Cleaner and Greener

http://www.cleanerandgreener.org/certification

The Cleaner and Greener program promotes market-based approaches to reduce pollution, increase energy efficiency and renewable energy usage as well as provide information on certification levels and procedures.

The Cleaner and Greener® Program helps companies, organizations, families and individuals reduce air pollution that contributes to climate change and adversely affects both human and environmental health. They help quantify consumers emissions footprint, develop strategies for reducing their environmental impact through emissions reductions and offset purchases and provide Cleaner and Greener® certification for the level of emission reductions and offsets achieved.

Cleaner and Greener® certification communicates to the public that a company or organization, event, family or individual is taking action to reduce pollution that contributes to climate change, smog, and acid rain. The program recognizes certified entities for their environmental stewardship by rewarding the emission reduction benefits of energy efficiency and renewable energy.

The following steps are required for your building to participate in the Cleaner and Greener® Program at the Introductory Level:

1. Support the principle that organizations, building owners, and others should be recognized and rewarded for the emission reductions resulting from their energy efficiency, renewable energy, and other emission reduction actions.
   
2. Report the energy use, energy savings, renewable energy use, and emissions offsets for your buildings so we can calculate your resulting emission reductions.
   
3. Retire at least 10% of these resulting emission reductions.
   
4. Ask your suppliers to participate in the Cleaner and Greener® Program.
   
5. Submit completed application materials and the $300 program participation/certification fee to the Cleaner and Greener Program®.
   

Completion of these actions means:

• Your building will be recognized as participating in the Cleaner and Greener® Program.
  
• Your building meets the requirements of Energy and Atmosphere credit 5.4 of the U.S. Green Building Council’s LEED® for Existing Buildings Rating System.
  
• You can maintain your building’s Introductory Level participation by updating your filing annually.