24 chamber executive Fall 2009

In July, ACCE partnered

with the North Carolina

Research Triangle-based

Institute for Sustainable

Development (ISD) to offer

Green Plus,™ the nation’s

first business sustainability

certification program

dedicated to helping small

businesses. Green Plus™

tests participants in three

performance areas and

provides university and

peer coaching, access to

a business network, and

support for marketing a

sustainable enterprise.

by brooks rainey pearson

WhY go green?Consumer demand for environmental- and people-friendly products has intensi-fied in recent years, and businesses have begun to respond in a big way. Wal-Mart recently unveiled a sustainability initia-tive that will require each of its estimat-ed 100,000 suppliers to answer a survey detailing the environmental and social impact of each product. Such initiatives

are expected to be game changing, pushing businesses of all sizes toward environmental standards and social responsibil-ity. In the face of this shifting business climate and a difficult economy, small businesses need an uncomplicated, affordable way to get up-to-speed on sustainability while being rewarded for their efforts.

ACCE Executive Committee member Casey Steinbacher, CCE, president and CEO of the Greater Durham (NC) Cham-

ber of Commerce, says, “Small business owners understand that sustainability is important to them and their customers, but don’t fully comprehend how to make it ‘real’ for them. Green Plus™ does that for small business owners in a way that makes sense for them.”

about the programGreen Plus™ is a university- and chamber-developed turn-

key program that chambers can offer their members to help them integrate environmental and social responsibility as well as sound business principles into their operations. Analyzing all three areas together is often called the “triple bottom line.” Green Plus™ provides networking opportunities for businesses looking to connect with like-minded organizations in their region and throughout the nation, consultation with graduate students at leading universities, and possible certification.

Green Plus™ was developed by The Institute of Sustainable Development (ISD), a partnership of centers at Duke Univer-

Through Green Plus™ Chambers Can Help Their Members Compete

chamber executive Fall 2009 25

sity and the University of North Carolina, chambers of com-merce, and philanthropic foundations in the North Carolina Research Triangle area. The Institute works to make triple bottom line sustainability accessible to small employers and to form a relationship between businesses and academia for the purpose of sharing sustainability knowledge.

Cost benefitsGreen Plus™ was launched in the North Carolina Research Tri-angle area in early 2009 after beta testing with over 150 small businesses and non-profits. The Morrisville (NC) Chamber of Commerce was one of the first chambers to sign on to Green Plus.™ This 500-member Chamber was attracted to the program as a potential source of revenue that also provided an opportu-nity to educate their members on sustainable practices. Cham-ber President Sharon Rosche notes, “This is an excellent way to provide our members value, and at the same time positively impact our bottom line.” Green Plus™ provides chambers a high value for the money, with a buy-in of only $1.00 per member and a return of $100 per participating business.

Chamber executives who have introduced the program see Green Plus™ as an affordable way to help their members stay competitive. Steinbacher, from the Greater Durham Chamber, is impressed with the program’s cost effectiveness, and points out that unlike many “green” certification programs, there are “no ridiculous sums of money up front in the hopes you achieve some standard that actually costs you more in the end.” She notes that Green Plus™ allows chambers to do what they do best—“provide valuable information and connections” to their members.

The Lancaster (PA) Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) was attracted to Green Plus™ for the same reason, believing that the program supports their goal to lead, con-nect, and innovate. This 2,700-member chamber was the first chamber outside of North Carolina to partner with Green Plus.™ LCCI Vice President Cheryl Irwin says, “As part of our strategic planning process, the Lancaster Chamber recognized the need to serve our members by providing them access to innovative, credible and value-driven resources to assist them in their efforts to become more sustainable. After a thorough vetting process, the Green Plus™ program was identified as one of the tools we chose to include into our overall scope of sustainable initiatives.”

Like Rosche and Steinbacher, Irwin finds Green Plus™ fis-cally valuable for both her Chamber and its members, noting that improving operational and economic sustainability “has an obvious direct return on investment.” She points to the

savings that result from the efficiency of sustainable practices, as well as the consulting value as further evidence of this. “The immediate feedback gleaned through the diagnostic process, with access to the ISD Fellows supporting the program, is particularly valuable,” she states.

gleaning advice from expertsThe benefits of Green Plus™ go beyond the branding potential of certification, connecting participating businesses to expert academic and peer advice from the outset. Businesses begin the process with the Green Plus™ Diagnostic Tool, which deter-mines the strengths and weaknesses of a business in the areas of environmental stewardship, economic growth, and social responsibility. Upon completion of the questionnaire, an ISD Sustainability Fellow analyzes the results, tailoring feedback to each company’s unique circumstance and assisting them in developing a roadmap toward certification. Rosche says, “We have a direct line to experts in the field, which makes this program hard to duplicate. It is the relationship the chamber has with the founding partners that makes this work.”

