100% of your power supply is from on-site renewable energy solutions

Implement and share the results of your energy use and conservation plan quarterly, both within your organization and publicly

Implement and share the results of your comprehensive water use and conservation plan quarterly

Become a completely remote company, requiring no office space or regular transportation to/from work

Ensure all suppliers/vendors adhere to your company’s environmental commitments and standards and do not engage in any practices that are environmentally or socially harmful

Install or lease from a building with a heat recovery system that converts waste heat to energy

Purchase 50-100% of products and services from green-certified or Green Business Benchmark vendors

75-99% of your workdays are remote

Your home is powered by on-site renewable energy

25-74% of company vehicles are electric

Own/lease a business space that has a green building certification such as LEED, BREEAM, Green Globes, WELL, Energy Star, Green Star, or another standard in your area.

Source 100% of energy from a third-party renewable power provider

Use a tankless or otherwise highly efficient home hot water heater

Upgrade from older fluorescent T12, T8 and T5 lamps to LED alternatives

Purchase 25-49% of products and services from sustainability-certified or Green Business Benchmark vendors

Rent or purchase a building that is close to public transportation stops and bike paths

Compost your home food waste

Use an alternative/natural refrigerant (non-HFC) with a global warming potential less than or equal to 10 for your home refrigerators, freezers, and HVAC systems

Have a composting program for your business food waste

Implement a green procurement policy

50-74% of your workdays are remote

Implement a comprehensive recycling program including education, proper sinage, and monitoring

Implement a sustainability process and standard for all meetings, conferences, and events

Opt-in to receiving 100% renewable energy from your power provider

Track and measure your company’s impact on the environment along your supply chain

Optimize your on-premise servers and business systems by ensuring the hardware is up-to-date and energy efficient

Create a pathway program for local youths to intern and eventually become employed at your company

Create an executive leadership team with women, minorities, and people from underrepresented communities in top leadership roles

After completing the energy audit/assessment, develop a comprehensive energy use and conservation plan

Install or choose a building with electric charging stations on site

Develop a comprehensive water use and conservation plan with measurable goals to optimize water usage

Implement home performance and efficiency improvements based upon your home energy assessment

Buy home office electronics that are energy efficient, ENERGY STAR, EPEAT, ROHS, etc.

Use a hybrid personal vehicle

Meet if not exceed Federal and State regulations for your industry

Eliminate all single-use paper, styrofoam or plastic cups, plates, and utensils in the kitchen area. Use reusable mugs, dishes, and silverware instead

Schedule regular maintenance on company vehicles to ensure each vehicle is operating as efficiently as possible to reduce emissions

Perform a yearly assessment of all suppliers/vendors’ environmental and social practices in comparison to your company’s commitments

Provide a product or service, as part of your company’s core strategy, that delivers a social or environmental benefit and/or focuses on an underserved part of the community.

Provide a living wage for all employees, at all levels of the organization including both full time and part time workers

Carve out a “no meetings” day during the work week

Have a four-day work week

Properly recycle all household waste according to your local regulations

Create a detailed risk management plan for projects and programs

Identify and manage risks related to your suppliers’ sustainability performance

Purchase and serve 75-100% local, organic, and fair trade food and drink

Prioritize working with business partners, service providers, etc. that are women-led, minority-owned and local small businesses

Define, institute, and clearly communicate a policy to prioritize employee diversity, equity, and inclusion

Install a programmable thermostat to automate your home HVAC or A/C system

Use chlorine-free and FSC-certified paper products

Switch to low-pressure and highly efficient showerheads and faucets

Implement a supplier code of conduct policy

Purchase all office paper products made from 50-100% recycled materials

Arrange the workspace to take advantage of areas with natural sunlight

Purchase offsets for the travel emissions and in-person work days that can’t be reduced

Purchase or lease used or recycled office equipment and furniture

Philanthropically donate a percentage of your revenue or profits and/or company time to an environmental cause

Reserve at least one day a year when your company volunteers for local environmental or community projects (e.g., Habitat for Humanity, Earth Day, Save a Tree)

Purchase ENERGY STAR qualified or similarly highly efficient appliances

Have a clearly defined policy that specifies how you will screen partners and vendors to ensure that their business operations are socially responsible and eco-friendly

Provide an annual public report or update on your company’s environmental and social responsibility efforts, initiatives, and improvements

