FIND A GREEN BUSINESS apply to be a green business FAQs

EnviroStars Business FAQs

Benefits of Participating.

  • Why would I want to get recognized through the EnviroStars Green Business Program? For any business, it’s important to save money and resources while protecting the environment and public health. But it’s also great to be recognized for doing so. Businesses that engage with EnviroStars will be recognized and rewarded for their green achievements, allowing potential customers and clients to instantly know their priority to a healthier community.
  • What levels of EnviroStars recognition can my business achieve?Three tiers of recognition are available to businesses, with additional marketing benefits offered to businesses that complete more actions.
    • Tier 1: Partner.As a Partner Business, you will receive the following:
      • EnviroStars window cling
      • EnviroStars graphic file for use on your website
      • Callout for your business on EnviroStars social media channels
      • Digital-version of recognition certificate
      • EnviroStars green business directory listing
    • Tier 2: Leader. As a Leader Business, you will receive the following:
      • All Tier 1 Benefits
      • Sponsored Facebook post that includes your business name (not exclusive)
      • Select promotional materials
    • Tier 3: Champion. As a Champion Business, you will receive the following:
      • All Tier 1 and Tier 2 Benefits
      • Business featured in digital ads targeted to your target demographic area
      • Considered for awards
      • Featured in news media opportunities that arise
  • How can I promote my EnviroStars recognition? Get a jump start on promoting your business’ participation to your customers with the EnviroStars Toolkit—a window cling, recognition certificate, and sample content for social media posts and online profiles.

Program Overview

  • What does the EnviroStars program cover? Energy and water conservation, pollution prevention, safer products, transportation, solid waste and recycling, and wastewater.
    Preview EnviroStars Checklist
  • What geographic areas does the EnviroStars program cover? All businesses located in participating areas are eligible to join EnviroStars. Participating counties include Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Pierce, Skagit, Spokane, Whatcom, and Snohomish; participating cities include Seattle, Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond, and Edmonds. Businesses located in non-participating areas may complete the green action checklist and get recognized, but will not be able to receive all of the marketing and advertising benefits. If you would like your city or county to join EnviroStars, businesses are encouraged to contact their local government agencies, environmental and elected officials to inform them about the program.
  • What types of businesses are eligible for EnviroStars? All businesses are eligible! Upon registering, we ask you what type of business you are and have tailored applications to specific business sectors.
  • Are there any costs associated with the program? EnviroStars is a free program.
  • Haven’t I heard of EnviroStars before? The original EnviroStars program was created in King County, Washington, in 1995, as a service of the Local Hazardous Waste Management Program. Over the next twenty years, it was adopted in seven counties. The mission of EnviroStars at the time was to offer assistance and incentives for smaller businesses to reduce hazardous materials and waste. The new EnviroStars program is a comprehensive green business program with more topics and greater geographic coverage.

Getting Your Business Recognized

  • How do I get started? First, you’ll need to register your business and tell us a bit more information about what type of business you are (auto repair shops will have a different checklist and set of requirements than a coffee shop, for example), whether you rent or own your space and what kind of permits you have. Once you register, you’ll be taken to your green action checklist. The checklist covers energy conservation, pollution prevention, solid waste, wastewater and water conservation.
    • Once you complete your checklist, hit ‘submit,’ and our team will review. Upon submittal, we also send your application to the Department of Ecology for review. Depending on what city your business is in, a member agency representative may schedule an onsite visit (~1 hour) to confirm some of your green actions and identify additional resources.
  • How long will the process take? Depending on the type of business, it may take an hour or two to fill out the checklists. You can start and come back to the checklist to complete. Once completed, press “submit”. After submission, the application review process will take a few weeks. You will be contacted with any questions and to schedule an on-site review as needed.
  • How many actions do I have to complete for recognition? Businesses must complete all core actions and a certain number of points in elective actions for each tier.
  • How long is my EnviroStars recognition good for? EnviroStars recognition must be renewed every two years. EnviroStars encourages ongoing improvement and will encourage you to make goals to continue participation.

Completing the Application

  • It feels like many of these actions don’t apply to me. What should I do? It’s ok to mark N/A if you think something doesn’t apply to your business. (You won’t receive points for Core items marked NA, but there are lots of additional electives to make up these points). During the application review process, our program staff can work with you to make sure that you aren’t missing anything. The EnviroStars program is here to help you achieve recognition.
  • Our business rents our space, so there are lots of actions we don’t have control over. What should we do? Businesses that rent space can still take many green actions. Consider scheduling a meeting with your landlord to talk through some of the actions that they may control, and encourage the kinds of changes you might like to see. Mark N/A if the action does not apply to your business.
  • I don’t understand what one (or more) of the actions mean? If you have any questions about the checklist or if you’re not sure if some of the actions apply to you, feel free to email or call us at 1-877-220-7827 (STAR).
  • Can I get assistance with EnviroStars in other languages? You can complete an application in any language with support from the EnviroStars multilingual hotline. Contact us at 1-877-220-7827 (STAR).