CITGO Gas Station with a Green Attitude

How could the well-respected Green Business League certify a gas station of all things?  After all, gas stations deal in petroleum products, you know?  This is an honest question, so we should take a look as the ideology of Green Business League.   The GBL approach is summed up in this basic statement: "The environmental crisis is a universal problem that requires universal participation."  The concept sounds fair and balanced, but can it be that inclusive?

We should all appreciate that there is no 100% environmentally perfect company.  What we are really looking for is improved performance rather than total perfection.  This means that any businesses can improve its Green operation, even though it may seem an unlikely candidate.  The CITGO gas station in Deerfield, Illinois is a clear example of Green improvement by a business that should may have otherwise dismissed out of hand.  Owner, David Welch, worked with Izzy Kharasch, a Certified Green Consultant, to complete the necessary improvements qualify for certification.  He had actually been making improvements over the last year, but wanted to reach a true certification level for his company.

David proudly displays his Green Business League connection by placing the GBL logo on two rainbarrels that catch the rain water that he uses to irrigate the native plants on his property.   At night, timers turn off equipment, and he has installed numerous other energy savings ideas that saves his small company money month after month.  David has also installed a shelf area for Green products that his clients can use as well.  This is the kind of community leadership that is needed in every community.

David has announced a "Go Green, Get Green Scholarship" program to juniors and seniors in at the local Deerfield High School.  His store offers a combination of cash prizes and gas cards for Deerfield High School students  They need only obtain a card that is punched at each visit.  All completed cards are deposited for this scholarship drawing.  The positive message is that Going Green pays dividends.  Passing environmental values to the upcoming generation is a tremendous way to encourage Green awareness for years to come.

Gasoline is a product that can be used badly or in a smart manner.  David's example is all the more stiking as an operator of the Deerfield CITGO gas station.  If a gas station can Go Green, there seems to be no excuse for other business with less of an environmental challenge.

David happily reports increased traffic by motorists who will actually go out of their way to do business at his Green gas station.  This speaks to the value perceived by the community and the market the Green-aware public represents.  Environmental change is a serious issue, but if a small business like this gas station can save money, increase revenues, and encourage community change; what is the downside?

Sadly, there are businesses who do not make the same honest effort of David Welch.  Some businesses literally buy their certification off the Internet with the same easy as downloading an iTune.  Others, go to graphic software to create their own logos.  Of course, communities offer voluntary-assessment programs that have no national validity because the rules vary from city to city.  The difference is that an audited program can't be cheated and demands real effort rather than a simple purchase.

The Green Business League is the one company that requires a live audit for every business certification.  Greenwashing is virtually eliminated because the program is fair and comprehensive.  There are more than 300 Certified Green Consultants nationwide, and a national standard for compliance provides the kind of transparency and integrity to make the GBL Green business certification the one that all businesses should seek.

Unlike the LEED program that focuses primarily on Green building construction, the Green Business League program deals with "Green Practices."  Whether a company rents, leases, or owns the facility; there are hundreds of Green practices that carry a point value in the GBL system.  At 100 points the business can earn its GBL Green business certification.  Thereafter, companies are encourage to move from the silver level of 100 points, to the gold level at 200 points, the platinum level at 300, and even go for the titanium level at 500 points.

Green is not a static one time process.  Going Green is progressive program that requires businesses not only to start the Greening process, but to keep the process going for years into the future.  As many business discover, these improvements are more than world-saving efforts, but allow the company to be more profitable as well.  This is what experts call the Triple Bottom Line that considers these three important factors in the business model.  The three elements of the Triple Bottom Line are: Planet, People, and Profits. 

As David Welch illustrates in his modest gas station in Deerfield, Illinois; anybody can do this.  No one is inconsequential to the pressing environmental problem, and being a good community leader pays great dividends to everyone in his community and to the people of this world.