INCLINE VILLAGE, Nev. — Western Nevada College and greenUP! have formed the Nevada Green Business Network as part of a statewide effort to generate a green business certification program.
This collaborative of agencies and organizations is committed to improving the overall environmental performance of Nevada by working directly with businesses to reduce energy usage, solid and hazardous waste disposal, and the amount of water used during business operations. This will help make Nevada a cleaner state, reduce its direct impact on natural resources and achieve its climate action goals.
Partners include greenUP!, WNC, Nevada Division of Environmental Protection, Incline Village General Improvement District, Keep Truckee Meadows Beautiful, Envirolution, GreenACTnv and GRN Vision.
Combined, these agencies and organizations support businesses across the state in becoming certified in the Nevada Green Business Program.
“Incline Village GID’s Waste Not program is pleased to serve as a Tahoe regional liaison for the new Nevada Green Business Program,” said Madonna Dunbar, resource conservationist for IVGID, in a press release. Recognizing sustainable business leaders in our communities complements our community environmental education and outreach efforts. Green Business is good for Tahoe.”
The program utilizes the GreenBizTrackerTM database to collect outcomes that measure the impact certified businesses are having toward resource conservation, pollution prevention and environmental protection goals. Through education, networking and collaboration, the Nevada Green Business Network will assist in finding new ways for businesses to be more efficient, healthy and attract new customers.
WNC was recently selected by the Environmental Protection Agency as a national grantee of the 2020-22 Pollution Prevention Grant Program. In addition, greenUP! received a Source Reduction Assistance grant for the same grant period. As part of the grant commitments, WNC and greenUP! will partner to train manufacturers in pollution prevention techniques.
The network has set a goal to certify 75 businesses and manufacturers by 2022, providing assistance to a wide range of sectors and creating a comprehensive directory of green businesses on the GreenBizTracker database.
GreenBizTracker is a web-based and mobile tool that motivates businesses to make voluntary behavior and facility changes that net positive and measurable environmental outcomes.
As a business moves through an online checklist of verifiable environmental actions, metrics are calculated such as greenhouse gas emissions reduced, energy conserved, gallons of water saved, tons of waste diverted from the landfill and hazardous materials reduced. Once businesses have completed the checklist, they are green certified and added to an online, searchable directory, which the public can use to find and patronize these businesses.
For more information, visit http://www.NVGreenBusiness.org.