Sustainability | Green Plus
More and more businesses are becoming aware that they not only have a responsibility, but also an opportunity to realize the benefits of operating a sustainable business. COSE knows that small businesses like yours cannot devote a whole department or a huge budget to make your business more sustainable and impact your bottom line. The COSE Sustainability program is designed to provide your business with the resources you need to become more responsible and more profitable through sustainable business practices and energy efficiency improvements.
What is Sustainability?
COSE Sustainability Definition: "Sustaining and supporting the small business community through improved economic, environmental, and community design strategies leading to increased implementation of energy conservation, recycling, and employee wellness programs."
Green Plus™
COSE has proudly partnered with Green Plus™ to become the first business association to offer sustainability education and certification program to Ohio’s smaller enterprises. Green Plus™ was developed by the North Carolina Research Triangle based Institute for Sustainable Development -- a combined effort of universities and chambers of commerce to provide smaller employers with affordable tools to improve their triple bottom line sustainability. Green Plus™ is a three-part program to help smaller enterprises improve their performance through becoming more sustainable.
Stage 1: Employers take an online assessment which evaluates their management, environmental, employee and community engagement practices.
Stage 2: Participants become part of an online network and can receive advice from other business owners and university-based content experts on how to improve their sustainability performance.
Stage 3: Employers with exceptional scores across the Green Plus™ assessment’s People, Planet and Performance sections become Certified Green Plus™ businesses, recognizing their specific efforts and providing exposure to their current and potential customers and business partners in communities throughout the U.S. and Canada.
Click Play on the logo ato the right to see what our members are saying about Green Plus™
Green Plus™ has been adopted as the official small and medium sized enterprise sustainability program of the American Chamber of Commerce Executives (ACCE). The program is available at a substantial discount through participating chambers of commerce throughout the U.S. and Canada in the 1,300 chamber ACCE network. The program costs $550, but will be available to COSE members with five or more employees for $350 and to COSE companies with four or fewer employees for $150.
COSE Launches Green Plus™ - October 13, 2009
Early Success - The Taylor Companies
COSE member, The Taylor Companies was recently recognized as the first Ohio Certified Green Plus™ business on September 28, 2009 for its exceptional business, environmental and community practices. More on Taylor Chair’s certification can be found at www.gogreenplus.org. Other COSE members are beginning to participate in this program from the legal, landscaping and non-profit sectors.
The Taylor Companies become Certified Green Plus
For more information on Green Plus™, and to get started today go to www.gogreenplus.org.
COSE Energy Savings | Energy Efficiency
For more than ten years, COSE has been a provider of electricity and natural gas savings options to small and mid-sized businesses, helping them to save money and becoming a stronger partner for small business energy management efforts. Additionally, COSE has been designated by the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio as the small business energy efficiency administrator for the First Energy Service territories. In this role COSE is helping companies of all sizes reduce energy consumption, conserve resources and save money.
The COSE Electric Program offers outstanding savings for large and small businesses. Restrictions do apply.
The COSE Natural Gas Program provides unbeatable savings and service to over 7,500 COSE members and employees.
The COSE Energy Efficiency Program will help companies avoid surcharges on future electric bills by auditing past efforts towards conservation, and assisting them to implement new money saving efficiency improvements.
Education and Resources on cosemindspring.com
There are many Sustainability and Energy Efficiency resources out there. How do you know which ones are right for your small business? COSE has partnered with Tri-C’s Green Academy and Center for Sustainability, to bring you the education and resources that suit your small business needs. Click the cosemindspring.com logo to access education and resources.
For a list of ideas you can put into practice today, visit our green tips page here.
Have Questions or Looking to Get Involved?
Call Nicole Stika at 216-592-2338 or email nstika@cose.org.