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

75-100% of company vehicles are electric

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

25-50% of your power supply is from on-site renewable energy solutions (solar, wind, geothermal, etc.)

Require all suppliers/vendors meet your environmental commitments

75-99% of your workdays are remote

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

Install dynamic glass exterior windows that change their opacity to reduce or increase the amount of light and heat allowed to pass through

Your home is powered by on-site renewable energy

Use high-efficiency plumbing fixtures, like high efficiency toilets (HETs) and urinals (HEUs)

25-74% of company vehicles are electric

Set up a greywater system to reuse sink water into toilet and irrigation systems

Offer employee incentive programs for the purchase of electric and hybrid vehicles

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.

Use a tankless or otherwise highly efficient home hot water heater

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

Use a tankless or otherwise highly efficient hot water heater

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

Provide 20 weeks paid family leave policy accessible to all employees

Compost your home food waste

Implement a green procurement policy

Limit impermeable surfaces such as parking lot blacktop and concrete sidewalks or install a rain garden

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

Replace your home’s water-intensive grass with regionally native, climate resilient ground coverings

Replace water-intensive grass with regionally native, climate resilient ground coverings

Have a composting program for your business food waste

50-74% of your workdays are remote

Use a fully electric personal vehicle

Install a smart irrigation controller that uses weather or soil moisture data to irrigate appropriately

Implement a comprehensive recycling program

Provide 10 weeks paid family leave policy accessible to all employees

Install faucets with controls that turn off automatically (motion sensors)

Install or choose a building with a green roof to reduce your building’s heating/cooling needs

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 fund/scholarship for local youth to pursue higher education

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

Provide transit passes or funds to employees as part of the benefits package to encourage public transportation usage

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

Use washable electrostatic furnace and air conditioning filters

Plant native, regionally-friendly plants to minimize water use and impact on local habitat

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

Install light switch occupancy sensors in proper locations to automatically turn off lighting when no one is present

Hire an Energy Services Company (ESCO) to optimize energy usage

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 benefits package that meets the needs of employees, and is well-defined, accessible and transparent to all workers

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

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

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

Choose a pest control service that minimizes the use of toxic pesticides

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

Prioritize local, organic, and fair trade food

Incorporate biophilic design by installing green walls in the office environment

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

Charge your electric vehicle at home with renewable energy

Donate surplus meals and edible food items

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

Assess your vendors’ procurement practices

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

Arrange the workspace to take advantage of areas with natural sunlight

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

Use a drip irrigation system for watering landscaping

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)

Optimize the color of your outside walls and the roof for your climate

Purchase ENERGY STAR qualified or similarly highly efficient appliances

Implement a sustainability process for meetings and events

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

Use highly efficient filters for HVAC

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

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

When working from an alternative location (not home office) walk or bike

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

Purchase Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to off-set any emissions related to energy consumption

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

Conduct a comprehensive water usage assessment/audit to pinpoint specific areas of water usage and waste

Install water flow rate controls (aerators) on faucets

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

Conduct an energy assessment/audit to pinpoint specific areas of energy use and waste

Ensure all windows and doors are properly installed, functioning, maintained, and weather-stripped, etc.

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

Ensure there are no harmful VOCs or chemical fumes in building furnishings, coverings, and walls including paint, curtains/blinds, carpet, flooring, and furniture

Undergo regular and complete check-ups and maintenance of your HVAC or A/C system

Establish a paperless billing program for your customers

Use concentrated cleaning products

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

Regularly evaluate employee satisfaction through interviews, surveys, or calculation of employee net promoter score

Conduct an energy assessment/audit to pinpoint specific areas of home energy use and waste

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

Use concentrated home cleaning products

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

Install timers on non-essential electrical appliances

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

Repurpose of donate unused office items

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 eco-friendly, bio-based, non-toxic home cleaning products

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

Apply window film to reduce excess solar heat in the building

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

Change your HVAC or A/C filters every six months or more frequently as is recommended by filter type

Regularly test your irrigation system to ensure proper configuration, optimized watering schedule, and eliminate overwatering and waste

Designate carpool, hybrid, and EV parking spaces that are in preferred areas of your parking lot (e.g. closer to the building entrance or covered)

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

Use air-filtering plants throughout the office

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

Use a sustainable web hosting service

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

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

Evaluate customer and community satisfaction with your company through calculating your net promoter score (NPS)

Eliminate all physical marketing materials

Use recycled office supplies

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

Provide a trusted, impartial and empowered 3rd party for the remediation of significant conflicts arising between employees and the business/business leaders

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 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

Regularly disclose business practices, operations, and financial statements to shareholders and stakeholders

Designate an employee as community engagement leader or create a community engagement team

Hold employee competitions for the most volunteer hours

Use 100% bio-based trash liners

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

Purchase trash liners made from 50-100% recycled materials

Designate your office as a smoke-free working environment with outside smoking areas 25 feet away from building entry areas and common walkways

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