platinum
2,979
GBB points earned
Completed Initiatives
Initiative Description
Points
100% of your power supply is from on-site renewable energy solutions (solar, wind, geothermal, etc.) to reduce your business’s scope 2 emissions
120
75% of your power supply is from on-site renewable energy solutions (solar, wind, geothermal, etc.)
90
Implement and share the results of your energy use and conservation plan quarterly, both within your organization and publicly
90
Implement and share the results of your comprehensive water use and conservation plan quarterly, both within your organization and publicly
90
To reduce scope 3 emissions, become a completely remote company, requiring no office space or regular transportation to/from work
75
Ensure all suppliers/vendors adhere to your company’s environmental commitments and standards and do not engage in any practices that are environmentally or socially harmful
75
75-100% of company vehicles are electric
75
Install or lease from a building with a heat recovery system that converts waste heat to energy
60
Purchase 50-100% of products and services from green-certified or Green Business Bureau vendors
60
To reduce scope 3 emissions, 75-99% of your workdays are either remote or employees use public transportation, walking, or biking to get to work
55
Your home is powered by on-site renewable energy
50
25-74% of company vehicles are electric
48
Offer employee incentive programs for the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles
40
Own/lease a business space that has a green building certification such as LEED, BREEAM, Green Globes, WELL, Energy Star, Green Star, or another standard in your area.
40
Source 100% of your company’s energy from a third-party renewable power provider to reduce business scope 2 emissions
40
Use a tankless or otherwise highly efficient home hot water heater
40
Upgrade from older fluorescent T12, T8 and T5 lamps to LED alternatives
36
Purchase 25-49% of products and services from green-certified or Green Business Bureau vendors
36
Rent or purchase a building that is close to public transportation stops and bike paths
36
Provide 20 weeks paid family leave policy accessible to all employees
36
Use an alternative/natural refrigerant (non-HFC) with a global warming potential less than or equal to 10 for your home refrigerators, freezers, and HVAC systems
35
Replace your home’s water-intensive grass with regionally native, climate resilient ground coverings
35
Have a composting program for your business/home food waste
30
Implement a green procurement policy
30
To reduce scope 3 emissions, 50-74% of your workdays are either remote or employees use public transportation, walking, or biking to get to work 50-74% of workdays
30
Use a hybrid personal vehicle
30
Implement a comprehensive recycling program including education, proper sinage, and monitoring
27
Install a biodigester to decompose your business or household’s waste and turn it into usable fuel or compost
27
Provide 10 weeks paid family leave policy accessible to all employees
27
Install a biodigester to decompose your household’s waste and turn it into usable fuel or compost
27
Install faucets with controls that turn off automatically (motion sensors)
25
Implement a sustainability process and standard for all meetings, conferences, and events
25
Opt-in to receiving 100% renewable energy from your power provider
25
Optimize your on-premise servers and business systems by ensuring the hardware is up-to-date and energy efficient
24
Create a fund/scholarship for local youth to pursue higher education
24
Create a pathway program for local youths to intern and eventually become employed at your company
24
Provide transit passes or funds to employees as part of the benefits package to encourage public transportation usage
24
Create an executive leadership team with women, minorities, and people from underrepresented communities in top leadership roles
24
Compost your home food waste
24
After completing the energy audit/assessment, develop a comprehensive energy use and conservation plan with measurable goals to optimize energy usage and reduce emissions
20
Install or choose a building with electric charging stations on site
20
After concluding your water usage assessment, develop a comprehensive water use and conservation plan with measurable goals to optimize water usage
20
Implement home performance and efficiency improvements based upon your home energy assessment
20
At the bare minimum, purchase ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances for all home office equipment
20
Buy home office electronics that are energy efficient, EPEAT, ROHS, etc.
