally, getting certified helps businesses recruit new talent and also improve employee morale, he said. The icing on the cake is that it is the right thing to do for the environThe GBB offers three levels of environmental certification-- Aware, Gold and Platinum. Achieving even the initial first level can help set a business apart from competitors and show vendors, suppliers and others your company is serious about the environment.

After the first level is complete under the unique GBB certification system, businesses can earn points by mastering additional environmental initiatives. The Gold level is achieved by earning 200 points, while Platinum requires 400. But it is attainable, as several of the bureau's members can attest.

A nationally-recognized green bureau, GBB was formed by experienced professionals with a background in small- and medium-sized business operations. The company tries to make it as easy as possible for businesses to improve environmentally, Cordero said.

The bureau, which can be accessed online at www.gbb.org, makes it easy to showcase the certification, too. It provides members with attractive offline decals and online seals to display on storefronts, vehicles, letterhead and websites.

The online seal that the Green Business Bureau provides to members is the most advanced in the industry, according to Cordero. That's because it is functional and will display the entire set of completed member initiatives when someone clicks on it.