Certified businesses
Each year, the Colorado Green Business Network recognizes and celebrates businesses that go above and beyond in implementing sustainability in their operations. The graphic shows the estimated resource reductions and accomplishments our businesses achieved in 2024 alone.
Where are our businesses?
2024 Impact report
Check out our Impact report for more information on our program, and our award winners!
Visit our Business Directory to learn more about each and every one of our amazing businesses!
24-Karat Gold Award winner
The 24k Gold Award is a voluntary, members choice competition between Gold Certified Organizations, who submit a project that best demonstrates the sustainability efforts of the organization, team, or individual they wish to recognize. The winner is decided by all our CGBN members, after reviewing applications. The winner is announced at our annual Recognition Event with the handing over of the 24k Gold Trophy.
2024 Winner: Treehouse Learning
In 2023, Treehouse Learning launched a water reduction project, removing grass and replacing it with several donated flats of water-wise, pollinator-friendly perennials. What began as a small opportunity-based project to reduce water usage soon took on a life of its own and quickly spread to the children at the school, connecting environmental stewardship with early childhood education. With their sustainability-based education, Treehouse Learning saved over 28,000 gallons of water per irrigation season, planted 13 new trees on campus, and provided 16 environmental educational outreach workshops for children.
Innovation Spotlight award winners
The Innovation Spotlight Awards give organizations the opportunity to be recognized for outstanding progress and innovation in a specific area of operations, including water, energy, waste, transportation, or community/equity.
Premier Members Credit Union (PMCU) - Community/Equity
PMCU received recognition from the Colorado Breastfeeding Coalition as a Lactation Friendly Workplace, and is the first to certify the entirety of their 19 branches. They created a “traveling lactation kit” that includes a portable pump, furniture, privacy screens, and other amenities, allowing employees to convert a room of any size into a private lactation space.
Cabinetworks Group - Energy
Engineering Manager, Royce Austin, implemented a dust collection control project to improve capacity and reduce electricity consumption. By implementing an on-demand, point of use dust collection gate system and VFD software, Cabinetworks Group was able to save 50,000 kWh/year and meet the facility’s increased demand, all while avoiding the purchase of an additional system that would have spiked energy use.
Centennial Airport - Transportation
Centennial Airport was the first airport in the state of Colorado to begin selling unleaded fuel, which is a more environmentally friendly fuel. The results were commendable, with UL94 fuel sales constituting 20% of the total fuel sales in 2023, amounting to over 101,512 gallons, and benefitting over 700 tenants at the airport. This fuel transition program serves as a model for airports across the country.
Circle Graphics - Waste
Circle Graphics had many canvas prints being scrapped as part of their normal printing process, printed on high quality canvas that could be reused. After noticing a high quality waste stream, the Green Action Team painted over the canvases by hand, preparing them for donation to local art centers in Longmont. The program has donated 243 canvases, around 1,283 pounds of materials so far.
Ready Foods - Water
The Ready Foods maintenance team worked to improve the efficiency of their existing boiler system, which has allowed Ready Foods to decrease standard operations from two boilers to one. This has streamlined production, reduced down time, and increased efficiency, leading to a 7% decrease in natural gas usage, saving 20,100 therms, and a 20% decrease in water usage, leading to a savings of 2,047,800 gallons of water annually.
Trouble reading the graphics on this page? Access 2024 program metrics in a PDF format.
24-Karat Gold Award Winner: Jeff Purdy, Capco LLC
Since joining the Capco team in 2019, Jeff Purdy has been making a tremendously positive impact on Grand Junction’s Environment and Community. Under Jeff’s leadership as Environmental Health and Safety Manager, Capco has reduced 500,000 lbs of CO2 gas in a 9-month period, moved all facility lighting to LEDs, and has seen an 89% reduction in hazardous waste since 2019, through the active evaluation of all process streams, water, gas, and scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions.
EarthLinks: Equity
EarthLinks is a nonprofit that creates Earth-centered programming for people experiencing homelessness and economic poverty. EarthLinks provides workshops, trips into Nature, and urban gardening to community participants. Participants harvest more than 1,300 lbs of produce and craft more than 6,000 sustainable products.
Denver Water: Energy
Denver Water proudly serves high quality water and promotes its efficient use to 1.5 million people in Denver. Denver Water redeveloped their main campus, integrating LED lighting and LEED standards. They used solar to make the one building Net-Zero in energy. 1,570,000 kWh of energy saved per year.
Bear Creek Cabins: Water
Bear Creek Cabins is a family owned and operated vacation rental establishment in Evergreen, Colorado. Bear Creek Cabins Installed rainwater collection barrels and seeded drought-tolerant native grass mixes to minimize direct surface water run-off into Bear Creek during precipitation events and to completely eliminate potable water use for landscaping.
Circle Graphics: Waste
Circle Graphics is a producer of grand and large-format digital graphics, creating innovative projects for outdoor advertising, business signage, wall decor, and photography. Circle Graphics Implemented a polyethylene poster and bulletin recycling program in April 2021, resulting in the recycling of 216 tons of polyethylene since then.
Horizon Discovery: Waste
Horizon Discovery provides research services and products to support a greater understanding of the function of genes across all species. Horizon Discovery switched their cold shipped packaging to 100% recyclable, plant-based insulation panels, with an estimated 3530.4 MTCO2e saved from entering the atmosphere annually.
2023 winner: The Alliance Center
In May 2021, the Alliance Center installed one of the first vehicle-to-building (V2B) electric vehicle chargers, including a publicly available carshare, in North America. A dedicated Nissan LEAF will be utilized to provide electricity to the building during times of high energy demand, such as heat waves. The project is anticipated to reduce energy consumption for the building, while serving as a carbon free service for carshare members and a research opportunity for broader market impacts.
Arapahoe Libraries - community and equity
Arapahoe Libraries became a seed library, handing out native seed packets to 2,100 patrons at three libraries. They handed out 6,335 packets this year, and intend to expand their efforts to include a dirt pickup, to collaborate with local community gardens, and provide educational programs on patio gardening, harvesting seeds, and composting.
Broadcom - energy
Steve Wolley has been with Broadcom for over 35 years, and has been an outspoken advocate for energy reduction projects, including installing more efficient pumps, installing LEDs across campus, installing EV charging units, and designing an energy efficient building. His work, passion and drive is the single reason why the Broadcom Fort Collins facility has been able to reduce its GHG emission by nearly 73% in 2022.
Corden Pharma - waste
Corden Pharma manufactures active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) for use in lifesaving medicines. The manufacturing process utilizes large quantities of solvents that typically become hazardous waste. Glenn Smith has recently led the organization to make dramatic improvements to the waste management program, allowing for over 3.3 million kg of solvents from different manufacturing steps to be recycled into a secondary market.
Essencify Design - energy
Essencify Design's website serves as the company's primary marketing outlet. Through a transition to a clean energy host and website redesign, they achieved a 63% reduction in emissions and a 48% reduction in energy consumption for their website on average per year.
Greater Park Hill Community Inc - energy
Led by Tracey MacDermott, the organization is working towards 100% electrification in their community building. After two years of site reviews, applications, and a new roof, solar panels have been added, and additional funding through the city has been confirmed to convert the building to 100% electric, which includes converting gas furnaces and water heaters.