Tree image

Green Business Council: October 2008

Green Omaha Coalition

Save the Date - Green Rush Hour Connections, October 28th 4 to 6 p.m.

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Come Tuesday, October 28, summer's leaves may have turned to autumn colors, but you can still be "green" by attending the Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce's Rush Hour Connections from 4 to 6 p.m. at Firstar Fiber, 10330 "I" Street. Co-hosted by the Omaha Chamber and Firstar Fiber, in conjunction with the Green Omaha Coalition Green Business Council, attendees will have the opportunity to:
  • Network with other area businesses also interested in reducing their carbon footprints (and since food and drinks will be served, you can also imbibe of some tasty carbon as you're walking around, too);
  • Meet dozens of local businesses and organizations involved in selling and promoting conservation minded services and products; and
  • Tour Firstar Fiber's amazing material recovery facility, where recyclables set out by area residents and diverted from area businesses' waste streams are sorted and prepared for shipment to domestic and international mills.
Attendees are also encouraged to bring their discarded cell phones, computers and sensitive papers to be recycled respectively by Keep Omaha Beautiful, CP Recovery and area document destruction companies. Goodwill Industries will also be on hand, so feel free to bring items that can be donated for reuse. Learn energy saving techniques from Omaha Public Power District and GreenFiber, a local manufacturer of natural fiber insulation; how to green your lawn and landscape your premises with earth-friendly products from Natural Turf Care; as well as how Firstar Fiber and Porridge Papers of Lincoln can turn your company's scrap paper direction into holiday greeting cards. These are just a few of the highlights for this unique Chamber event.

So don't be left out and green with envy - register early to be apart of this special event, attendance is limited.

Labels: , ,

posted by Marcella Thompson @ 8:21 PM

Mission

Create a network of businesses interested in sharing sustainable practices and recognize leading green businesses in Omaha.

Background

In support of the Green Omaha Coalition (GOC),  an alliance of organizations pursuing a common goal of a “Green Omaha,” the Green Business Council (GBC) will establish a collaborative network of businesses implementing sustainability programs to improve the environmental performance of their operations.

Focus

The GBC will engage interested businesses from all industries to improve the sustainability of their operations.  The GBC will address a wide variety of environmental programs, including but not limited to: procurement, resource efficiency (energy and water), waste reduction (solid and hazardous), climate change, and green building.

The GBC seeks to involve two business groups: (1) those already implementing sustainability programs and (2) those interested but lacking the resources to pursue and implement sustainable strategies.  Ultimately, the GBC will become a centralized resource for businesses to share, learn, and promote sustainable business practices.

Alliances

The GBC recognizes the importance of collaborating with existing organizations to more effectively and efficiently reach businesses to provide educational and networking opportunities. The following provides a preliminary list of strategic alliances the GBC will pursue:

  • Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce (GOCOC)
  • Neighborhood Business Associations
  • Flatwater Chapter, U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)
  • WasteCap of Nebraska (WasteCap)
  • Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)
  • International Facility Management Association (IFMA)
Objectives

The GBC has identified four primary objectives to establish a coalescing network of sustainable businesses to share environmental best practices and assist emerging green businesses in identifying better environmental strategies through education and networking with other businesses. A detailed description of the objectives described below are including on the following pages.

Interested in joining or learning more about Green Business Council email: greenbusiness@greenomahacoalition.org

Green Business Council Brochure (PDF)

Figure 1 | Objectives of the Green Business Council

Short Term Long Term
Objective 1
Establish a Framework for Ongoing Leadership of the Green Business Council. 		Objective 2
Provide Networking and Education Opportunities to Businesses. 		Objective 3
Develop, Maintain, and Distribute a Green Business Directory. 		Objective 4
Establish an Awards Program to Recognize Green Businesses.
Establish a leadership team and organizational guidance to manage day-to-day functions of the GBC Collaborate with alliance organizations to provide networking and training opportunities to Omaha-area businesses.  Compile a directory of individuals responsible for managing sustainability programs for Omaha-area businesses. Establish a framework for recognizing businesses for exceptional environmental performance.