Resources
Use the links in this section to find information to assist you in completing the Green Business checklist in your guidebook.
On This Page… |
General Resources For All Businesses
Other Green Business Programs
Green Business Programs can be found across the nation. Please visit their websites and frequent Green Businesses where you live, work and play.
In California
- Sacramento Sustainable Business Program
- San Francisco Bay Area Green Business Program
- San Diego Area Green Business Program
- Sonoma County "Sonoma Green Business" Program
- Monterey Bay Area Green Business Program
Outside of California
Regional, State and National Resources
- California Workforce Investment Board Business Services Resource Catalog - Grants, tax credits, rebates & reimbursements, financing, other funding, other services
- Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle) - Provides technical information on solid waste management, including information on markets for recyclable materials.
- City of Santa Maria - Go Green
- Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC) - Site provides guide to programs, policies and laws concerning the handling of hazardous wastes.
- Earth 911 - Provides access to community-specific and national resources on recycling, household hazardous waste, electronics recycling, and environmental education.
- Energy Star Small Business Program - Energy Star is a federal program that seeks to improve environmental quality through the reduction in energy use. It provides free technical support, educational information and energy-conservation guidance to small businesses.
- Flex Your Power - Established in 2001 to promote energy efficiency, FYP is a state agency that can help you find tips, rebates, and services in your area.
- Get it Green - A site geared toward helping to spread the word about environmental companies, their products, resources, news, and services.
- GreenBiz.com - Online resource center for businesses looking for information on environmental practices, references to other green business websites, and government programs for businesses.
- Our Water Our World - This Website has been developed to assist consumers in managing home and garden pests using less-toxic methods that help protect the environment.
- Pacific Gas & Electric Energy Savings & Rebates - Offers technical assistance, training on energy conservation and efficiency, and information on incentive programs for businesses.
- South Coast Energy Efficiency Partnership - The SCEEP collaboration between Southern California Edison, and the City of Carpinteria, City of Goleta, City of Santa Barbara, and County of Santa Barbara works to improve energy efficiency in homes, schools, and businesses.
- Southern California Edison – Customer Technology Application Center
CTAC offers educational programs and services that help save energy, money and the environment. - Western Regional Pollution Prevention Network (WRPPN)
Clearinghouse for links to information on P2 programs, organized by Region, Industry Sector and Services Offered.
Industry Specific Resources and Professional Associations
- The Built Green Resource Center offers information, advice, programs and classes on green building processes and materials. It showcases energy independence, water savings, and other sustainable building practices.
- Car Care - Developed to help you learn how to take an active role in maintaining your vehicle.
- The Center for Clean Products and Clean Technologies (EERC) - Evaluates cleaner products for many industries.
- Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair (CCAR-GreenLink) - National information clearinghouse to help automotive professionals save time and protect the environment.
- EPA Region 9: Pollution Prevention for Auto Repair and Fleet Maintenance - Provides links to fact sheets and documents offering technical assistance in dealing with items such as Aqueous Parts Cleaning, Floor Cleanup and Oil Water Separartors.
- Greening Ethnic Restaurants (GER) - Works with ethnic restaurants to improve environmental performance of restaurants, and assists restaurants going through Bay Area Green Business Certification process.
- Pacific Northwest P2 Resource Center (Industry Sectors/Business Assistance - Features useful links to technical information pollution prevention for a wide variety of industry sectors, including Auto Repair, Food Processing, and Hospitality.
- Pollution Prevention in Auto Body and Paint Shops Department of Toxic Substances Control
- Printer’s National Environmental Assistance Center (PNEAC) - EPA and private industry partner effort offering compliance assistance and pollution prevention information.
- Seafood Watch - A program of the Monterey Bay Aquarium designed to raise consumer awareness about the importance of buying seafood from sustainable sources.
- Energy Efficiency Rebates and Contacts for Food Service (pdf)
- GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership for the Supermarket Industry
Products, Services & Organizations
- Extended Product Responsibility - A federal program that offers a product-oriented approach to environmental protection.
- Sustainable Business Network - Offers articles that highlight individual sustainable businesses and overall trends in industry.