Evaluate your company’s social and community footprint including diversity of supply chain, demographic of suppliers, and physical and financial impact of operations on local community

Use a carbon calculator tool to measure your current carbon footprint. Reassess quarterly as you meet energy use goals

Install bike racks outside of the office or choose a building with ample bike racks on-site to support the amount of employees

Develop an office thermostat policy that maintains internal air temperature within the recommended temperature range, and eliminates A/C and heating usage when the building is not occupied

Provide equitable opportunities to ensure women have equal access to employment, leadership roles, and pay

Provide fair and appropriate breaks for workers based on hours worked and enforce a strict policy that they must take them

Institute a policy for providing training, certification, and professional development opportunities to employees

Ensure all windows in your home are double pane, low-E, and energy efficient

Use washable home electrostatic furnace and air conditioning filters

Use your personal, fossil-fueled vehicle less than 75 miles a week

Purchase produce in-season from local farmer’s markets or co-ops

Establish a process for the board to oversee and assess the company’s performance in sustainability issues

Pay top executives no more than the minimum compensation necessary to ensure productive and effective performance

Determine executive bonuses based company success in areas such as diversity, goal-meeting, stakeholder engagement, and long-term sustainability

Create and implement a human health and safety policy

Adhere to labor, child labor, forced labor, and reasonable working hour laws and practices

Disclose any risks to the environment or the public created by your company’s products or operations timely and publicly

Keep corporate accounting accurate and up-to-date, enabling operation decisions to be made about investing, hiring, and project management

Install water catchment systems to collect rainwater for use in home garden irrigation

Lower the max temperature of your hot water heater from 140 to 120

Properly dispose of all hazardous waste materials including batteries, paint and chemicals, lightbulbs, aerosol cans, and electronics

Properly dispose of all household hazardous waste materials including batteries, paint and chemicals, lightbulbs, aerosol cans, and electronics

Map the product supply chain of at least 80% of your spend

Install a filtered water tap or water bottle refill station that provide high-quality drinking water

Become an annual sponsor, making a substantial contribution to a meaningful event promoting sustainability in your area

Encourage employee carpools

Significantly limit the amount of physical marketing materials you produce

Complete a consumption and waste audit to help identify and quantify the items your business acquires, uses, and discards

Use environmentally-friendly, non-toxic, bio-based cleaning products

Replace regular light bulbs with LED bulbs

Establish a paperless billing program for your customers

Use concentrated cleaning products

Use recycled and environmentally preferred office supplies such as pens, notebooks, etc.

Purchase carbon offsets to become net zero for all emissions

Buy electronics that are energy efficient, EPEAT, ROHS, etc.

Have accessible green space somewhere onsite or in close proximity to grounds

Weatherize your home by ensuring all windows and doors in your home are properly installed, functioning, maintained, weather-stripped, etc.

Use a drip irrigation system for watering your home landscaping

Go completely paperless

Use concentrated home cleaning products

Purchase home trash bin liners made from 100% bio-based or 50-100% recycled materials

Use an eco-friendly home pest control service that minimizes the use of toxic pesticides

Establish company-wide local community volunteer days and create a company-wide challenge to see who can volunteer in the community at a green event the most throughout the year

Conduct multiple quality checks on your products and/or services before distributing to consumers to ensure highest possible quality

Conduct investigations of ethical violations, and when substantiated hand out fair and reasonable consequences

Choose paperless billing with vendors, business partners, and suppliers when possible

Eliminate unnecessary paper usage as much as possible including forms, contracts, meeting agendas and materials, proofs, and drafts

Administer company-wide employee training on sustainability efforts both at work and at home

Conduct exit interviews to gain insights on company culture and operations and make improvements based on feedback

Give opportunity for all employees to provide feedback of any kind and feel secure and empowered to do so

Replace all traditional bulbs with LED bulbs throughout your home work space

Use reusable cleaning products such as sponges or towels instead of paper towels throughout your home

Stop using all single-use plastic kitchen utensils, plates, bowls, and cups

Use reusable bags instead of plastic bags when shopping

Purchase home paper towels and toilet paper made from 50-100% recycled materials

Administer company-wide employee training on sustainability efforts related to home offices and general life practices

