Our mission at Green Business Bureau is simple, to make every business a green business. We are optimists. We believe it’s possible for most companies to get to a zero carbon footprint, that it’s possible for manufacturers to get to zero waste, that companies can reinvent how products are created, improve how they reuse their materials, recycle their waste and reduce their energy consumption. These beliefs provide the foundation for our main goal: to drive companies to become more sustainable and help them on their green journeys.
Why? Well, not to state the obvious, but the only planet that humanity can live on is at risk. The future for our children is at risk. Scientists have presented overwhelming data that human activity and company actions are hurting the planet and changing climate patterns that put the human race at risk. The government of the world’s largest economy is ignoring that science and rolling back regulations that protect basic human necessities such as drinking water. Well you can choose to bury your head in the sand but the data does not lie and it presents an overwhelming case that now is the time to reverse climate change before it’s too late. At Green Business Bureau (GBB) we take this risk seriously and are passionate about doing our part. So what can GBB do?
We can educate the masses.
At GBB, we strive to be an authority on sustainability and an expert on how businesses can be more sustainable. We share this information with business leaders, employees of our members, and the general public. We provide valuable information to our members like Sustainability Guides, EcoPlans, Member Stories, and Case Studies. We want everyone to understand what’s possible and how to get there.
We can advocate for positive change.
At GBB, we invest in marketing and promoting the benefits of sustainability in business. We evangelize the cause for a more sustainable business world. We support and partner with organizations that are focused on creating a more sustainable world. In many cases, we give back to these causes directly in time and money.
We can provide tools to help.
At GBB, our online Eco Assessment was designed to help businesses understand how green they already are and make them aware of the hundreds of green initiatives they can invest in to become greener. Our online Eco Planner helps companies on their green journeys by prioritizing their initiatives and by helping them manage their progress with our EcoPoints tracker.
We can provide a way to demonstrate commitment.
At GBB, we strive to make our green business certification a great motivator for action. We’ve made our online certification tool easy to use so companies using it can quickly demonstrate their commitment to being greener. The process rallies employees and customers. The completion of the certification makes the world aware of their accomplishments and rallies other companies to do their part in creating a more sustainable world. These efforts are contagious. In other words, other businesses reciprocate and tend to match their peers with their sustainability efforts.
Green Business Bureau, a platform for change.
Bottom line, we view our business as a platform for positive change for greater good and a way to enable employee and business activism. We view our investment in online solutions for eco assessments and eco planning as tools to help our members be greener and thus improve their returns to their own stakeholders. We view our brand as a way to evangelize the cause. Yes, we market and sell products and services to cover our costs and drive profits for future investments. We have investors and shareholders who expect a return on their investments. But we put our other stakeholders – employees, customers, local community and our planet, ahead of profits. We expect other business leaders and companies to do the same.
