The Illinois Green Business Certification program is a verifiable framework that helps businesses determine best green practice opportunities to save money, reduce waste, and increase efficiency. 

While the Green Business Certification program touches on some building attributes, it focuses on opportunities inside the building - the operations of the business. The program is designed to identify savings, engage staff in green practices, and increase operational efficiency - helping your business keep more money in its pockets every day. 

We are proud to have worked with over 80 Illinois companies to certify more than one million square feet of space, impacting over 1,400 employees in seven communities throughout Illinois and be ranked the #2 most-trustworthy green certification in the nation by GreenBiz.com. 

Here is just a small sampling of the program's bottom-line impact on businesses throughout the state:

• The Marriott Hotel in Bloomington-Normal changed all ballroom lighting to highly efficient LED lights, composts 60,000 pounds of food waste/year, and donates used soap products to a local charity.
• Busey Bank and First Busey Corporation—a $3.4 billion financial holding company headquartered in Champaign—reduced its energy use by 815,160 kilowatts and its water use by over 1.4 million gallons.
• The University of Illinois’ Krannert Center for the Performing Arts—the nation’s leading university-based performing arts center—is engaged with IGBA to create the first performing arts certification in the country.
  
  

Why Get Certified?

Sustainable innovation in business operations has moved to the forefront of the world’s more successful corporations with over 72% of the S&P 500 businesses issuing yearly sustainability reports. These well-resourced businesses clearly predict that only those who retool their operations in support of a sustainable business model will fully flourish in the years ahead. 

Benefits of implementing green practices include:

• Reduce operating costs through efficient, practical green practices
• Attract new customers and retain current ones
• Receive connectivity & application assistance to incentive programs offered by Illinois utility companies
• Credibly market your business as green through vetted standards and third party verification of your business’green practice.
• Engage employees in green practices, increasing operational efficiency
• Commit to being a sustainable leader in your community - help your customers understand how green practices can help them too!

Who Do We Work With?

We work with businesses of all sizes, from multi-location corporations to small businesses on Main Street. Primarily, we work with the restaurant/cafe, office/retail, and hotel industries, but also work with public sector entities, such as municipal buildings, universities, and schools. 

Services to Be Sustainable 

The Illinois Green Business Association is here to help business owners, employees and managers understand green management practices and how they best fit your business. Additionally, our program partner, the Smart Energy Design Assistance Center at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign provides hands-on certification support and brings years of technical expertise to businesses looking to integrate simple and complex sustainable practices.

Through our Green Business Certification program, we provide hands-on certification services and resources to assist businesses working to complete their certification, utilizing rebates and incentives where needed.

We provide personal and technical assistance to business owners participating in our program. We are a business’s one-stop-shop for incorporating green management practices into the workplace. We can help your small and medium-sized business reduce resource use, increase efficiency, and decrease your bottom line... then tell your customers and stakeholders about it!

Read more on our Certification Program - Getting Started page.

Certified Businesses

Once your business has met all the certification requirements and has submitted the proper verification, it's time to tell your customers and community about it! 

A newly certified green business receives: 

• An “Illinois Green Certified Business” Window Decal 
• An “Illinois Green Certified Business” Official Certificate 
• A Highlights Poster displaying the business’s most unique green management practices for customers 
• Recognition in our Newsletter, ongoing social media efforts, and on our website
• A Press Release sent to your local news sources 
• Your business’s Finalized Checklist displaying all implemented green management practices
• Possible YouTube Video Feature, White Papers, speaking events, free ongoing educational opportunities for employees, and more!

Call us at (331)305-IGBA(4422) and tell us your green business aspirations! We'll help you get started down the path to becoming a more sustainable business today.