Hamilton County’s free workplace sustainability certification program is expanding to include restaurants and retail establishments.
Hamilton County ReSource launched the 513 Green Certification in 2019 to promote organizations that are operating in environmentally responsible ways.
Assistant Solid Waste Manager Mary Cropenbaker says the initial certification criteria were tailored to companies operating in office environments.
“I wanted to have something that was focused on employee behavior and not building performance, because I wanted it to be a very accessible certification so tenants of office buildings can apply, which isn't always the case,” Cropenbaker said. “If you don't own your building, a lot of sustainability certifications that are out there aren't very accessible to you.”
Since then, the 513 Green Certification also created another certification checklist for schools.
Now, it is piloting applications with retail and restaurant-focused sustainability actions.
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“There are plenty of retail and restaurants that are certified through the office checklist, but it just felt like they needed their own metrics as well,” Cropenbaker said.
Some items on the checklists for restaurants and retail establishments include allowing customers to bring their own to-go containers and measuring how many plastic bags they use.
Organizations can become 513 Green Certified by filling out an application checklist of 115 metrics related to waste diversion, sustainable actions, transportation and air quality, and water and energy conservation. If the organization achieves at least 45, it is eligible to become certified.
Some of the metrics are:
- Have a compost program (schools)
- Have a policy to turn off lights after leaving a room or use occupancy sensors (business)
- Encourage / incentivize employees to carpool (business)
- Have a programmable or smart thermostat set to reduce HVAC usage after hours (schools)
Before certification, a 513 Green advisor also will do a walkthrough of the organization.
So far, 49 organizations are certified, including the Cincinnati Art Museum, Sweet Cheeks Diaper Bank and Mercy Montessori School.
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"Hopefully these organizations can create these long term programs where they're really engaging employees and behaviors that they can take across from home, also into work, so that we're really creating this holistic impact throughout the county," Cropenbaker said.
Cropenbaker adds the program is looking for restaurants and retail establishments to pilot the new checklists. Official applications will launch early next year.