SUBSTITUTE
ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, A national leader in the urban green movement, the City of Chicago is proud of its reputation as one of the greenest cities in America and of its commitment to creating a local economy that is prosperous, sustainable, environmentally responsible and fundamentally sound; and
WHEREAS, In keeping with Mayor,Richard M. Daley's and the Chicago City Council's belief that it is essential to promote good stewardship of the earth and its resources, a Joint Committee of the Committee on Finance, the Committee on Energy, Environmental Protection and Public Utilities, and the Committee on Economic, Capital and Technology Development of the Chicago City Council established a Chicago Green Business Task Force, comprising city officials, private citizens and business owners, in an effort to find ways to encourage and reward local businesses that adopt environmentally friendly policies and practices; and
WHEREAS, Based on the recommendations of the majority of the Task Force, the Chicago City Council seeks to establish a Chicago Green Business Program to certify businesses that demonstrate environmental leadership; that meet and exceed minimum environmental regulatory requirements; that take voluntary steps to reduce energy and water use, waste and greenhouse gas emissions; that otherwise conserve natural resources; and that challenge themselves to conduct their business activities in an environmentally sound and sustainable manner; and
WHEREAS, Each business that pledges to "go Green" by complying with minimum standards of environmental performance will qualify under the Program for certification as a Chicago Green Business, and will be issued a Chicago Green Business Logo that the business can display and use to market itself to an ever-growing body of environmentally conscious consumers; and
WHEREAS, The Chicago Green Business Program will empower individuals to make purchasing decisions consistent with their own environmental philosophy by providin...
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