Shoreline Green Business Program

• Internal resources such as management and employee time are required
• Facility personnel may require additional training
• New technologies may be needed to implement changes
• Senior management must be committed and provide resources

Available Resource: EnviroStars was created in King County, Washington in 1995, as a service of the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program. Businesses are able to get free advice during a site visit from EnviroStars on reducing hazardous waste as part of their certification process. 

Eligibility:

• If your business is located in a participating county: Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Spokane, or Whatcom.
• Is a "Small Quantity Generator" (SQG)* of hazardous waste, or actively working towards that status and you intend to reduce waste, eliminate hazardous materials, and/or put in place other environmentally sustainable business improvements.
• Manage all hazardous wastes properly.

Go to the EnviroStars website to learn more and get started on your certification process.

The first step is to determine environmental issues facing the business, set goals and objectives,  identify management actions that are required to meet those goals and determine how to measure the results. We can help you with this process through a site visit.

We look at aspects of your business over which you have control. You may not be able to control how electricity is generated, or how raw materials are obtained, but you can control where you purchase from and how much electricity is used on site. For example, Cats Exclusive Veterinary Center in Shoreline can't control how paper is made, but made a choice to purchase 100% post-consumer recycled paper for use in the facility and reuse their paper when ever possible.

By doing a site visit, we are able to learn what aspects of your operation have the biggest costs to you and impacts on the environment. This is useful in setting priorities and creating a plan for reducing your costs.

Follow-up is important to implementing changes in how you conduct day to day business.  Listening to the concerns and suggestions of support staff and getting their endorsement will increase the rate of success.

Measuring results from small changes provides motivation to take on more substantial tasks. Implementing change that saves money and increases efficiency is a process that can help develop intangible benefits such as a collaborative environment, increased moral, a sense of ownership and improved employee performance.

• Actual or potential costs to you and costs to the environment
• Costs associated with improving efficiencies
• Potential savings for improving efficiencies
• Pollution prevention potential from improving efficiencies
• Risks of not making any changes
• Community concerns
• When applicable, an Emergency Preparedness Plan

(See the City of Shoreline website for information on developing an Emergency Preparedness Plan.

With our help, you can create an objective goal and a way to measure your progress.

It is also important to receive input from employees impacted by any change in operations. Staff members may be aware of inefficiencies or potential solutions that management is not aware of. Including employees in the process of developing an action plan and providing recognition to participants increases the chances of success in the long term.

A basic approach:

• Create a plan based on the specific needs of the business
• Implement the changes
• Review what was done and its affects
• Modify the plan according to what is working and what is not
• Implement the modified plan accordingly with regular reivews as needed

 

Many organizations, cities, counties, states, and the federal government are in the process of developing internal procedures to incorporate Environmental Purchasing Procedures (EPP) criteria into their purchasing decisions. This research takes staff time. Pollution Prevention Resource Center is pleased to be able to assist with the process by offering the "Environmental Purchasing Procedures" Rapid Research Service. EPP Rapid Research Service is provided by PPRC and is funded by an EPA grant. PPRC will provide up to 5 hours of research into the environmental aspects of a specific purchasing question. The PPRC web page includes a list of previous questions and responses, as well as instructions about how to ask your own environmental purchasing question.
Contact: Debra Taevs ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it )
PPRC.org

The Green Business Program refers small business to PPRC for help when appropriate.

For more information on PPRC go to: PPRC.org

As concerns grow about restoring Puget Sound to health, stormwater management will become a day-to-day issue for businesses. Native landscaping and reducing impervious surfaces are two approaches to addressing stormwater, which will create spin-off benefits for business as well as ensure the long-term community benefits of a healthy sound, including tourism and outdoor recreation industries.

Native Landscaping

Using drought-resistant native plantings and organic weed control can reduce the cost of landscape maintenance and water usage while eliminating polluted runoff.

If you wish to do your own research, the Washington Native Plant Society WNPS.org and Washington State University Master Gardener program Gardening.WSU.edu are good resources.

Green Roofs

Green roofs (roofs with a growing medium and plants) help reduce water run off, keep buildings cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter and provide habitat.

When designing a green roof for your business, several issues need to be addressed, including type, weight, maintenance, irrigation, plant choices and cost.

One of the major design considerations in a green roof system is its storm water retention capability to help mitigate flooding. To read more see Tips for Selecting the Right Green Roof Design in the August edition of "Environmental Leader".

Pervious Concrete for Parking Lots & Sidewalks

Pervious concrete pavement systems provide a valuable stormwater management tool that creates direct economic benefits, including reduced need for costly engineered treatment systems and recharge of groundwater aquifers that supply fresh water for domestic and industrial use.

According to National Ready Mix Concrete Association:

By capturing the first flush of rainfall and allowing it to percolate into the ground, soil chemistry and biology can then 'treat' the polluted water naturally. Thus, stormwater retention areas may be reduced or eliminated, allowing increased land use. Furthermore, by collecting rainfall and allowing it to infiltrate, groundwater and aquifer recharge is increased, peak water flow through drainage channels is reduced, and flooding is minimized. In fact, the EPA named pervious pavements as a Best Management Practices for stormwater pollution prevention because they allow fluids to percolate into the soil."

Using pervious pavement reduces the need for building retention ponds or increasing costly stormwater treatment capacity.

Concrete pavements have significantly lower life-cycle cost than alternatives such as asphalt. Although the initial cost of pervious installation may be slightly higher, concrete saves money in the long run due to its superior durability and strength. It requires fewer repairs than asphalt, and has a longer overall lifespan.

For more information Go to: PerviousPavement.org