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New system aims to help consumers find green businesses

By Neal St. Anthony, Star Tribune

Last update: April 19, 2008 - 1:15 PM

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How do environmentally conscious consumers find out that your business is really “green?”

On Tuesday, Earth Day, a fledgling environmental-monitoring organization headed by a veteran marketer, and several Minnesota companies, will present “UponGreen,” a system that is designed to help businesses demonstrate to consumers that they are recycling, investing in conservation and alternative low-carbon technologies.

“There’s a lot of ‘green-washing’ going on in the market,” acknowledged Mitch Hedlund, founder of Upongreen.com. “We promote transparency in companies’ environmental and social initiatives and deliver a national vehicle to communicate information to consumers.

“With assistance from the Minnesota Center for Energy and Environment, UponGreen has created a baseline of 14 environmental actions for businesses of all size and industries. Those that meet a minimum of nine qualify for UponGreen membership; which offers marketplace and online tools to communicate each company’s efforts.”

Tuesday’s event, sponsored by Eureka Recycling, Whole Foods, Honeywell and other businesses, will be 7 to 9 a.m. at the Minneapolis Central Library. The programs starts at 7:30 a.m., following a complimentary continental breakfast.

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