A new nonprofit organization will help people in the community use sustainable practices in their businesses and their homes, and may offer opportunities for UI students to gain hands-on experience working on environmental issues.
The Champaign-Urbana Green Business Association, believed to be the first organization of its kind in the Midwest, will help businesses assess their environmental performance, reduce their carbon footprints and promote themselves to eco-conscious consumers.
“Our mission is to achieve a healthier and cleaner environment by helping businesses integrate environmental responsibility into daily operations in a manner that is sustainable as well as profitable,” said Cassie Carroll, who is CUGBA’s executive director and a 2008 Illinois graduate with a degree in natural resources and environmental sciences. “We want to be a hub and provide a business owner with the pertinent information and the resources – such as energy auditors, information about subsidies and incentive programs – that are available to them that they might not know about or not have the time to research.”
Among other services, staff members will act as liaisons between state and local agencies, provide contractor and green sector business referrals, and serve as resources on the latest green technologies. In conjunction with the UI, the CUGBA also plans to offer educational programs for the public and hands-on learning opportunities for UI students.
Green business programs will be started in multiple locations in Illinois under the umbrella of the Illinois Green Business Association, with each chapter tailored to the needs of the community.
Businesses also will be able to become certified as green businesses that use eco-friendly practices. Certification will be available in nine areas, including energy conservation, water conservation, waste reduction and recycling, and pollution prevention. The fee for certification will vary depending upon the type of industry – restaurant, cafe or retail/office – and the size of the facility.
The CUGBA will be conducting a pilot of its certification program, which is expected to last three to six months, with about 15 businesses in Champaign, Urbana and Savoy. Feedback from those participants will be used to refine the certification program before it officially gets under way.
The seed for a green business organization was planted in the spring of 2007 when a student commented to David Wilcoxen, associate director of environmental compliance in Facilities and Services, that Green Street wasn’t very green because businesses were still using Styrofoam cups and engaging in other non-sustainable practices. That fall, Wilcoxen issued a request for proposals to student groups for projects that would promote sustainable practices among local businesses.
Three environmentally conscious students – Carroll, Mara Eisenstein and Anthony Santarelli – submitted a proposal and received a grant to create a directory of local businesses that used sustainable practices.
Carroll, Eisenstein and Santarelli met through their participation in the Registered Student Organization Students for Environmental Concerns. The three also co-founded Community Organized Recycling Efforts, a group that organizes UI student volunteers to promote recycling and other environmentally friendly practices in the community.
Eisenstein, who has since graduated from the UI with a degree in natural resources and environmental sciences, is CUGBA’s director of public engagement and special programs. Santarelli, CUGBA’s director of program development, is a senior majoring in environmental economics and policy.
As they researched organizations that promoted green business practices, they discovered a program in the San Francisco area that had been in existence for a decade. Last June, Carroll and Eisenstein traveled there to meet with one of its leaders and learn about its operations. The idea of founding a similar organization blossomed from there, Eisenstein said.
“We thought, ‘Why can’t we bring this to the Midwest?’ ” Carroll said.
Mike Royse, of One Main Development, a Champaign real estate developer, was instrumental in helping them connect with the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce and explore the concept of a green business association with local business leaders, whose excitement indicated that the concept could extend well beyond campus or the local community.
“Interest grew, and it became quickly apparent that this was going to be a statewide organization and that we should move toward a 501-3C nonprofit status,” Wilcoxen said.
The UI and Busey Bank are partnering in the CUGBA under an agreement recently signed by Chancellor Richard Herman and Van Dukeman, president and chief executive officer of First Busey Corp. CUGBA is being coordinated through Dick Warner, director of the UI’s Office of Sustainability.
More information about the CUGBA and its programs is available online.
