Are you a green business? Do you want to be a green business and don't know where to start? Becoming green means taking steps to increase recycling, to start waste and energy reduction programs and to establish office reuse policies.

I want to congratulate the Vallejo Chamber of Commerce, a City of Vallejo department, and Mustico Realty for taking the initiative to divert over 5.5 tons of materials from the landfill in the past six months. When the Chamber moved to their new location, they did not need an extra trash pickup because they were able to divert over 3800 pounds of unneeded stuff. I assisted one city department in moving over 4900 pounds of equipment from an abandoned restaurant. Verna Mustico saw a challenge in emptying an unused office and ultimately diverted over 2700 pounds. These businesses were determined to do the right thing and, with a little help, they recycled traditional materials, hazardous waste and e-waste while adding usable office supplies to VALCORE's ReUse Barn. Office furniture, file cabinets, chairs and even pictures were picked up and reused by recycling friends and through www.freecycle.org.

In this mix, I salvaged an 100-year old Vul-Cot waste basket made from vulcanized fiber which apparently is made from recycled cotton waste that is fused between heavier material and formed into a useful object.

Businesses in Vallejo and Solano County now have two resources to evaluate their companies and plan for a sustainable future.

On April 10, The Solano County Board of Supervisors approved a Green Business pilot program. The Bay Area Green Business Program certifies the environmental performances of small to medium sized businesses and government agencies that operate in an environmentally responsible way. In addition to complying with all existing regulations, companies take the extra step to conserve resources, prevent pollution, and minimize their waste.

The Green Business Program was established in 1996 and sponsors include the Association of Bay Area Governments, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), California EPA, the California Department of Toxic Substances Control along with seven Bay Area counties. Over 850 businesses and public agencies have been certified as Green Businesses. For more information contact Narcisa Untal, Solano County Department of Resource Management (707 784-6765, Nuntal@solanocounty.com), or log onto www.greenbix.abog.ca.gov.

The second resource is WRAP, the Waste Reduction Awards Program sponsored by the California Integrated Waste Management Board. WRAP recognizes businesses for their commitment to reduce waste through reuse and recycling. The program is not a competition; each business is judged on its own accomplishments.

WRAP-winning businesses demonstrate that managing discards responsibly can be profitable. The waste reduction practices of California's proactive WRAP businesses go beyond beverage container or paper recycling. In addition to buying products manufactured with recycled content, many California businesses are reusing materials and creating innovative waste prevention activities while providing additional job opportunities.

The 2006 WRAP awards went to 1254 California businesses who reported saving $112 million dollars while diverting over 1.2 million tons of waste.

In Vallejo last year, North Bay Cabinets and Vallejo Garbage Service received the WRAP award.

This writer has completed five successful applications in previous years. This exercise gave me a clearer picture about how VALCORE Recycling prevented waste and dealt with the waste that our customers brought in.

Businesses have begun to think outside the recycling bin with the state-wide push for Zero Waste. Zero Waste is simply "planning ahead" so there is no waste at the end of a product's use. The same applies to energy use. If you don't turn on a light or machine, you save electricity and don't incur that expense. If you don't use it, you don't pay for it.

Vallejo businesses should contact Vallejo Garbage Recycling Coordinator Lisa LeFebvre at 551-2621 for answers about your recycling. Additional business recycling information is available on the Solano County recycling web site: www.recycle-guide.com. If you can't find what you are looking for, send a comment to the web mistress.

The 2007 WRAP application is available online at www.ciwmb.ca.gov/WRAP, by calling (916) 341-6604, or emailing at WRAP@ciwmb.ca.gov. The applications are due on June 30, 2007.