Educational Opportunities
Educational Opportunities and Webinars by GBNN
The Green Business National Network (GBNN) offers a robust series of educational webinars and resources designed to empower businesses on their sustainability journey. These webinars cover essential topics such as B Corp Certification, the B Impact Assessment and Analytics tools, and specialized programs like ‘Best For’ initiatives. Each session provides practical insights from industry experts and case studies from leading green business programs, helping participants understand certification processes, leverage powerful assessment tools, and engage with community-driven sustainability efforts. Recorded webinars and downloadable presentations ensure that businesses can access critical information anytime, fostering continuous learning and promoting green business advancement nationwide.
Educational Opportunities and Webinars by GBNN
The Green Business National Network (GBNN) offers a robust series of educational webinars and resources designed to empower businesses on their sustainability journey. These webinars cover essential topics such as B Corp Certification, the B Impact Assessment and Analytics tools, and specialized programs like ‘Best For’ initiatives. Each session provides practical insights from industry experts and case studies from leading green business programs, helping participants understand certification processes, leverage powerful assessment tools, and engage with community-driven sustainability efforts. Recorded webinars and downloadable presentations ensure that businesses can access critical information anytime, fostering continuous learning and promoting green business advancement nationwide.
State of Green Business - 2025 GBENN Virtual Summit Keynote
Uncover the opportunities to shape and support green business. This session, led by the American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN), offers a look at the current landscape of sustainability in business in the United States. ASBN will provide a review of current and key policy priorities, as well as legislative trends, that impact business sustainability today. Learn how ASBN is mobilizing businesses to advocate for a just and regenerative economy and discover actionable opportunities for your organization to engage with national efforts to drive policy change and ensure sustainable business is here to stay.
Speaker: Camilla Taylor, Executive Director, American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN)
State of Green Business - 2025 GBENN Virtual Summit Keynote
Speaker: Camilla Taylor, Executive Director, American Sustainable Business Network (ASBN)
Building Bridges Session
Highlighting three green business programs, this session will showcase best practices on how to jumpstart and maintain business engagement over time through successful recruitment strategies and communications that build relationships and leverage partnerships. Green America will start this session by sharing how they have leveraged the longstanding credibility of their organization to launch a new era of business engagement and recruitment through authentic interactions. Then, the Cook County IL Businesses Reducing Impact on the Environment (BRITE) program will share their strategies for successful engagement and how they adapted their program over time to meet business’ needs. Finally, the Hawaii Green Business Program will share how their launch of a new program expansion was built with key partnerships and internships, while recognizing businesses in new ways. Speakers include:
Moderator: Max Ciarlone, Community Outreach Coordinator, Cook County Illinois Businesses Reducing Impact on the Environment (BRITE) Program
Speakers: Steve Fletcher, Director, Green Business Network (GBN) at Green America
Andrew Nowak, Senior Environmental Specialist, Cook County Illinois Businesses Reducing Impact on the Environment (BRITE) Program
Gail Suzuki-Jones, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Manager, Hawaii Green Business Program, Hawaii State Energy Office
Maddi Murphy, Intern, Hawaii Green Business Program, Hawaii State Energy Office
Building Bridges Session
Highlighting three green business programs, this session will showcase best practices on how to jumpstart and maintain business engagement over time through successful recruitment strategies and communications that build relationships and leverage partnerships. Green America will start this session by sharing how they have leveraged the longstanding credibility of their organization to launch a new era of business engagement and recruitment through authentic interactions. Then, the Cook County IL Businesses Reducing Impact on the Environment (BRITE) program will share their strategies for successful engagement and how they adapted their program over time to meet business’ needs. Finally, the Hawaii Green Business Program will share how their launch of a new program expansion was built with key partnerships and internships, while recognizing businesses in new ways. Speakers include:
Moderator: Max Ciarlone, Community Outreach Coordinator, Cook County Illinois Businesses Reducing Impact on the Environment (BRITE) Program
Speakers: Steve Fletcher, Director, Green Business Network (GBN) at Green America
Andrew Nowak, Senior Environmental Specialist, Cook County Illinois Businesses Reducing Impact on the Environment (BRITE) Program
Gail Suzuki-Jones, Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Manager, Hawaii Green Business Program, Hawaii State Energy Office
Maddi Murphy, Intern, Hawaii Green Business Program, Hawaii State Energy Office
Cleaner Communities, Brighter Futures
This session will highlight two initiatives that engage communities and community-based organizations in efforts to reduce business pollution and create cleaner, healthier communities. First, Dayton Regional Green will share how regional competitions can help both businesses and residents create measurable impacts to energy and emissions reduction. They will highlight the value of tracking and setting goals to limit energy and resource use, while showcasing their web-based platform that helps to increase sustainability actions. Then, Cascadia Consulting will share how they partnered with Seattle Public Utilities’ Grease Interceptor Program to recruit participants interested in starting businesses to clean grease traps in the region, creating more sustainable jobs and serving non-compliant businesses in underserved neighborhoods. Both programs both drive community environmental impact reductions, while creating opportunities for local economic development and growth of sustainability initiatives.