Create a company-wide challenge to eat the least amount of takeout for a month

Create a company-wide challenge to use the least single-use items for a month

Fairly compensate board members or their time and effort based on yearly total hours of meetings and expectations for engagement

Use natural light throughout 75% of the day instead of overhead lights

Locate home office in room with ample windows to take advantage of daylighting

Place a company employee on the organizing committee for a sustainability event

Become an active member, either by serving on the board, donating or volunteering time for an organization that continually works to improve the environment

Recycle or sell your used toner cartridges

Purchase recycled or remanufactured toner cartridges

Develop a paper reduction policy that clearly defines when and how items should be printed

Reduce junk mail by removing your organization’s name from national direct marketing databases

Eliminate the use of disposable batteries and switch entirely to rechargeable

Use reusable cleaning products such as towels and sponges, eliminating paper towels

Print and copy double-sided only

Make your business’ sustainability efforts a central part of your message by filling out and linking to your GBB Public Profile and publishing your sustainability commitment on your website

Choose bio-based, reused, recycled, recyclable, or FSC certified boxes and bags for shipping

Reuse, sell, or donate used or unneeded furniture, equipment, and office supplies

Use virtual meeting platforms to replace travel when possible

Communicate your social responsibility initiatives with customers and other stakeholders in a way that clearly defines your company values, policies, objectives and actual performance

Eliminate all physical marketing materials, rely only on digital methods

Add shades/window covering to reduce heat gain

Provide regular formal review, linked to a comprehensive development plan, with clear and constructive feedback to all employees

Require all business leaders to be trained in, maintain current knowledge of, and commit to complying with the company’s environmental, social and employee wellbeing policies and practices

Add shades/window covering throughout your home to reduce heat gain

Change your home HVAC or A/C filters every 90 days-6 months maximum as is recommended by your filter thickness and type

Reduce vampire loads by unplugging non-essential electrical appliances when not in use

Use smart power strips throughout your house in areas of high plug loads

Plant native, region-friendly plants in your home garden

Opt out of receiving home junk mail

Stop purchasing single-use plastic waterbottles. Install a water filter if necessary

Use a shared or centralized printer

Create a board that is diverse and inclusive, made up of members with differences in thought, perspective, cultural and geographical background, age, ethnicity, race, gender, knowledge & skills–representative of the community and stakeholders

Appoint a majority of board members that are independent from the company

Uphold your company’s responsibility to shareholders through shareholder meetings

Establish a clear governance and decision-making structure, including the composition of the board of directors, board committees, executives, and shareholders

Create and implement a policy for protecting sensitive information

Conduct regular cyber/data security checks

Include a specific commitment to a positive social and environmental impact in your corporate mission statement

Accept and evaluate employee’s feedback about violations of your corporate ethics and conduct policy

Create and implement an employee code of conduct

Create and enforce a whistleblowing policy

Create and enforce a policy for preventing and addressing discrimination and harassment

Establish and implement a shareholder rights policy

Minimize air conditioning usage through natural ventilation by opening windows

Train employees on your cyber/data security policies and what to do in case of a potential breach

Assess your current vendors’ procurement practices

Purchase trash liners made from 50-100% recycled materials

Use ceiling fans in place of air conditioning when possible

Reduce “vampire loads” by unplugging appliances when not in use

Assist at least one other business in learning about sustainability, social responsibility, and environmental business efforts and encourage them to join GBB

Commit to inviting, receiving and acting upon customer and community feedback in a welcoming and constructive way at all times.

Use ceiling fans and windows in place of air conditioning

Donate used clothing and furniture

Document board meetings with minutes and final write-up/reports and distributed to all essential members

Implement a conflict of interest policy for your board of directors and senior management

Write and implement a policy and procedure for board member nominations and elections

Write and implement a policy for removing board members who are not fulfilling their duties

Communicate pricing and services transparently, authentically, and consistently to all customers

Disclose information about political contributions and lobbying activities

Organize a sustainability committee to lead your organization’s sustainability program

Complete the GBB getting started steps

Develop a sustainability mission statement for your business and define your company’s core commitments

Populate your company’s sustainability accomplishments in your profile

Announce your commitment to GBB to all employees

Use natural odor elimination

Relax the office dress code to allow for attire that doesn’t require dry cleaning

Eliminate the use of disposable batteries throughout your home and switch entirely to rechargeable