You know we love the Lower East Side Ecology Center for their composting program and their e-waste recycling events held throughout the year (calendar of upcoming 2009 events here).  Now they’re presenting a new program called EcoBizNYC the mission of which is to help small businesses, students, and the general public to actively reduce air pollution, carbon emissions, and airborne environmental health hazards in NYC through environmental auditing, education, and action. The first workshop happens this coming Tuesday, April 7.

EcoBizNYC’s initiatives aim to provide small businesses with resources on how to reduce their overall emissions, negative impacts on community health, and to increase their community support while saving money and increasing their community involvement. The initiatives include:

Free workshops on “greening your business”, including tips on energy efficiency, greenspace creation, and more
Free sustainability audit by our EcoBizNYC team evaluating your businesses water, waste, procurement, greenspace, and more!

A free energy NYSERDA energy audit ($100 – $400 value)

A one-stop-guide to thousands of dollars saved, tax rebates, and discounts in incentives available to small businesses in NYC for environmental sustainability.

A rating and certification system that gives an in-depth analysis of the emissions impact of participating businesses
Thorough step-by-step recommendation guides for bringing environmental sustainability into small businesses
Resource and vendor guides to assist with achieving recommendations
A diversity of free advertising and community outreach

EcoBizNYC participants include small, storefront businesses throughout NYC. For businesses located between 6th street and 14th street, East of First Avenue, EcoBizNYC — with generous funding from Con Edison and Community Board 3 — will provide lifetime participation in our sustainability program! For businesses outside of this area, the Lower East Side Ecology Center and our EcoBizNYC team encourage small businesses to work with local Business Improvement Districts (BIDs), community groups and organizations to find sponsorship for program participation.

2008-2009 Program Goals

Upon completion of the first year of the EcoBizNYC Program, businesses who have reduced their emissions according to our rating system will be included in an East Village Green Business Map, will receive Community Sustainability Stickers for their storefront, and will have access to online and print advertising.

The overall goals for the 2008-2009 program

Have outreach and free sustainable business practice education available to all small businesses in the community
Enroll 20% of the East Village local businesses in the program during the 2008-2009 period
Establish baseline “environmental scorecards” for all participating businesses
Train 30 youth in air pollution, carbon emissions, advocacy, environmental assessment, and business marketing
Have a significant reduction in emissions from participating businesses (requirement for certification) as a result of recommendations and internal competition/marketing scheme for the program
Provide 14 businesses with “sustainability kits” and grants for retrofitting their establishments
Provide up to 40 participating businesses with NYSERDA-certified energy audits (provided by EME) and promote incentive programs for $100-$400 audits for remaining businesses
Create a pilot environmental sustainability certification and marketing program for small businesses that can be brought to other NYC communities in future years

EcoBizNYC

MORE Lower East Side Ecology Center &  Green NYC

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NYC Electronic Waste Recycling -- Win a MacBook Air!