300_edited.png)
THE DIRECTORY
The Green Business Directory (www.greenstillwater.org), a project of Sustainable Stillwater MN, lets shoppers align their personal values with the power of the purse by choosing businesses with green, sustainable, and resilient products and practices.
The Green Business Directory is an online public resource listing environmentally and socially conscious businesses in Washington County or that serve Washington County. Businesses must apply to be in the Directory by filling out an application that has strict criteria about their products and practices from GreenAmerica.org.
If qualified, businesses receive certification, a listing in the Directory, and social media promotion. Their scorecards display their qualifications publicly, so consumers can learn all about them. If applicants do not qualify, their info is kept private and we work with them to help them improve.
GOALS OF AWARDS:
REWARD AND ENCOURAGE
To reward and encourage businesses in the Valley to implement strategies to reduce carbon-based energy consumption and reduce waste, to convert to clean energy, to use sustainable materials, to offer fair trade and organic products and food with a low environmental impact, and to employ sustainable hiring practices.
PROVIDE CONSUMERS OPTIONS
To provide residents and visitors with sustainable products and practices for which the public is often willing to pay a premium.
SUSTAINABLE MARKETING ADVANTAGE
To give businesses that are identified as sustainable a marketing advantage. They will be featured in GreenStillwater.org, publicized with feature stories on social media, eligible for awards, and will receive sustainability seals and logos for promotional and advertising purposes.
ATTRACT NEW GENERATION
To create a campaign to make the Greater Stillwater Area attractive to a new generation of socially and environmentally conscious consumers.
ACHIEVE GREENSTEP CITIES STEP 25
To create the conditions to qualify the City of Stillwater for GreenStep Cities Step 25 under “Resilient Economic and Community Development” and “Green Business Development.”
INFLUENCE PUBLIC POLICY
To influence public policy because businesses are the change agents for healthy growth and revitalization.
OPPORTUNITY TO ENGAGE BUSINESSES
To provide our young people with an opportunity to engage with businesses to help in the fight against climate change.
GREEN BUSINESS DIRECTORY VOLUNTEER OPTIONS
These are open positions for the Green Business Directory & Awards Workgroup.
STUDENT AMBASSADOR
Ambassador (represent SSMN in the community)
Description: Seeking high school students to visit businesses that have been certified as green, sustainable, and resilient for educational purposes and community goodwill. Students interested in careers in green business, clean energy, environmental science, sustainable agriculture, water resource protection, health and safety, urban planning, forestry, and food science.
Duties: Visit businesses and see what they are doing to be good stewards of our planet, report back to us on your experience, and share with others on our social media.