Congratulations to the FOUR recently green certified businesses: Common Ground Food Co-Op, Body N’ Sole Sports, Marcy McAnally State Farm Insurance, and Boltini Lounge!

Also, check out IGBA’s latest article in the News-Gazette on August 12 or our July 15 article in Bloomington-Normal’s Pantagraph!

We are excited to certify the remaining businesses participating in the green business certification pilot program in Champaign, Urbana, and Savoy. Eight Champaign-Urbana businesses have been certified, and more businesses in the community are beginning to sign up! This summer, in addition to 11 interns, IGBA piloted a business course at Illinois State University (ISU) where ISU students administered our certification program to four businesses in Bloomington-Normal!

IGBA is on Twitter and Facebook!

The Illinois Green Business Association is a registered Program Ally of AmerenIP’s Act On Energy® Efficiency Programs.

Many businesses are curious about how to improve their operations to become more sustainable.  However, businesses do not have readily available resources to convert to greener practices or a local program that recognizes green businesses.

The Illinois Green Business Association is bringing a certification program to Champaign-Urbana to help create a sustainable business community.

What is a Green Business?
A green business is an environmental leader within the community that encourages environmentally efficient operations and sustainability within the workplace. They not only benefit economically from improving efficiency, but will have a marketing edge over other businesses.

The Illinois Green Business Association’s certification program will promote, recognize, and provide hands-on support to local businesses that operate in an environmentally responsible manner. Green business certification is well worth its time-intensive process and is a great opportunity for businesses to examine their own operations and implement more efficient practices.

Our mission is to educate business owners, their employees, and community members about sustainable practice, preserving buildings and equipment for efficiency and longevity, and providing public safety by training owners and employees in efficient, cleaner, and greener practice.

IGBA trains a person to be literate in implementing green management practices which culminates in a certificate of achievement for their business. IGBA asses a business’ current environmental performance and guide them towards understanding green management practices for their business’ operations and employee practices. IGBA utilize applicable incentive packages and educational resources to train employees and managers. Through certified business leadership, IGBA promotes and markets successful efforts to the community to build a culture of sustainability, increase sustainability education, and encourage responsible consumerism in counties throughout Illinois.

Our vision is to create a culture of sustainability in our Illinois communities to help businesses and their communities to identify resources and opportunities that can increase the economic, social, and environmental sustainability for generations to come. IGBA also wants to create a credible, transparent program model that provides quality support and recognizes businesses that go beyond environmental compliance, and transparently demonstrate green business leadership in Illinois. We envision all businesses becoming leaders in their communities and helping others understand what it really means to be “green”.

If you are interested in learning more about this pilot phase of our program, or want your business to be certified under our program, please visit the Contact Us page!