20
Eliminate all single-use paper, styrofoam or plastic cups, plates, and utensils in the kitchen area. Use reusable mugs, dishes, and silverware instead
18
Schedule regular maintenance on company vehicles to ensure each vehicle is operating as efficiently as possible to reduce emissions
18
Perform a yearly assessment of all suppliers/vendors’ environmental and social practices in comparison to your company’s commitments
18
Provide a product or service, as part of your company’s core strategy, that delivers a social or environmental benefit and/or focuses on an underserved part of the community.
18
Eliminate all physical marketing materials, rely only on digital methods
18
Provide a benefits package that meets the needs of employees, and is well-defined, accessible and transparent to all workers
18
Provide a living wage for all employees, at all levels of the organization including both full time and part time workers.
18
Carve out a “no meetings” day during the work week
18
Have a four-day work week
18
Properly recycle all household waste according to your local regulations
18
Purchase and serve at least 75% local, organic, and fair trade food and drink
16
Incorporate biophilic design by installing green walls in the office environment
16
Prioritize working with business partners, service providers, etc. that are women-led, minority-owned and local small businesses
16
Define, institute, and clearly communicate a policy to prioritize employee diversity, equity, and inclusion.
16
Install an ENERGY STAR programmable thermostat to automate your home HVAC or A/C system
16
Charge your electric vehicle at home with renewable energy
16
Use chlorine-free and FSC-certified paper products
15
Switch to low-pressure and highly efficient showerheads and faucets
15
Purchase all office paper products made from 50-100% recycled materials
12
Arrange the workspace to take advantage of areas with natural sunlight; design future spaces with natural lighting opportunities in mind
12
Purchase offsets for the travel emissions and in-person work days that can’t be reduced
12
Purchase or lease used or recycled office equipment and furniture
12
Philanthropically donate a percentage of your revenue or profits and/or company time to an environmental cause
12
Reserve at least one day a year when your company volunteers for local environmental or community projects (e.g., Habitat for Humanity, Earth Day, Save a Tree)
12
Construct a vegetable garden on roof, facility grounds, or a communtiy garden in close proximity to the office
12
Purchase ENERGY STAR qualified appliances to reduce business scope 2 emissions
12
Use 78% biobased content floor strippers
12
Purchase Green Seal qualified cleaners, nationally recognized as one of the most transparent and credible product certifications available in the market.
12
Have a clearly defined policy that specifies how you will screen partners and vendors to ensure that their business operations are socially responsible and eco-friendly
12
Provide an annual public report or update on your company’s environmental and social responsibility efforts, initiatives, and improvements
12
Evaulate your company’s social and community footprint including diversity of supply chain, demographic of suppliers, and physical and financial impact of operations on local community
12
Install bike racks outside of the office or choose a building with ample bike racks on-site to support the amount of employees
12
Develop an office thermostat policy that maintains internal air temperature within the recommended temperature range, and eliminates A/C and heating usage when the building is not occupied
12
Provide equitable opportunities to ensure women have equal access to employment, leadership roles, and pay.
12
Provide fair and appropriate breaks for workers based on hours worked and enforce a strict policy that they must take them
12
Institute a policy for providing training, certification, and professional development opportunities to employees
12
All windows in your home are double pane, low-E, and energy efficient
12
Use washable home electrostatic furnace and air conditioning filters to reduce waste and improve indoor air quality
12
Use your personal, fossil-fueled vehicle less than 75 miles a week
12
Grow an at-home or community food garden
12
Purchase produce in-season from local farmer’s markets or co-ops
12
Install water catchment systems to collect rainwater for use in home garden irrigation
10
Lower the max temperature of your hot water heater from 140 to 120
10
Use a fully electric personal vehicle
10
When working from an alternative location (not home office) walk or bike
10
Properly dispose of all hazardous waste materials including batteries, paint and chemicals, lightbulbs, aerosol cans, and electronics
9
Purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to off-set any scope 2 emissions related to your business’ energy consumption
9
Work with a food recovery service to donate surplus meals, stock and other edible food items to reduce waste.
