Rochester Green Business Network
The Rochester Green Business Network, a program of the Center for Environmental Information, is a network of businesses, institutions and organizations that share a mutual concern for the state of our environment. Our aim is to demonstrate that by integrating environmental criteria into decision making, businesses can become more competitive -- at the same time as doing what is right for the environment.
How to JOIN the RGBN!
What is RGBN?
The RGBN is a network of like-minded businesses, institutions and environmental professionals, who share a mutual concern for the state of our environment. Our goal is to promote good environmental management in businesses throughout the Rochester region. RGBN provides a forum for members and affiliates to share their ideas and practical experiences to improve environmental performance.
The network has a membership of over fifty locally based organizations ranging from large manufacturers and institutions to small service oriented businesses. Since RGBN was launched in March 2003, the events have attracted over 150 people from over one hundred different businesses and organizations.
See Sustainable Businesses Practices in Action!
The RGBN member program includes free field trips to businesses and organizations in the Rochester area, to showcase and provide information on the practicalities of implementation of sustainable business practices. Past and future fields trips include:
- Renewable and Alternative Energy at Harbec Plastics
- Brownfield redevelopment in the City of Rochester
- Energy Savings Project at the Greater Rochester International Airport
- Energy and Water Efficiency at the Kodak Paper Making Plant
- Hazardous Waste Disposal for Small Businesses at MCHHW Facility
Learn More About Hot Environmental Topics!
The RGBN program includes meetings and seminars on a range of environmental topics. Speakers are mainly locally based experts, and are taken from a broad background including industry, funding bodies, academia. The meetings and seminars are designed to provide practical insight into policies, funding opportunities and pollution prevention methods and techniques.
Past and future topics include:
- Six Sigma, Lean Manufacturing and Environmental Management
- The Environmental Implications of the Hydrogen Economy
- Climate Change – Policy and Practice
- Pollution Prevention and National Environmental Performance Track
- Sustainable Business in Practice
- Environmental Management Systems
- Alternative Energy – Policy and Practice
Presentations and contact details for the hosts and speakers from the events are available on our website.
Networking between Organizations
We have many networking links with other local and regional environmental, governmental and business organizations – to date these include: Environmental Business Association of NYS Inc. (EBA) ; Rochester Business Alliance (RBA); U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA); Empire State Development (ESD); Air and Waste Management Association (AWMA); and Rochester Industrial M. When the opportunity arises, we provide joint meetings to reach the widest audience possible.
Special Projects
In parallel to these educational and networking events we endeavor to attract funding for undertaking “special projects” to engage the Rochester business community in environmental improvement opportunities. To this end, ideas that we are currently working on include:
- providing an interactive web-based resource of local case studies on sustainable business practices linked to directories of service providers.
- reaching out to particular sectors of small and medium sized businesses on energy efficiency and/or environmental management system projects;
- providing a forum for companies interested in waste minimization and recycling to share ideas and outlets;
- bringing together environmental representatives of institutional organizations such as hospitals, universities, schools, hotels, etc. to share problems and solutions to environmental compliance and issues management; and
- providing regular meetings in Rochester for those interested in green building design.
In order to do some or all of these things, we need your support through membership and other contributions.
How to JOIN the RGBN!
Sample case study
Sentry: Replacing solvent-based with water-based touch up paints
"Sentry Group set out to eliminate the use of materials or processes that could adversely affect the health of our employees and the surrounding community as well as the environment…the costs savings we realized were a nice bonus, but were only seen as a bonus, not the driving force behind the project.”
Read full case study