For three years, Sustainability at Work, originally known as the BEST Business Center, recognized businesses as Climate Champions for taking comprehensive, concrete actions to reduce their carbon emissions. Today, we offer three levels of certification for Portland-area businesses in appreciation of their efforts every step of the way with our certification program.
Sustainability at Work offers three levels of certification for Portland-area businesses in appreciation of their achievements. Each level is point-based. Points are earned by completing actions on our checklist. View our Resource Guide for a complete list of actions, their points, and helpful resources.
| Requirements | Bronze | Silver | Gold |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total points earned | 70 | 110 | 160 |
| Minimum points required per category | 2 | 6* | 10* |
| Measurement actions required | Social Impact only | Yes | Yes |
* The Social Impact category is an exception; two points are the maximum possible in that category.
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| Use of the award logo in your marketing materials |  |
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| A window decal | |
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| Media announcement by Sustainability at Work | |
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| Listing in our website directory | |
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| Profile in our website directory | |
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| Press kit | |
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| Award Plaque | |
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| Spotlight at the annual BEST Awards event | |
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| Press release issued by Sustainability at Work | |
What do organizations have to do to get certified?
Once you’ve done an initial assessment of your current sustainability practices, your Sustainability Advisor will help you determine how many points your business currently has and what you need to do to achieve the certification level to which you aspire. When you’ve reached your goal, your Advisor will verify your actions, and then provide you with your certification.How long is Certification valid?
Certification is valid for three years.What if my business leases its office space?
That’s OK. Our checklist was designed with tenants in mind, and we have factored in constraints your organization may encounter in a leased space (e.g., if you don’t pay your electricity bills directly). Nevertheless the goal of Sustainability at Work is to make every organization an advocate within their building, whether they own it or not. We hope you will start a dialogue with your building owner and/or property manager to identify opportunities to make the entire building more sustainable.What if a section of the checklist does not apply to my business?
We understand every business is different. Depending on your industry, size of business or workforce, some of the recommended actions may not be applicable. Your Sustainability Advisor will work with you to identify any other sustainability actions you have taken that may qualify for points in our certification. We will evaluate the merit of these alternative actions based on their ability to improve community health and well-being, reduce emissions, innovate and create market transformation.