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Green Business Council: ANSI approves Green Seal Standard for Restaurants

Green Omaha Coalition

ANSI approves Green Seal Standard for Restaurants

Wednesday, September 9, 2009


Green Seal's GS-46 Becomes American National Standard For Restaurants and Food Services
         Green Seal Inc. is pleased to announce that the Green Seal Environmental Standard for Restaurants and Food Services, GS-46, has been approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). First published in May 2009, GS-46 is based on real data on the environmental impacts of restaurants and food services including the impacts of food, energy and water use, and supplies. As a result, the GS-46 standard provides a comprehensive framework to guide operations on how to reduce their environmental impacts and is the basis for Green Seal Certification.
        GS-46 is the first Green Seal specification to be approved as an American National Standard. According to ANSI, "The procedures used by the standards body in connection with the development of American National Standards meet the Institute's Essential Requirements for openness, balance, consensus and due process."  
        GS-46 was developed with input from over one hundred stakeholders including industry trade groups, operators, suppliers, academia and environmental and health organizations. In addition to its ANSI accreditation, Green Seal
follows ISO 14024 guidelines in developing environmental standards and certifying products.  Green Seal standards also comply with the Global Ecolabelling Criteria.      
        "Green Seal is proud to have this important standard approved by ANSI," said Dr. Arthur Weissman, President and CEO.  "ANSI approval validates the consensus and procedural processes used by Green Seal in developing GS-46 as an American National Standard."
 
http://greenseal.org/newsroom/pr_restaurant_standard.pdf
http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS130585+09-Sep-2009+PRN20090909

posted by P2RIC @ 1:29 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.