Colorado Green Business Network of the Yampa Valley

The Colorado Green Business Network of the Yampa Valley is a free, technical assistance and environmental recognition program that works with local businesses in the Yampa Valley area on improving their environmental performance and recognizing them for their efforts.

What is the Colorado Green Business Network of the Yampa Valley?

The Colorado Green Business Network of the Yampa Valley, a regional program under a state initiative created in partnership with Colorado Green Business Network and Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, is a voluntary and free program to encourage and reward local businesses for making sustainable changes. The program allows local businesses to grow sustainably and receive recognition for their achievements in environmental performance.

How it works

The Colorado Green Business Network of the Yampa Valley will allow local businesses to achieve environmental sustainability through two approaches:
1. Providing free consultations to businesses through both onsite and offsite assessments
2. Recognizing and rewarding local businesses for the changes they make

Why register for the Colorado Green Business Network of the Yampa Valley?

By registering for the Colorado Green Business Network of the Yampa Valley, local businesses can expect to reduce operational costs, input costs, dispersal costs, risk and liability. By participating local businesses can also expect an increase in performance, reputation, customer preference, and worker satisfaction.

You’ll receive:
• Online business assessments
• On and off site assessments
• Technical support, education, and training
• Connections locally and throughout the state
• Recognition on local and state levels

Learn More & Apply:

Apply through the GreenBiz Tracker!
Learn more about the state program

Contact Us:

Ashley Dean, Collaborative Initiatives Manager
Paul Bony, Energy and Transportation Director

The Colorado Green Business Network of the Yampa Valley makes your business stand out

Depending on the actions you take, your business can receive one of three different recognition levels: Bronze, Silver, or Gold. When awarded a recognition level, your business will receive a recognition sticker for your accomplishments. The sticker can be put on the front of your business for the public to see. At the local level, you will receive recognition from YVSC on our YVGBP page for your work towards environmental sustainability. Lastly, when your business registers for the Colorado Green Business Network of the Yampa Valley through the GreenBiz platform, your business will be recognized as a green business on the platform for anyone to see!

Your contribution makes a difference

Your contributions and actions matter to the sustainability of the Yampa Valley. By joining this program, not only will you be lessening your environmental impact on the valley that we all cherish, but you will also be advancing economic sustainability for your business. You will be setting an example for the Yampa Valley community to prioritize sustainability, while attracting customers who are looking for businesses contributing to the community and making a positive impact.

Learn more about our pilot business

To launch the Yampa Valley Green Business Program, we worked with Aspen Tree Service as our first business in the program. Aspen Tree Service expressed great interest in lessening their environmental impact and wanted to be part of the pilot program. As a pilot business, Aspen Tree Service allowed the YVGBP to learn what will work best by trialing the registration process to become more familiar with how it works. We were able to revise the program and find what works best and how to improve the process for future businesses. We are looking forward to our continued partnership with Aspen Tree Service as they move through the YVGBP.

FAQ

The Colorado Green Business Network of the Yampa Valley provides a support system, mentorship, technical assistance, and statewide and local recognition for businesses that are interested in improving their environmental and social performance.

At our Support Level a business receives;

• Ongoing technical assistance, on and off-site
• Access to our monthly opportunities and funding newsletter
• Access to all of our (free) workshops and events

This is available without any application, and only requires registration in GreenBizTracker

As a CGBN and YVSC Certified Business our recognized members gain additional benefits including:

• A public directory on GreenBizTracker
• Organization name and information on our website
• A press kit from the state including the logo, a window decal, and governor signed certificate
• Priority permitting within CDPHE
• Support with regulatory assistance
• Letters of recommendation when applying to grants and programs

The application for the Colorado Green Business Network of the Yampa Valley is points based, so you don’t need to be able to answer every question in order to receive recognition. Many questions will be related to policies and procedures that the owner or manager will already know about the business, and others may be relating to resource reduction projects that take a bit more time to organize and track. Our technical manual provides an overview of each question, to help you understand the criteria better.

Depending on the extent of your business’ environmental and social efforts so far, the application can take anywhere from 1 to 3 hours to complete. Over time, you’ll have more information that you can provide.

Examples of items that you may want to collect before completing the application are listed below:
• Utility Bills, including electricity and heating bills, water bills, and waste collection bills
• Records & Policies, like mileage records on vehicles, employment policies, and sourcing/purchasing policies.

If your business leases the space in which it operates, you may be able to get information related to utility bills from your landlord. If you are not able to obtain this information, it’s OK! We can help you brainstorm solutions, but you also may not need them for lower levels of recognition.

Our program is part of a statewide effort to reduce emissions across industry, and all of our services are totally free of charge. Our goal is to make it easy to connect with funding, resources, and skills that make sustainability attainable across business sectors and sizes.

In order to maintain good standing in the Colorado Green Business Network, organizations will need to:

1. Submit annual updates. As a big part of the program framework is tied to continual improvement and engagement in the community, annual updates have been a long standing part of the Colorado Green Business Network. These annual updates are also done through the GreenBizTracker software, and take the form of an update survey that will be sent out each year, and will need to be turned in by the application deadline. This should take no more than an hour or two annually.

2. Renew every 3 years, during which you will resubmit all information provided at time of application, and will undergo an additional compliance check, identical to the check a new member will experience.

Once a business receives recognition, they receive all of the benefits of our program.

Other than that, the program offers many resources for businesses, including workshops.

The Colorado Green Business Program’s official rating system is divided up into 3 levels and is a points based application that rewards efforts in energy, water, waste & purchasing, transportation, and policy.

• Bronze: 25 Points
• Silver: 50 Points
• Gold: 100 Points

Something important to keep in mind is that sustainability is a process. When you first fill out our application, you might have a lot of questions you can’t answer – and that’s OK! Bronze is really designed as an entry level for businesses who have just completed a few efficiency projects, and are wanting to do more.

Become their customer! Write a review of your experience. Buy gift cards. Like them on social media. Tip generously. Thank them for their sustainability efforts.