Solid Waste Reduction
& Recycling
- www.lessismore.org County of Santa Barbara’s website – contains information on recycling, electronic waste recycling, hazardous waste and more. Also includes information on Environmentally Preferable Purchasing
- The City of Santa Barbara’s recycling and trash information: Includes information on how to waste less and recycle more, composting, landscape waste reduction, and more.
Purchasing
- American Chemistry Council, Plastics Division, Recycled Plastics Product Directory to assist public and private sector buyers in locating products made with or packaged in recycled plastic.
- Biodegradable Products Institute - certifies products as biodegradable.
- California Green Solutions has an on-line newsletter that shares information on products, services, and incentive programs that can benefit businesses.
- Department of Resources Recycling and Recovery (CalRecycle):
- Environmentally Preferable Purchasing page with information on how you can purchase materials for your business keeping the environment in mind,
- Green Procurement Policies featuring sample environmentally preferable purchasing policies.
- RecycleStore - RecycleStore showcases innovative recycled-content products and puts you in touch directly with their manufacturers.
- Recycled Content Products Directory - lists thousands of products containing recycled materials as well as information about the manufacturers, distributors and re-processors of these products.
- Carpet & Rug Institute
- Green Seal
- Greenguard - all kinds of interior products like furniture, paints, everything!
- Energy Star - performance ratings for appliances, heating & cooling, electronics, lighting, and office equipment.
- EPEAT - evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes.
- Green Technology - on-line magazine providing information on energy, green building, environmentally preferable purchasing, green chemistry, and green nanotechnology.
- Recycled Products Cooperative (RPC) is a nonprofit agency dedicated to natural resource conservation with main focus is to encourage the use of recycled copy paper and other office supplies.
- Responsible Purchasing Network (RPN) - an international network of buyers dedicated to socially responsible and environmentally sustainable purchasing.
- Santa Barbara County Directory of Recycled Content Products
- SF Approved List - Products that meet San Francisco's Health and Environmental Requirements
- TheGreenOffice.com - a one-stop online retailer featuring over 34,000 green and conventional office products and a comprehensive range of sustainability services designed to make office greening easy and cost effective.
Energy Conservation
- Flex Your Power - California Energy Efficiency and Conservation
- South County Energy Efficiency Partnership offers information on energy conservation for southern Santa Barbara County
- Southern California Gas Company For customers, they offer many services and rebates to help you save natural gas
- For Southern California Edison Customers: Rebates and Savings; Online Business Energy Survey
- Community Environmental Council - Get Started with Solar
- The City of Solvang - Green Building Technology Links
- Energy Efficiency Rebates and Contacts for Food Service (pdf)
- GreenChill Advanced Refrigeration Partnership for the Supermarket Industry
Water Conservation
- waterwisesb.org - the water conservation website for Santa Barbara County sponsored by the family of Santa Barbara County Water Providers
- Smart Rebate Programs - rebates for water conserving toilets, urinals and clothes washers.
- Restaurant and Lodging Water Conservation Programs - brochures and informational materials for use in guest rooms to encourage customers to conserve water by re-using towels, etc.
- Large Landscape Evaluations - Free on-site Mobile Lab services available to Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo County growers and landscape managers.
- City of Santa Barbara Water Conservation Program
- Goleta Water District - free commercial and industrial water checkups.
- Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District - water conservation information and rebates for businesses served by the
- Carpinteria Valley Water District
- Green Gardener program - educates local gardeners in resource efficient and pollution prevention landscape maintenance practices and provides a list of certified green gardeners.
- Goleta West Sanitary District - commercial rebate programs for water saving appliances (cooling tower conductivity controllers, high efficiency clothes washers, ultra-low flush/high-efficiency toilets, high efficiency urinals)
Pollution Prevention
Proper disposal of hazardous materials
Protect our local creeks, streams, and oceans
Protect our air quality
Greenhouse Gases and Climate Change - Greenhouse gas emissions [carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and others] result from a variety of business operations, including transportation, combustion, evaporative loss, and resource usage. To evaluate your business' greenhouse gas emissions, visit one of the following websites:
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