The Greater Cincinnati Green Business Council (GCGBC), an award-winning group comprised of representatives from the region’s leading organizations, today celebrates its five year anniversary. Since its founding in 2010, the Council, which aims to share best practices and accelerate sustainable development in Greater Cincinnati, has released three educational toolkits, available for free at www.gcgbc.org/toolkits.

“Our member companies have made great strides to reduce waste and improve energy efficiency, while inspiring other organizations throughout Cincinnati to reevaluate their environmental footprints,” said Pamela Brailsford, Senior Director of Supplier Diversity and Sustainability, Cintas Corporation. “We’re looking forward to continuing to share our insight in order to help the region become known as a hub for corporate environmental leadership.”

Council meetings provide an opportunity to vet sustainability strategies and discuss the progress of implemented programs. Members include Cintas Corporation, P&G, Melink Corporation, Macy’s, Luxottica Group, Fifth Third Bank, Kroger, The Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden, Duke Energy, emersion DESIGN, JLL, U.S. Bank, Graydon Head, MillerCoors, Toyota, Xavier University, TriHealth and 84.51°.

The Council’s toolkits are designed to share members’ tips and resources for jumpstarting corporate programs that improve environmental performance. The Workplace Composting Toolkit discusses managing food waste generated by dining operations, cafeterias and break rooms. The Energy Benchmarking Toolkit focuses on reducing energy expenses at facilities. Lastly, the Waste Management Strategy Toolkit provides a strategic plan for assessing a company’s current waste consumption patterns and prioritizing opportunities based on what is right for the business.

Over the course of the next year, the Council will partner with Green Umbrella, an alliance working to maximize the sustainability of the Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana tri-state region, to support its paper recycling campaign. The initiative, which will launch just before America Recycles Day, aims to increase paper recycling rates in the region by encouraging corporations to create recycling programs and set goals for existing programs.

Earlier this year, the Council was recognized with the 2015 Green Business Award for Green Advocacy for providing awareness for key environmental issues and for the results that member companies achieved through the toolkits’ recommendations. The annual award is presented by the Cincinnati Business Courier and the Cincinnati Regional Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council.