 Thank you for coming today. My name is Kirstie. I'm the small business center librarian The small business centers on the fourth floor of the main library We have a lot of resources for people starting their businesses and also for people who are currently running their businesses And I welcome you to to come up to the fourth floor and look at all the resources that we have I'm very excited to Welcome Alejandra From the department of the environment who's going to speak to us about how to become a green business in San Francisco Please help me. Welcome Alejandra. Hello everyone. Thank you so much for being here today. Thank you, Kristie My name is Alejandra and I am from the Department of the environment And I work on the San Francisco green business program So I'm here today to show you a little bit more about the program how it works the resources We have available for you all and some of the benefits of becoming a green business So thank you again for being here and I welcome your questions any comments that you have at the end of the presentation Yeah, so the green business program is a free program And we work with small and medium-sized businesses to achieve a wide range of environmental best practices And so through this these practices we help the business save money and resources And so there are over 350 green businesses in San Francisco right now and over 4,000 throughout the state of California within the green business network and So the way that the program works is that we look at a checklist with different sections of sustainability And so one of the sections that we look at is energy And so one of the measures on the checklist is switching to LED lights because it's a great energy saving Source and a lot of money saving potential And so and additionally the LEDs don't have those harmful chemicals that fluorescent bulbs do And so we also like to recognize that not every business is the same So for example for one business switching lights would be huge cost-saving potential But for another business say if you have a grocery store, then maybe refrigeration might be that great energy saving potential So we really like to look at each individual business for their needs and work with them accordingly We also have energy contractors that we work with and so we can set you up with the Consultation for a lighting retrofit or anything else that is needed with no upfront costs So we also look at pollution prevention and we help businesses switch to less toxic cleaning products We recommend products that are certified as safer alternatives than those that carry harmful ingredients and those harmful ingredients You know affect us our bodies as well as ecosystems and a lot of these pollution these pollutants often end up In the ecosystem, so we like to look at products that are like safer choice EPA certified that are all around just have better safer ingredients We also look at solid waste and so we help businesses maximize their composting and recycling abilities We also offer the businesses Opportunities to train their staff and so we can visit your business and talk to your staff about ways to maximize Recycling and composting which in turn also saves the business quite a lot of money We also look at transportation So we help businesses offer commuter benefits for their employees We also help incentivize sustainable modes of transportation like walking biking taking public transit as well And water conservation is also a big one So we'll go to the business and we'll look at your water fixtures to see whether they're saving their water efficient So we'll carry aerators with us and on the spot We can look at your at your faucets to determine whether they're letting a lot of water out of the air out of the faucet and if so on the spot we can just switch it out So that you're not wasting as much Water and if we determine that we can't make those changes on the spot, then we can hook you up with the SFPUC For a free consultation and they are also able to make those changes to your fixtures for free And the last section that we look at is about community and this section is really about engaging your customers the community your clients And letting them know that you hold sustainability as a core value And so we have up to $1,500 for businesses to spend on green purchases or lighting retrofits It is on a first come first serve basis But this money is used for essentially any of any of the items on the checklist It is important to note however that in order to receive these funds You should complete all of the measures that are not associated with any costs first Another important aspect to note is that the program has three levels of recognition The first is the efficiency level and this is the entry level On at this level we really focused on cost savings and resource savings for the business Ways to you to minimize your utility bills Next at the certified level this one takes a little bit of a deeper dive at the business's operations So we look at how you your operation can work more sustainably as well as using like more environmentally friendly products And then at the innovator level that's the highest tier and this one really goes above and beyond for businesses that really want to do Take the extra step in their sustainability journey And so an example of something that we would do at this innovator level would be helping a business switch to 100% renewable energy for example But really all of these levels can be journey a lot of times our businesses will start at the efficiency level and then they'll move up to the certified or the innovator level As they realize that the changes can be made easily. We have plenty of sources to offer everyone and it can be done So the African American art and culture complex is a great example of this. They began at the efficiency level and they moved up to certified and innovator It took them two months to complete the efficiency level four months to complete the certified level and then within an additional two months they were at the innovator level And so here we can talk a bit more about the steps to becoming certified So first you would register your business on the greenbusinessca.org and I'm happy to stick around and help you all do that After registering your business you would schedule a site visit with the green business coordinator So that would be either myself or one of my colleagues and During the site visit we would just visit your business We would do a walkthrough with you of the physical space of your business We would kind of look at all the physical aspects like the light as we mentioned your water fixtures And then we would sit down and discuss the rest of the measures on the checklist After that site visit you would work with your coordinator and you would send any documentation associated with the measures So this can be you know, you can meet we can meet a few weeks after this site visit We don't have to meet in person. We can meet over zoom a phone call Whatever it be and this is really an opportunity for any updates for me to let me know how you're doing on those measures If you have any questions if you need any assistance Anything like that and so we would meet periodically until all of them all of the measures on the checklist have been completed And then finally you would submit any any forms for reimbursement or anything like that Associated with costs you would get your money back And you'd be certified as green business. So here we have some of the benefits of being a green business So at the efficiency level, you know, you get of course cost savings and reimbursements There is a reduction to your environmental impact and your exposure to toxics We have a green business Facebook page that we update regularly. We highlight the green businesses that we work with And we also include you on the green business directory in a map So we have a map of San Francisco green businesses where anyone can see and locate all the business that they're looking for in San Francisco But the green business network also has a directory on their website So anyone in California can search if they're looking for a restaurant if they're looking for a plumber of any type of services They can look and they'll find your information on there They can also just search by zip code and any of the any green business that is near them will be also shown on there So at the certified level, which is a step up You would also receive a certificate signed by the mayor of San Francisco Maryland and breed You'd also receive a green business window sticker that you can put at the front of your business to kind of let your customers know That you're a green business and advertise that you'd also receive a green business award plaque with the name of your business on it and Lots of other logos that you can use to put anywhere front-facing on your business to let everyone know that you're a green business We have a marketing toolkit that we give out to businesses that get certified that they can use So here we have a list of eligible expenses that you can use those $1,500 for so you could use it for an LED lighting retrofit to buy less Let's talk to cleaning products energy efficient appliances if you need like a smart thermostat energy efficient computers Anything essentially that is on the checklist in order to get certified as green business is eligible to use the funds for and So now I just want to say, you know, we really appreciate your interest in becoming a green business and helping make your operations more sustainable We really hope that you joined the green business community You know, there are so many businesses in San Francisco so many across California So every small difference that we make it just has a huge impact So again, thank you all and if you're interested, I'm happy to help you register your business Schedule your certified your first site visit and kick off this process Thank you. I have here my Email as well as those of my colleagues. So if you have any questions, please email me give me a call And I'm happy to help if there's any questions. I'm happy to answer them now Thank you. Yeah