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The City of Dayton | 13
ey in the process. Certification is awarded
after reviews of operations involving solid
waste reduction & recycling, environmen-
tally preferable purchasing practices, energy
conservation, water conservation and pol-
lution prevention protocols. While certain
checklist actions are required for each cat-
egory, the certification process is also very
flexible, allowing businesses to choose from
a broad range of actions. Businesses are also
allowed to develop their own innovative ac-
tions that are consistent with the program’s
principles. As Riordan says, “It is not enough
to simply say that you’re going to be green,
the program helps businesses identify solu-
tions and implement practices which help
them demonstrate that they’re green, and
they gain savings in the process.” Small busi-
nesses were provided free energy audits as
part of the process. Since adoption of the
program, more than 200 separate enterprises
have achieved certification as a Green Busi-
ness, and the number continues to grow.
Dayton has also changed zoning codes
which now allow for greater adoption of
alternative energy solutions as well as envi-
ronmentally-friendly practices such as bee
harvesting or the creation of community
River Clean Up