The City of Dayton | 13 ey in the process. Certification is awarded after reviews of operations involving solid waste reduction & recycling, environmentally preferable purchasing practices, energy conservation, water conservation and pollution prevention protocols. While certain checklist actions are required for each category, 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 actions 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 solutions and implement practices which help them demonstrate that they’re green, and they gain savings in the process.” Small businesses 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 Business, 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 environmentally-friendly practices such as bee harvesting or the creation of community River Clean Up
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