9
Properly dispose of all household hazardous waste materials including batteries, paint and chemicals, lightbulbs, aerosol cans, and electronics
9
Install a filtered water tap or water bottle refill station that provide high-quality drinking water and encourage employees to use them in place of bottled water
8
Purchase trash bins and liners made from 100% bio-based or 50-100% recycled materials
8
Become an annual sponsor, making a substantial contribution to a meaningful event promoting sustainability in your area
8
Encourage employee carpools
8
Significantly limit the amount of physical marketing materials you produce and limit amount of paper used (envelopes from marketing materials – use fold and mail when possible)
8
Complete a consumption and waste audit to help identify and quantify the items your business acquires, uses, and discards
8
Use environmentally-friendly, non-toxic, bio-based cleaning products
8
Replace regular light bulbs with LED bulbs that last longer and save energy
8
Install timers on non-essential electrical appliances and reduce “vampire loads” by unplugging them when not in use to reduce business scope 2 emissions
8
Establish a paperless billing program for your customers and encourage use by creating incentives
8
Use concentrated cleaning products
8
Use recycled and environmentally preferred office supplies such as pens, notebooks, etc.
8
Purchase carbon offsets to become net zero for all scope 3 emissions
8
Buy electronics that are energy efficient, EPEAT, ROHS, etc.
8
Have accessible green space somewhere onsite or in close proximity to grounds including a garden, walking trail, or courtyard
8
Regularly evaluate employee satisfaction through interviews, surveys, or calculation of employee net promoter score
8
Conduct an energy assessment/audit to pinpoint specific areas of home energy use and waste
8
Weatherize your home by ensuring all windows and doors in your home are properly installed, functioning, maintained, weather-stripped, etc.
8
Use a drip irrigation system for watering your home landscaping
8
When working from an alternative location (not home office) walk or bike
8
Go completely paperless
8
Use concentrated home cleaning products
8
Purchase home trash bin liners made from 100% bio-based or 50-100% recycled materials
8
Use an eco-friendly home pest control service that minimizes the use of toxic pesticides that harm the environment and human health
8
Choose paperless billing with vendors, business partners, and suppliers when possible
6
Eliminate unnecessary paper usage as much as possible including forms, contracts, meeting agendas and materials, proofs, and drafts
6
Administer company-wide employee training on sustainability efforts both at work and at home
6
Use 58% minimum biobased content adhesive and mastic removers
6
Use 74% biobased content bathroom and spa cleaners
6
Use 54% biobased content carpet and upholstery cleaners (general purpose)
6
Use 7% biobased content carpet and upholstery cleaners (spot removers)
6
Use 85% biobased content dust suppressants
6
Use 49% biobased content glass cleaners
6
Use 34% biobased content graffiti and grease removers
6
Use 64% biobased content hand cleaners and sanitizers
6
Use 46% biobased content laundry cleaners (pretreatment and spot removers)
6
Use 89% biobased content sorbents
6
Sell bathroom tissue made from 20-100% recovered fiber, including 20-60% postconsumer fiber.
6
Sell facial tissue made from 10-100% recovered fiber including 10-15% postconsumer fiber.
