New Jersey Businesses Get Pointers, and Grants, for Going Green

Through a federal grant, small to midsize New Jersey businesses looking to institute or expand environmentally friendly practices can now get pro bono advice and technical assistance from experts in the green arena.

The New Jersey Small Business Development Center's new initiative, supporting sustainability and pollution prevention with free counseling, is being funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The center's network is a non-profit, federal-state educational partnership based at the Rutgers University Business School in Newark.

In addition to the no-cost environmental counseling services, the business development center — in collaboration with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, other business and non-profit partners — also has developed a New Jersey Sustainability Business Registry. It's a website where businesses that have done pollution prevention and implemented sustainable business practices can post their achievements.

While Fortune 500 companies have made sustainability a part |of their operations, smaller businesses usually don't have the in-house, technical, or financial resources to make changes, according to the business development center.

“The registry will give small businesses the resources and tools they need to become sustainable,” DEP Assistant Commissioner Bob Marshall said in a statement.

Those interested in taking advantage of the pro bono consultations or getting help with the New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry should email their requests to NJSBinfo@NJSBDC.com. A sustainability consultant will respond in person, online or by phone.

Businesses can find more information about the programs by going to the “sustainability” link, under the “services” tab on the New Jersey Small Business Development Center network site (njsbdc.com), where they also can complete a request for counseling. The New Jersey Sustainable Business Registry Web pages and application can also be accessed from a link on the NJSBDC home page.

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Small Business