Kristi Wamstad-Evans, the City of Omaha's first Sustainability Coordinator, will update the GBC at the Wednesday, March 24 meeting.  
3:30 start time at the Whole Foods 10020 Regency Circle, in the education room by the coffee bar.  

Who knew about the Greener Byways Program?  What looks to be a good initial effort is available for many Nebraska businesses tied to the travel industry.  Tourism is the third largest industry in Nebraska. The certificate is available to destinations and all hospitality services.  The Greener Byways certificate http://ow.ly/1osOw is in place, offering an on-line sign-up form that I presume is reviewed and evaluated prior to receiving the certificate, window cling, press release form, and informational booklet.  Participation in the program is free and voluntary.  I can't tell from the site if this is a self-certification only, or if there is some review of the reporting mechanism. Or a public reporting of the score.  It looks like a great start!  There's also a facebook page, http://ow.ly/1oti8

The March 31 webinar appears to be more geared to answer "Why?" and provide benefits from a couple of green facilities.  I wonder how they have scored on the certification? From their description of the webinar:  

"Wondering whether green is the way to go for your business? Find out how organizations within Nebraska's tourism industry have taken advantage of environmentally friendly practices during our free webinar, "Green Matters: How going green can benefit your business."  Listen as representatives from Ponca State Park and the Arbor Day Foundation discuss why they chose to go green and how it has affected their bottom lines. You'll also get a chance to ask questions and get firsthand advice from these industry experts
Wednesday, March 31 | 2 p.m. CST."

The GOC’s Green Business Council (GBC) has developed the Green Business Certification program for local businesses and nonprofit organizations. Following current beta testing, the program should be complete and ready for any business this spring.

To become green certified by the GBC, businesses must self-certify that the company is conducting certain basic environmental practices that help reduce their environmental impacts. Participants must report progress annually and strive to improve their environmental performances over time. Businesses are encouraged to develop environmental programs and goals that create accountability for progress and achievement.

There is no fee for the program, but the organization should be a GOC member.

Rick Yoder, co-chair of the GBC and director of P2RIC, the Pollution Prevention Regional Information Center, explained the reasons a business should consider certifying.


“They would want to certify to find that market niche that’s green and then serve that market,” he said. “The program allows a business to show that it’s not just stating that it’s green, but that there is a group of people locally that can say it is green and why. It’s not saying it’s the greenest business in the world, but that the business has taken steps, is showing transparency and is following steps to address environmental concerns.”


Yoder said the program provides a self-certifying function, but another party, such as WasteCap Nebraska or P2RIC, eventually may be able to analyze organizations and verify higher degrees of certification.

To view the beta version of the Green Business Certification application, visit http://bit.ly/GBCApp.

For more information, contact Yoder at ryoder@mail.unomaha.edu or 402.554.6251.

-Wendy Harrison

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Visit Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) for Energy Efficiency Incentive Database

Did you know that small businesses pay more than the sector average for energy? Small manufacturing firms pay 35 percent more while small commercial businesses pay 30 percent more. Businesses are interested in saving energy for several reasons, including:

• Improving efficiency and productivity
• Reducing operating costs
• Reducing U.S. dependency on foreign oil
• Responding to current consumer green trends

Many times, there are low- or no-cost options for businesses to reduce energy consumption. These include turning off equipment at night or when it’s not being used, reducing leakage of the building by weather-stripping, caulking and sealing leaks and setting back the thermostat when the building is unoccupied.

There are also many energy efficiency incentives currently available from local utilities, the state and federal government. Incentives range from replacing existing T-12 fluorescent lamps with T-8 fluorescent lamps and electronic ballasts, to installing programmable thermostats, new heat-pumps, more efficient motors or using renewable energy. Lighting is typically about 30 percent of building energy costs, so reductions in this area can be significant.

The Nebraska Business Development Center (NBDC) developed and maintains an extensive database of energy efficiency incentives at http://www.nbdc.unomaha.edu/energy/index2.cfm. From this site, you simply click on the graphic of Nebraska, then choose your utility company. You will see all the energy efficiency incentives offered from that utility company, the state of Nebraska and the federal government, with links to the location on their Web sites so you can get more information and application forms.

The NBDC energy site also has some basic energy saving information (Bank Your Power) plus links to two excellent tools from Energy Star. Energy Star Portfolio Manager allows you to benchmark your building’s energy usage and track your improvements. It automatically accounts for the weather, so you can see real changes in energy use. A score of 75 or greater means you are in the top 25 percent of efficiency for your classification of business. If you receive that score, you qualify for Energy Star recognition. You may use Portfolio Manager to easily track improvements as you become more efficient.

Another tool is Energy Star Cash Flow Opportunity Calculator. Use this tool to determine whether it’s better to invest in new technology now or to wait.

For more information, contact Jean Waters, jwaters@unomaha.edu; 402-554-6259.

- Jean Waters

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