6
Sell general purpose industrial wipers made from 40-100% recovered fiber, including 40% postconsumer fiber
6
Sell paper towels made from 40-100% recovered fiber, includin 40-60% postconsumer fiber
6
Use plastic trash bags made from 10-100% postconsumer plastic
6
Use the carbon calculator tool included in GBB membership to measure your current carbon footprint. Reassess quarterly as you meet energy use goals
6
Conduct exit interviews to gain insights on company culture and operations and make improvements based on feedback
6
Give opportunity for all employees to provide feedback of any kind and feel secure and empowered to do so
6
Replace all traditional bulbs with LED bulbs throughout your home work space
6
Use eco-friendly, bio-based, non-toxic home cleaning products
6
Use reusable cleaning products such as sponges or towels instead of paper towels throughout your home
6
Stop using all single-use plastic kitchen utensils, plates, bowls, and cups
6
Use reusable bags instead of plastic bags when shopping
6
Use natural light throughout 75% of the day instead of overhead lights
5
Locate home office in room with ample windows to take advantage of daylighting
5
Place a company employee on the organizing committee for the same or another event to achieve maximum involvement and exposure
4
Become an active member, either by serving on the board, donating or volunteering time for an organization that continually works to improve the environment nationally or in your area
4
Recycle or sell your used toner cartridges
4
Purchase recycled or remanufactured toner cartridges
4
Develop a paper reduction policy that clearly defines when and how items should be printed to significantly reduce paper usage and consumption
4
Designate carpool, hybrid, and EV parking spaces that are in preferred areas of your parking lot (e.g. closer to the building entrance or covered)
4
Reduce junk mail by removing your business’ name from national direct marketing databases
4
Eliminate the use of disposable batteries and switch entirely to rechargeable
4
Use reusable cleaning products such as towels and sponges, eliminating paper towels
4
Use air-filtering plants throughout the office to improve indoor air quality and employee wellbeing
4
Print and copy double-sided when possible, to significantly reduce paper use and waste
4
Make your business’ sustainability efforts a central part of your message by filling out and linking to your GBB Member Profile and publishing your sustainability commitment on your website
4
Use a green web hosting service for your business’ website. Green web hosts are typically available at the same price and are completely carbon neutral
4
Choose bio-based, reused, recycled, recyclable, or FSC certified boxes and bags for business shipping needs
4
Reuse, sell, or donate used or unneeded furniture, equipment, and office supplies
4
Use virtual meeting platforms to replace travel when possible
4
Communicate your social responsibility initiatives with customers and other stakeholders in a way that clearly defines your company values, policies, objectives and actual performance
4
Evaluate customer and community satisfaction with your company through calculating your net promoter score (NPS)
4
Add shades/window covering to reduce heat gain
4
Provide regular formal review, linked to a comprehensive development plan, with clear and constructive feedback to all employees using a well-defined, fair, and consistent process.
4
Require all business leaders to be trained in, maintain current knowledge of, and commit to complying with the company’s environmental, social and employee wellbeing policies and practices
4
Provide a trusted, impartial and empowered 3rd party for the remediation of significant conflicts arising between employees and the business/business leaders
4
Add shades/window covering throughout your home to reduce heat gain
4
Change your home HVAC or A/C filters every 90 days-6 months maximum as is recommended by your filter thickness and type
4
Reduce vampire loads by unplugging non-essential electrical appliances when not in use
4
Use smart power strips throughout your house in areas of high plug loads
4
Plant native, region-friendly plants in your home garden to minimize the impact on the local habitat and limit the amount of irrigation water needed
4
Opt out of receiving home junk mail
4
Stop purchasing single-use plastic waterbottles. Install a water filter if necessary
4
Minimize air conditioning usage through natural ventilation by opening windows
3
Use ceiling fans in place of air conditioning when possible
2
Assist at least one other business in learning about sustainability, social responsibility, and green business efforts and encourage them to join the GBB
2
Commit to inviting, receiving and acting upon customer and community feedback in a welcoming and constructive way at all times.
2
Use ceiling fans and windows in place of air conditioning
2
Organize sustainability committee or green team to serve as your company’s leading advocates for greening efforts
1
Complete GBB’s Getting Started steps, including filling out your company’s Member Profile and the GBB Assessment
1
Develop a sustainability mission statement for your business and define your company’s core commitments
1
Populate your company’s green accomplishments in your EcoProfile
1
Announce your GBB Membership to all employees. Share the company green mission and commitment to become greener.
1
Use natural odor elimination
1
Relax the office dress code to allow for attire that doesn’t require dry cleaning
1