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CGCC grows green business in Chicagoland

Chicagoland
GREEN
Chamber of Commerce

The Chicagoland Green Chamber of Commerce supports growing green business by connecting sustainable business leaders with organizations and public agencies seeking to reduce their environmental impacts. Achieve your sustainability targets in energy, waste, reuse, and low carbon products with our technical services providers and product vendors. 

About Us and Our Members

Business plays an integral role in our collective journey to community net zero energy and waste goals. Businesses’ products and services offer customers the opportunity to change their behaviors and reduce emissions and waste. Every day, customers replace equipment or purchase supplies – will their choices reduce energy or water usage, or be used once before going to the landfill? Contractors can inform customers of better products to reduce their energy and water consumption, resulting in long-term cost savings.

 

The Chicagoland Green Chamber of Commerce (CGCC) connects existing green business leaders with businesses, public agencies, and chambers of commerce seeking to make their operations more sustainable. Only a couple of chambers in the region have sustainability committees – CGCC will collaborate with them and also provide guidance to chambers without a green committee.

 

CGCC provides a list of vendors utilizing certified products and knowledgeable contractors to install products correctly.  CGCC is unique in providing specialized sustainable purchasing and practices support to public agencies - local governments, schools, parks, and library districts.

 

The Chicagoland Green Chamber is a chapter of the U.S. Green Chamber of Commerce. https://usgreenchamber.com/

 

SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTS

  • BPI Compostable

  • Cool Seal asphalt sealer

  • Electric equipment

  • Energy Star

  • Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)

  • EPEAT

  • Fair Trade Certified

  • Forest Stewardship Council (FSC)

  • GreenCircle Certified

  • Green Seal

  • Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs)

  • Low carbon concrete

  • PFAS-free food ware

  • Safer Choice

  • Sustainable Forestry Initiative

  • Water Sense

 

SUSTAINABLE SERVICES

  • Planning / Implementation Assistance

    • Adaptation and resilience

    • Building and transportation decarbonization

    • Building energy assessments / audits

    • Education and training

    • ESG Reporting

    • ISO 14001 accreditation and compliance

    • Sustainable purchasing

    • Sustainable water infrastructure and/or nature based solutions

    • Waste reduction

  • Waste and Emission Reduction Services

    • Collection and redistribution of materials (construction debris, school supplies)

    • Composting pick-up

    • Electric construction and power equipment rental

    • Refill products

    • Repair and refurbishing services

    • Reusable food ware and sanitizing

  • Building Related Services

    • Certified electric vehicle (EV) charger installers

    • Electricians for electrical upgrades

    • Energy auditors or assessors

    • Energy, water, and waste benchmarking assistance

    • Green realtors

    • Heat pump installers

    • Insulation and air sealing installers

    • LEED and other third-party building certifications

    • Solar and energy storage installers​

  • Certified and Accredited Designers / Advisors

    • American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE)

      • Building Commissioning Professional (BCxP)

      • Building Energy Assessment Professional (BEAP)

      • Building Energy Modeling Professional (BEMP)

      • Certified Decarbonization Professional (CDP)

      • Certified HVAC Designer (CHD)

      • Healthcare Facility Design Professional (HFDP)

      • High-Performance Building Design Professional (HBDP)

      • Operations & Performance Management Professional (OPMP)

    • Association of Energy Engineers: Certified Energy Manager (CEM)

    • Building Performance Institute Inc. (BPI)

    • Certified Climate Change Professional (CC-P)

    • Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP)

    • Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED)

      • Accredited Professional (AP)

      • Building, Construction, and Design (BD+C)

      • Interior Design and Construction (ID+C)

      • Operations and Maintenance (O+M)

      • Neighborhood Development (ND)

      • Homes for Residential Design and Construction (Homes)

      • Green Associate

    • Living Future Accreditation (LFA)

    • NABCEP (Solar):

      • Energy Storage Installation Professional (ESIP)

      • PV Installation Professional (PVIP)

      • PV Design Specialist (PVDS)

      • PV Installer Specialist (PVIS)

      • PV Commissioning & Maintenance (PVCMS)

      • PV Technical Sales (PVTS)

      • PV System Inspector (PVSI)

      • Solar Heating System Inspector (SHSI)

      • Solar Heating Installer (SHI)

    • Passive House Institute – US (PHIUS) Certified Builder (CPHB)

    • Passive House Institute – US (PHIUS) Certified Consultant (CPHC)

    • Sustainability Excellence Associate (SEA)

    • Sustainability Excellence Professional (SEP)

    • TRUE zero waste

    • WELL

 

SUSTAINABLE FUNDING

  • Clean energy project loans

  • Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE)

  • Energy Efficient Mortgages

  • Grants and rebates for sustainable and efficient equipment

 

GREEN BUSINESS RECOGNITION PROGRAM​

  • Green Dining Hub

  • Green Restaurant Association

  • Illinois Green Business Association badges

 

INDUSTRY SPECIFIC RESOURCES

  • Green Schools Program

  • Sustainable products guides

  • Zero Waste Schools

 

SUSTAINABLE WORKFORCE

  • Certification Training Opportunities

    • Building Operator Certification (BOC)

    • Building Performance Institute Inc. (BPI)

    • LEED Accreditations

    • RESNET HERS Rater

    • Solar panels installation

    • Sustainable Business Associate (SBA)

 

EVERY business can be a GREEN business – CGCC is here to support!

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