Steinbacher agrees, adding, “You don’t ever fail in this process. You develop an advocate that works to help you gain the knowledge and information you need to employ in order to become certified, and you are constantly learning ways to better your business. The path to certification is as helpful and valuable as the ultimate certification.”

support along the WaYThe Green Plus™ questionnaire is broken down into three sec-tions: People, Planet, and Performance. The People section is

We have a direct line to experts in the field, which makes this program hard to duplicate. It is the relationship the chamber has with the founding partners that makes this work.

—Sharon Rosche, Morrisville (NC) Chamber of Commerce

26 chamber executive Fall 2009

designed to evaluate an organization’s practices with respect to their employees and the community in which they operate, as well as their approach to building awareness of sustain-ability efforts. The Planet section evaluates an organization’s approach to energy, transportation, water management, waste reduction and green purchasing with the goal of helping businesses save money while going green. The Performance section evaluates an organization’s method of running a solid

business, including accounting, finance, planning, human resources and reporting.

Businesses receive short term recognition on their way toward certification. Upon completion of the diagnostic, a business is deemed a Green Plus™ Mover and has immedi-ate access to all of the benefits associated with the program, including the Green Plus™ Directory and the How To Guide. The Green Plus™ Directory is a national listing of Certified Green Plus™ organizations and businesses that are working toward certification. This serves a marketing function, provid-ing a resource for customers and clients looking to support sustainable businesses and also a networking function, unit-ing organizations at the local and national level with others who are also on the path to sustainability.

Businesses that prefer to work alone rather than engage with the ISD Fellows or other businesses will find the How- To Guide useful. This Guide is a user-friendly collection of information to help businesses understand each topic in the diagnostic, sourced from the Institute, its university partners, and other businesses. The wide range of resources available to Green Plus™ Movers ensures that each business benefits from Green Plus,™ regardless of where they stand on their journey toward sustainability.

green plus™ Complements rsDGreen Plus™ is a natural next step for ACCE, which has already illustrated its commitment to sustainability with the Ford Foundation Regional Sustainable Development (RSD) pro-gram. Green Plus™ funnels the RSD approach to economic growth down to the level of the individual business. The RSD program examines the relationship between business and com-munity and how the two are dependent on each other for suc-cess. Small businesses draw support from the resources of

by elizabeth liedelA warehousing and packaging company established in 2007, riley Life industries, inc., of Durham, North Carolina, became a Green plus™ Mover in May 2009. prior to joining the program, riley Life was already well on its way toward many of the objectives covered by the Green plus™ ques-tionnaire—the business reimburses fuel costs for employees who carpool, engages in monthly com-munity service projects, and ships products in 100 percent recyclable packaging. Despite adhering to these practices, riley Life’s initial score on the questionnaire fell below the threshold for formal Green plus™ Certification.

Working with a sustainability Fellow at the insti-tute for sustainable Development throughout the month of June, riley Life’s managers used the Green plus™ program as a road map in their sus-tainability efforts. The business made a handful of changes—such as writing a human resource plan, setting goals to reduce energy consump-tion, and retrofitting appliances to minimize water and energy use—and in July 2009 became Green plus™ Certified.

While Green plus™ Certification was a goal of riley Life’s, the company does not view the certification as the end of its sustainability journey. riley Life is continuing to investigate more environmentally sus-tainable ways of operating, while at the same time growing its profits, networking with other Green plus™ Movers, and engaging in socially responsible practices. To see more about riley Life inc., please visit www.rileylife.com.

Elizabeth Liedel is a Sustainability Fellow with the Institute for Sustainable Development. She is an MBA and Master of Environmental Management candidate at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business and Nicho-las School of the Environment. She can be reached at ELiedel@gogreenplus.org or (919) 357-9992.

PAckAGiNG coMPANy iMProves its PerForMANce AND visiBiLity WitH GreeN PLUs™

28 chamber executive Fall 2009

their community in the form of materials, transportation and services, and sustainable businesses ensure that the relation-ship is reciprocal. Steinbacher, a former RSD Fellow, finds that Green Plus™ improves communities by providing businesses

support in becoming successful, there-by strengthening the communities of which they are a part. She says, “The Fellowship provides an educational and practical experience to help cham-ber executives gain the knowledge they need to lead in this arena, while Green Plus™ is a tool that chambers can use to guide business down the sustain-ability path in a way that is practical, non-threatening and actually gener-ates results for the business.”

Green Plus™ positions chambers and their members ahead of the curve in a society that is becoming more and more aware of the importance of sus-tainability. As chamber executive Sha-ron Rosche says, “We are in front, and that is a great place to be.”

To find out more about Green Plus,™ visit www.gogreenplus.org.

Brooks Rainey Pearson is a Sustainability Fellow with the Institute for Sustainable Development. She is a JD and Master of Regional Planning candidate at the University of North Carolina’s School of Law and Department of City and Regional Planning. She can be reached at brooks.greenplus@gmail.com or (919) 357-9992.

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ABOVE: Green PlusTM holds its first press conference/recognition event at the Siena Hotel in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, to announce its partnership with five area chambers of commerce, as well as the first certified businesses.