Speakers: Lamees Mubaslat, Director, Dayton Regional Green
Mary Xie, Cascadia Consulting
Cleaner Communities, Brighter Futures
This session will highlight two initiatives that engage communities and community-based organizations in efforts to reduce business pollution and create cleaner, healthier communities. First, Dayton Regional Green will share how regional competitions can help both businesses and residents create measurable impacts to energy and emissions reduction. They will highlight the value of tracking and setting goals to limit energy and resource use, while showcasing their web-based platform that helps to increase sustainability actions. Then, Cascadia Consulting will share how they partnered with Seattle Public Utilities’ Grease Interceptor Program to recruit participants interested in starting businesses to clean grease traps in the region, creating more sustainable jobs and serving non-compliant businesses in underserved neighborhoods. Both programs both drive community environmental impact reductions, while creating opportunities for local economic development and growth of sustainability initiatives.
Speakers: Lamees Mubaslat, Director, Dayton Regional Green
Mary Xie, Cascadia Consulting
Understanding B Corp Certification
The first webinar in the series answers the basic questions about becoming a B Corp: What does it take? How does it fit in with the legal ‘benefit corporation’ form? How does it overlap or differ from green business certification? How do B Corps interact with one another? Uncover the basics of B Corp Certification and learn about how your businesses can take advantage of this business designation.
Understanding B Corp Certification
The first webinar in the series answers the basic questions about becoming a B Corp: What does it take? How does it fit in with the legal ‘benefit corporation’ form? How does it overlap or differ from green business certification? How do B Corps interact with one another? Uncover the basics of B Corp Certification and learn about how your businesses can take advantage of this business designation.
Understanding the B Impact Assessment and B Analytics
The second webinar explains how to use the B Lab tools and standards behind B Corp for other purposes. Certifiably Green Denver will explain how they incorporate B Corp into their green business certification program and how other green business networks might also broaden their program offerings. The webinar will explain how the various platforms and analytics work and how green business programs might use the B Impact Assessment in parallel to go beyond sustainability.
Presentation by Hardik Savalia, B Lab and Emily Backus, Certifiably Green Denver:
Understanding the B Impact Assessment and B Analytics
The second webinar explains how to use the B Lab tools and standards behind B Corp for other purposes. Certifiably Green Denver will explain how they incorporate B Corp into their green business certification program and how other green business networks might also broaden their program offerings. The webinar will explain how the various platforms and analytics work and how green business programs might use the B Impact Assessment in parallel to go beyond sustainability.
Presentation by Hardik Savalia, B Lab and Emily Backus, Certifiably Green Denver:
Understanding ‘Best for’ Programs
How are these programs structured? What is their intended outcome? How do GBENN members get involved with these efforts locally? What are lessons learned from New York, Philadelphia and Colorado?
Presentation by Hardik Savalia, B Lab; Jeremy Lauffenburger, Certifiably Green Denver; Rose DeStefano, City of New York, and Cassie Carroll, GBENN.
Understanding ‘Best for’ Programs
How are these programs structured? What is their intended outcome? How do GBENN members get involved with these efforts locally? What are lessons learned from New York, Philadelphia and Colorado?
Presentation by Hardik Savalia, B Lab; Jeremy Lauffenburger, Certifiably Green Denver; Rose DeStefano, City of New York, and Cassie Carroll, GBENN.
